Artist:
Scott Mitri
Medium: Photography
Showtime: May
1st - May 31st
Initially starting as a volunteer position, I had
worked as a Wildlife Biological Technician on Kodiak
Island, Alaska. While working with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service I had, the opportunity to explore many
areas in the wild. Most of the wildlife refuge is closed
to the general public allowing travel possible only
through airplane or helicopter. Most of the duties performed
circulted around threatened species of waterfowl and
Kodiak Bears. Along with one other person, we would
kayak down rivers for weeks at a time counting and tabulating
every animal in sight. Bears were a frequent problem
throught our journey. Many would simply run off at first
sight, however there was deffinitely problem bears as
well. These were usually the bears that just left their
family group at just over three years of age. One thing
you do not do in these circumstances is run. A fit bear
can run approx. thirty-five miles an hour for about
five minutes consistently (they're not much slower up-hill).
Other experiences included spending months out at sea
collecting data. My team and I would set up elaborate
net systems to capture various sea birds. We would then
age and sex them, draw blood, take feather samples and
radio tag the birds.
As an amateur photographer in school, my dream job
would be to eventually become a wildlife photographer.
I have explored many areas throughout the United States
and plan on moving to Australia in June to persue schooling
in the fields of photography and metal sculpture. I
am accomplishing this through Buffalo State's International
Student Exchange. In this area my travels will take
me through New Zealand, Thailand, Bali as well as anywhere
else I can afford.
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