Teresa Darrah's first night in Alaska was definitely not what she had planned for. In fact, the College of Communication graduate student spent the entire night fighting off mosquitos.

Darrah flew to Fairbanks, Alaska in June after accepting a summer internship working for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Though her summer did not start off as she expected, she soon found that "all of the challenging first-day experiences and doubts seemed minor compared to the joy and excitement" of being in Alaska.

"It certainly paid off," Darrah said. "It was a wonderful experience. I was so lucky to go there. I loved Alaska. It's a big, muddy mess, and it's wild and fabulous."

While in Alaska, she worked for two organizations, the Gwich'in Steering Committee and the Northern Alaska Environmental Center.

At the NAEC, Teresa organized public outreach efforts and helped with the "Run for Refuge," a fundraising effort aimed at keeping oil drilling out of the refuge.

Most of Darrah's time in Alaska was spent working for the GSC, an organization created in 1988 with the hopes of "establishing Gwich'in cultural survival as a major issue in the oil drilling debate," she said.

According to the GSC's Web site, the Gwich'in are an Indian nation of about 7,000 people who live around northeast Alaska and northwest Canada. As did their ancestors, the Gwich'in depend on caribou for food, clothing, tools and spiritual guidance. The wildlife refuge is where the caribou come to give birth, and drilling for oil would drive the caribou away and endanger the Gwich'in people.

At the GSC, Darrah worked in public relations and helped to organize a Gwich'in Gathering in which "all of the tribal leaders and community members met at one village to discuss the threat of oil drilling."

The gathering was held in Eagle, Alaska, a small village accessible only by plane or boat, she said.

During the gathering, Teresa spent four days at a cabin without electricity and running water, an experience that she describes as "life-changing."

"They didn't have cars, only a few four-wheelers," she said. "I came to know the Gwich'in Indians as people who have a strong reverence for nature and resolve to coexist in harmony on their land."

Some of Darrah's most memorable times in Alaska happened at the gathering.

For instance, Gwitch'in community members spent hours in "talking circles" in which a "talking stick" was passed around, Darrah said. Only the person with the stick was allowed to speak.

As of today, the Gwitch'in Steering Committee has been successful in their fight to keep oil drilling out of the refuge, according to Luci Beach, executive director at the GSC.

An energy bill is currently going through the House of Representatives and the Senate. If the bill passes, the refuge will be drilled for oil, an act that Teresa believes would be "unethical and unfair."

"We don't seem to take the oil drilling issue as a human rights one, but it is," she said.

"The track we're on now is very dangerous," Beach said. "It's repeating some of the atrocities that have occurred with indigenous people in this country, and I hope that good, sound judgment will prevail. There are still a lot of opportunities for the refuge to be protected."

Darrah believes the Arctic Refuge should be protected "for the sake of the land itself and the wildlife it supports" rather than drilled for oil.

"It angers me that the Gwich'in have to put their lives on hold for the oil drilling issue," she said.

Darrah's love for the environment developed at an early age. Growing up in Van Wert, a small farming town in Ohio, she often explored the woods owned by her grandparents.

"My father and I would take walks through the woods, and I would always learn something about the trees and plants," she said. "That's probably how I developed a passion for the environment."

She received her undergraduate degree in biology and English writing from Heidelberg College, a small liberal arts school located in Tiffin, Ohio.

In August, Darrah will graduate with a master's degree in science, health and environmental communication. After graduation, she hopes to work for a nonprofit environmental organization in public relations and writing. Her dream job would be to work in renewable energy.

"Teresa is an extremely nice person," said John Lunz, a friend of Darrah's.

The two met at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Milwaukee, where both serve as volunteers.

"She's very much concerned about ecology and our natural environment, and she puts her feelings to work," Lunz said.

Beach said Darrah is very caring and easy to be around.

"I found her to be very dedicated, committed and concerned," she said.

As for Darrah, spending the summer in Alaska changed her forever.

"I was so impressed with the people who lived there," she said. "They watch out for the environment, and they live what they believe. It was amazing to be around."

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 28 2005.