This nation-wide reunion of Service retirees sponsored by the Association of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Retirees will be held from September 21 – 25, 2026 at the Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage. Helen Clough, former chief of planning for the Alaska region, and Robin West, former Kenai refuge manager, are the co-chairs and would love to hear from you that you could help with planning. They also can give advice on what to see and do in Alaska outside of the talks, field trips and reconnection time at the reunion. Let them know you are interested. You do not need to be a member of the Association to attend.
Caption for Photo: Oh to be young (or not so young) and in Alaska in the first years of the new national wildlife refuges created or expanded in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). This 1987 photo was taken at a holiday event of refuge planners in the Anchorage regional office who were responsible for creating the first land use and management plans (CCPs) for these new, or newly configured refuges. Front row left to right: Maggi Arend, Mary Lynn Nation, Leslie Kerr, Clay Hardy, back row Connie Wasink, Poppy Benson, Mike Haase, Danielle Jerry, Chuck Diters, Bob Seemel and Joe Mazonne – all retired and some are gone.
