Author: Poppy Benson

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My Heart is Full of the Memories: Volunteering at the Kodiak Refuge Visitor Center

In September, 2025,  three Friends, Meg Parsons, Mimzy Wellberg and Poppy Benson traveled to Kodiak Island to help the refuge with six cruise ships that would arrive over 8 days.  Next year they expect 29 cruise ships.  This heavy schedule is the result of cruise ships repositioning themselves from the South Pacific winter trips to the Inside Passage summer routes and Kodiak makes a very convenient stop.  The Refuge does not have the staff to handle this and this is the third time Friends have helped during the crucial spring and fall cruise ship seasons. Hear what Meg has to say.

By Meg Parsons

A two week fall volunteer project to assist Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center greet cruise ship passengers on their way to Japan was amazing. From the start with Natalie (supervisory refuge ranger) giving a warm welcome pickup at the airport to the exit goodbye laden with thoughtful Kodiak Refuge themed thank you gifts, my heart was and is full of the memories. 

Everything was right- the friendly staff integrating us into their good working team, the refuge housing, conversations with temporary staff, and sharing of rockfish for a group feast.  There was great interest in and conversations with the visitors about Kodiak Refuge as well as Alaska and the other 15 refuges. There was play time and touring of the island- my first trip to Kodiak after 50 years in Alaska. And what a trip it was.  The weather was perfect- mostly sunny and of course fall golden.  A car was for our use, and we drove all the major roads in pursuit of taking it all in.  

We got familiar with the charming city of Kodiak.  People are happy there- smiling faces, busy lifestyles, thriving businesses, mingling ethnic diversity, and proud citizens.  Kodiak runs on 100% renewable energy- wind and water.  We attended two Friday lectures at the Alutiiq Museum- extremely interesting.  And I can’t not mention a favorite coffee shop with large windows along the channel watching bald eagles and a variety of boats coming in and out. My last day I got to hike a bit of the Near Island trails- good views on a sunny day of the water and islands and in the mossy very-green forest.  

Would I recommend volunteering for Friends of the Alaska National Refuges- absolutely!




Meg Parsons (in Friends vest) in a sea of visitors on a 1000 visitor day in the Kodiak Refuge Visitor Center.  Natalie Fath, visitor services lead, said our presence extended their reach and allowed for meaningful conversation with visitors.  PC Poppy Benson/Friends

And Mimzy Wellberg added:  Wonderful welcoming, hospitable staff at Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.  I learned a lot about Kodiak Refuge including its history along with bears, birds and whales.  It was a joy to experience the delight and appreciation expressed by cruise ship visitors and local people upon leaving the Visitors Center.  An added plus was the opportunity to volunteer with experienced Friends volunteers and refuge advocates: Poppy and Meg.

And I, Poppy, might add we saw 9 bears!  Volunteering is a wonderful way to get to know refuge staff and the refuge and support them in a difficult time.  While we were there, we also hosted the Friends September meeting with refuge speaker Amy Peterson, and gave interviews for  a front-page article in the Kodiak Mirror and for KMXT public radio about the staffing crisis at Kodiak Refuge.  They have half the staff of a year ago and that is something most in the town were not aware of. 

 

Kodiak Refuge Visitor Center is a world class space for a world class refuge.   Friends volunteers L to R Poppy Benson, Homer and Meg Parsons and Mimzy Wellberg from Anchorage.  PC Shelly Lawson/USFWS

 



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Pressure on our Alaska National Wildlife Refuges is Ramping Up – What can WE do?

By Mike Schantz, Chair of Finance Committee

Last year, Friends made its first large-scale appeal for fundraising, so we could step up our support for refuges during what we anticipated would be challenging times.  We certainly didn’t expect anything this challenging with 37 Alaska refuge employees (out of 220) quitting under pressure, a hiring freeze in its 10th month making it impossible to replace anyone leaving resulting in 106 vacant positions, the longest shutdown in history pausing refuge management for  5 weeks this fall, and the threat of a Reduction in Force eliminating more positions.  Staffing levels were already at a bare minimum before any of this happened.  Some Alaska Refuges have only 2 or 3 full-time staff managing mult-million acre refuges. 

Last year’s budget was down about 5 % and draft budgets for this year are all over the map but will probably be another 5% decline on top of the 20% decline since 2010.  Senator Murkowski has been able to restore to the Senate’s version most funds cut in the administration’s budget but the final product is yet to be seen. 

Public lands require a certain level of staffing to be sustainable.  The refuge’s professional workforce monitors bird, wildlife and fish populations and provides educational and recreational opportunities to the public.  Active management of these lands is critical to maintaining these refuges as homes for wildlife allowing for amazing wildlife viewing,, subsistence for rural residents, and sport hunting and fishing.  Active management is especially critical in this era of increased pressure on refuge resources.

This is where Friends has to step up.  Last year, due to the generous support of our members, we were able to fund a historic number of projects for $37,000.  Friends supported Brandt and eelgrass monitoring at Izembek, a visitor center volunteer at Alaska Peninsula, a biological intern on the Arctic refuge, a charter boat to retrieve geolocators on storm petrels for the Alaska Maritime, publishing costs for a book on local history for Selawik, a science/culture camp at Innoko, field trip school bus reimbursements at both Kenai and Alaska Maritime, the Migratory Bird Calendar contest and  local events such as the Christmas bird count at Alaska Peninsula.  However, small staffs and uncertain budgets made it difficult for the refuges to preplan projects. 

Given this new reality we would like to develop a Rapid Response Fund for opportunities that come up quickly due to the uncertainties of funding and staffing.  Also, Friends would like to hire a part-time volunteer coordinator to handle the greater demand for volunteers. 

We expect more refuges to ask for assistance with travel to the refuge or to the field.  It is not cheap doing business in Alaska when the only way to the jobsite is by floatplane.  Mother Goose Lake on Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge.  PC USFWS

Interested in year-end giving?  Know that you will directly benefit the wildlife refuges.  We are the only organization to directly support Alaska’s national wildlife refuges. Here are some ways to help.

Donating appreciated assets is a tax-smart way to give and support charitable organizations.  By making a gift of stocks, bonds, or mutual funds you can avoid capital gains tax and, in most cases, receive a charitable deduction benefit on your taxes.  We are set up to receive stocks and mutual funds.

Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD):  If you’re 70-1/2 or older you can make a tax free QCD donation directly from your IRA. 

 Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs):  If you are 73 or older you are generally subject to RMDs from your tax- deferred IRAs. RMD’s are taxed as ordinary income but you could avoid some or all taxes by donating RMD funds to a qualified non-profit which we are.  This is a win/win in that you avoid tax impacts as the donated portion does not count as income and Friends can utilize these gifts to accomplish our mission.  Speak to your retirement fund manager as they must send your donation directly to Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, P.O. Box 2617, Homer, AK 99603.

Estate Planning:  You can make a big impact by adding Friends in your estate plans. Don’t have an estate plan?  Check out FreeWill, an online will-writing resource. It takes just 20 minutes to use and helps create your legal will and legacy gift at no immediate cost. With their secure online tool, you can designate a portion of your legacy to Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges to support Alaska’s 16 wildlife refuges.  Friends is working on establishing an endowment to insure our work into the future.  If you’re interested in becoming a foundational part of this effort contact us.

Regular donations:  You can help at any age!  Cash donations can be made here.  For stock donations, contact our finance committee.  Although we much prefer funds that we can utilize wherever there is the greatest need on the 16 Alaska refuges, you have the option of donating to the designated funds we maintain for four refuges:  Arctic, Alaska Maritime, Kenai or Kodiak.

It is always recommended that you consult your tax professional and/or financial advisor about a gifting strategy. 

Volunteer your Financial Expertise:  Know money?  Know grant writing?  We need you both to help us find money and to help us spend it well by creating and managing projects such as a scholarship fund. 

Pressure on the refuges is only increasing while staffs are collapsing so Friends is committed to doing more – more projects, more staff support, more volunteering and more advocacy.  Our 16 Alaska refuges comprise 85% of the refuge lands in the country and support iconic wildlife. This is a huge task and will require us to step up our efforts.  Please help.



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November Advocacy Column

By Nancy Lord, Advocacy Committee Chair

In this challenging time, it’s difficult for all of us to know where to best put our energies. It’s easy to be so overwhelmed that we can be tempted to go silent.

Many of us last month were disheartened when the Secretary of the Interior Douglas Burgum announced, on what he called “Alaska Day,” orders to proceed with oil and gas and mining projects and road-building through and on conservation lands. These lands include the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, and Gates of the Arctic National Park.

Bergum announced signing an order to reopen the entire 1.56 million acre coastal plain (1002 area) of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development, reversing a Biden administration decision. He also announced signing an Agreement for the Exchange of Lands which completes the transfer of land out of the Izembek Refuge with transfer of title to the King Cove Corporation (KCC) for the purpose of building a road across the refuge including a portion designated Wilderness.  The approved Ambler Road that will pass through Gates of the Arctic will also affect refuge lands in northern Alaska by increasing access, interrupting migration routes and crossing through watersheds that drain into the Kanuti, Koyukuk and Selawik refuges.

Importantly, all these lands were protected as conservation units by the Alaska National Interest Lands Act (ANILCA) of 1980. To so greatly erode their purposes—and the intent and interests of the American people—is not only a loss in Alaska but a precedent for doing more of the same on public lands throughout the country.

The Alaska delegation stood with the Interior Secretary and nodded vigorously during his announcements, eager for their visions of economic development in the state. They must hear from us to know that “drill baby drill” is not the position of all Alaskans and Americans. The fight is not over, as there will be environmental safeguards to try to secure as these projects advance. There will also be litigation, as the government tries to fast-track these projects by eliminating regulations.

Please take a few minutes this month to send a simple message to remind Congress of what we value. Something like, “Please protect our public lands including our national wildlife refuges, parks, and forests! These belong to all Americans and the generations to come and should not be degraded for short-term exploitation of their resources.” Personalized messages—like whether you hunt or fish or visit refuges to watch wildlife and birds, etc.–are always most effective.

Alaska’s two senators are Sen. Lisa Murkowski; 907-271-3735 and Sen. Dan Sullivan; 202-224-3004. Our House member is Rep. Nick Begich;  202-225-5765.

You can also reach them or any state’s delegation at the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Photo Caption (above)
Nearly the entire world’s population of Pacific Black Brant were in the lagoons of Izembek in the past few weeks.  One of the administration’s actions this month was transfer of title to land within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to the King Cove Corporation so that a road could be built dividing the narrow neck of land between two world class eel grass lagoons.  PC Alison Williams/USFWS



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Tribes and the Yukon Delta Refuge Uniting to Address the Salmon Collapse on the Kuskokwim – Recording Available

Presented by
Spencer Rearden, Manager, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge 
Kevin Whitworth, Executive Director, Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

This program was recorded on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025 at 5 pm Alaska Time

First it was the Chinook salmon that drastically declined in the Kuskokwim River.  Then the chums and coho salmon followed with steep declines.  This multi-year, multi-species salmon disaster was not just an ecological crisis for the Kuskokwim River drainages of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge but a significant humanitarian crisis for all the villages that depend on salmon for food security and cultural integrity.  Come hear from Kevin Whitworth of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and Yukon Delta Refuge Manager Spencer Rearden about this crisis and how a unique partnership of local tribes and the refuge formed up to manage salmon on the river.  They will address the current state of salmon and how we got here.  How Tribes up and down the Kuskokwim came together to form the Inter-Tribal Fish Commission to attack this problem that threatened their way of life.  And how the refuge came to co-manage a fishery with the Tribes, setting openings and closings for fish harvest, that under normal circumstances would be done by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

















In villages along the Kuskokwim, salmon and subsistence are a way of life.   Fish drying racks awaiting the return of the salmon.   PC USFWS

Background

The Kuskokwim River is the second longest river in Alaska and home to all five species of  Pacific salmon.  Salmon are key to the wildlife and ecology of the 20 million-acre Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, the largest refuge in the nation.  Predators such as bears and eagles depend on the fish as do other fish species such as the record-sized rainbow trout, Dolly Varden and northern pike who feast on salmon eggs.  But these impacts on the refuge were not the main reason the refuge was drawn into salmon management.  The 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) which established the 16 national wildlife refuges in Alaska as they exist today, also specified a local rural subsistence priority for use of Alaska wildlife in times of shortage.  This is a time of shortage.  The refuge had to take over management of the fishery from the state to ensure subsistence priority which meant reducing harvest and determining fishing opportunities while balancing subsistence and conservation needs.






Yukon Delta Refuge’s fish biologist Nate Akers (left) with Evan Waska of Kwethluk collecting salmon smolt from the live trap for identification and measurements. PC Andrew Magel/KRITFC

The Kuskokwim watershed is home to  40 communities of Yup’ik, Cup’ik, Deg Xit’an, and Dené people that have depended on salmon as the mainstay of their diet for thousands of years.  Gathering subsistence foods is a central part of village life and cultural identity.  When the salmon runs collapsed in 2010 and remained depressed, tribal leaders came together in 2015 to form the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission to ensure local, Alaska Native people have a say in the fishery.  The Fish Commission represents the Tribes in fisheries management, research, and monitoring, as guided by Alaska Native values and knowledge, and the best available scientific information.  Five Managers are elected annually to represent the Tribes at the co-management table with Yukon Delta Refuge under a Memorandum of Understanding. These In-Season Managers and Yukon Delta Refuge’s fisheries team work together using in-season assessment data and local and Traditional Knowledge to conserve and restore Kuskokwim salmon, while providing for as much subsistence harvest as possible.  

The salmon crisis on the Kuskokwim is unique in its severity, longevity and impact on people. Salmon management on the Kusko is unique in that it is a partnership of a wildlife refuge and Tribes.  This is not the way fisheries decsions are usually made.  Come learn more.

Biographies

Growing up in McGrath, Kevin Whitworth learned from his elders to love the land, the river, and the natural world from an early age. He spent many hours exploring, hunting, fishing, and trapping out in the woods and on the rivers. Through high school and college, Kevin spent his summers working as a biological technician at several wildlife refuges across the state. After graduating from University of Alaska Fairbanks, he worked a number of full-time positions for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including Deputy Refuge Manager for the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge in McGrath. Kevin has also worked for the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and as the Lands and Natural Resources Manager for MTNT Limited, the McGrath village corporation. While working for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Kevin met his wife, Dara who also worked for the refuge. They have a young son and two daughters and enjoy spending time at their remote cabin, dogsledding with their team of dogs, and being outside as much as possible. He joined Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission team in May 2018 and has served as Executive Director since 2022.


Spencer Rearden grew up in rural Alaska, where wide open spaces, vast public lands, and a deep connection to the environment shaped his passion for conservation and science. Spencer was raised in a subsistence lifestyle centered on fishing, berry picking, and hunting — traditions that continue to influence both his personal and professional life.  Spencer earned his Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife and a Master’s degree in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University. He started his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as a Wildlife Biologist with the Office of Subsistence Management, where he became well-versed in the Federal subsistence regulatory process and Title VIII of ANILCA. Through this work, he helped develop and justify regulatory changes to conserve fish and wildlife resources while supporting rural and Native subsistence users. Over the past 20 years, Spencer has worked in both private and government positions, primarily in Alaska.

At the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, he has held several roles, including Big Game Biologist,  Assistant Refuge Manager, Supervisory Wildlife Biologist, and Refuge Manager since 2023.  Spencer’s education, professional expertise, and firsthand understanding of Alaska’s subsistence traditions have helped him build strong partnerships with local and Native communities to advance conservation goals. He remains dedicated to ensuring that subsistence practices, and the cultural values they represent, endure for future generations.
























The Kisaralik River, an important tributary to the Kuskokwim, was the scene of the Friends Discovery trip to the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in 2024.  Anecdotally, we noted sharply decreased numbers of Dolly Vardin and rainbow trout compared to a decade ago.  Trout and Dolly Vardin are predators on salmon eggs so likely their populations are affected by the salmon collapse.  PC Poppy Benson/Friends








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Izembek Refuge’s Indelible Impressions: Pacific Black Brant Productivity Survey Project

By Moira O’Malley, Fairbanks Friend

This has been a very difficult article to write. I spent almost a month in Izembek this fall helping with surveys as a Friends volunteer. A couple of days after I arrived home it was announced “the Trump administration is moving forward with a controversial land deal to allow for the construction of a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge” (WAPO, 10/23/25).  I can’t write without choking up.

I had always wanted to visit Izembek after first hearing about it 25 years ago while teaching in Chignik Lake on the other side of the Alaska Peninsula. I knew the refuge was special, but didn’t realize how special until witnessing it firsthand. I don’t think my words can even begin to do justice to Izembek so watch the 13-minute documentary Izembek produced by Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Izembek is one of Alaska’s many treasures, a fragile, rich environment, breathtaking, wild, and pristine.















Pacific Black Brant on Izembek Lagoon, one of the largest eel grass beds in the world.  PS Alison Williams/USFWS  

Izembek Refuge, Alaska’s smallest refuge, lies between the highly productive waters of
the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. The heart of the refuge is Izembek Lagoon, a coastal ecosystem that’s home to one of the world’s largest eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds. Hundreds of thousands of waterfowl, including virtually the entire population of Pacific Black Brant, visit the lagoon to feed on eelgrass and rest during migration. From brown bears to salmon, more than 200 species call this refuge home.

What does one do when your volunteer stint is abruptly canceled due to the government shutdown? Wait patiently. I arrived at refuge headquarters in Cold Bay to start work on Monday, September 29th. The government shutdown two days later, on Wednesday. I had the choice of going home or staying, but there was no way I was leaving after waiting so long to finally experience Izembek. The waiting game paid off. We were back to work on Friday, October 3, after the project was declared exempt from the shutdown because the data was necessary to determine the brant hunting season.



















Scoping Brant on a good day at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.  PC Williams/USFWS

We were trained to distinguish brant adults from juveniles; and how to use a spotting scope to observe, identify, count, and record the number of adult and juvenile brant.  However, the most important skills to have are a positive attitude and willingness to learn! Some of the challenges included: jumping in and out of an inflatable boat: trapsing in wading boots over wet, uneven, boggy, tundra, tussocks and hummocks; sinking and getting stuck, in silty eel grass beds; army crawling to avoid disturbing wildlife, especially brant; and knowing what to do while waiting out the bad weather, which could be wind, rain, hail, snow or cold, and possibly all at the same time!  Did I say wind? Layering clothing and knowing there is a hot shower at the end of the day certainly helped!
















Nearly the entire world’s population of Pacific Black Brant stop in Izembek Lagoon during migration.  Two adults and a juvenile.  PC Alison Williams/USFWS

What I gleaned most from my experience was, yes, learning about and appreciating this miniscule but powerful ecosystem, but just as important, the camaraderie and passion of individuals coming together to work with a common interest- waterfowl, specifically brant. Our fearless, impressive, full of life leader was the Refuge Wildlife Biologist Alison Williams. Alison is one of the three remaining staff at the refuge. The other two are Manager Maria Fosado and Deputy Manager Jeff Kalin. Alison’s passion, enthusiasm, and upbeat personality kept the crew together and happy, especially with all the confusing news about the shutdown. Other volunteers included Yusuke, a researcher from Yamashina Institute of Ornithology in Japan; Honorio, a recent Oregon State University graduate; Louis, Friends volunteer from Homer; and Michael, from the Fish and Wildlife Migratory Birds Office.

 In addition, five biology technicians from other refuges worked on another brant project. I was surrounded by Bird Nerds and loved every minute of it!  The bio techs who hailed from the “Lower 48” were excited about experiencing Izembek. There were many firsts for them and plenty of wildlife to see including brown bears, wolves, fox, walrus, harbor seals, sea otter, and Stellar’s sea lion.

The passion I saw in these young people gives me so much hope for the future. One bio tech stated, “Alaska takes a hold of you and doesn’t want to let go.” This was certainly my experience at Izembek!

A special thank you to Maria, Jeff and Alison for the generous hospitality and warm welcome to the refuge!














And the scenery wasn’t too bad either! Shishalden Volcano, one of the most active in the Aleutians, on the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge as seen from Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.  PC: Moira O’Malley/Friends  



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Duck Banding! Always Fun but this Year with Drama

By Poppy Benson and Grace Ruebling

Hands on a duck, lovely Tetlin Refuge, being part of a team with refuge staff, doing conservation work – all contribute to the allure of duck banding which Friends have helped with for 5 years.  Despite the unusual event this year, we participated in banding over 400 ducks – mainly mallards and pintails, with green winged teal and widgeon.  Teams of two work for a week each on the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge.  I worked the first week and had the time of my life.  Board member Becky Wick and Dan Moultrie from Soldotna took the second week and had this to say. “It was so much fun learning about the ducks and the process of catching and banding.  Joe (refuge seasonal biologist) is so interested in the ducks and willing to share his knowledge.  I recommend anyone who can offer the time and have a willingness for getting down and dirty to take the opportunity to participate in the future.”

Amy Farnham and Grace Ruebling, both from Anchorage, worked the third  – the drama week.  Here is how Grace described it.

Unforgettable Volunteer Experience

By Grace Ruebling, Anchorage Friend

Volunteering at Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge gave me a glimpse into the realities of field biology—equal parts rewarding and unpredictable. Each morning, Brent, the lead biologist, picked us up by boat and ferried us across the lake to the duck traps. On the first day, Amy and I learned how to catch, hold, and band ducks, receiving our lighthearted “initiation” when a duck was placed on our heads before being released into the sky. The second day, however, brought a different lesson. As we crossed the lake, Brent told us something unusual had happened.

When we arrived, we discovered the traps had been smashed—presumably by a brown bear. The damage was so severe that our banding work came to an abrupt end.

Even though our time was cut short, it was an unforgettable volunteer experience. I not only gained hands-on skills in duck handling and banding, but also got to share in the camaraderie and humor of a field crew. Most of all, I left with a deeper appreciation for the challenges and joys of working in wildlife conservation, and I would gladly volunteer again in a heartbeat.







































After the bear! Tetlin Refuge biologist Brent Jamison wonders what he will do next year now that there is a bear out there that has learned duck traps provide free meals.  All the ducks trapped that day were eaten or escaped.  PC FWS

Top Photo:  Amy Farnham of Anchorage enjoying one of the pleasures of banding – hands on a duck!  PC FWS

 



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October Advocacy Report

by Nancy Lord, Advocacy Committee Chair

The Friends advocacy committee continues to meet frequently and to organize, coordinate, report, comment, and advocate on numerous fronts.

  • We continue to track the two major issues we are involved in with coalitions and prepare to respond to decisions and outcomes. For Izembek Refuge, we await a decision from the federal government, which is expected to approve a land exchange which would allow a road to be built across a narrow isthmus between two lagoons with world-class eelgrass beds in the heart of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. The purpose of the Refuge is the conservation of not only waterfowl and shorebirds but also salmon, brown bears, and the caribou herd that migrates across the isthmus. Building a road there will have tremendous impacts on fish and wildlife habitat and could also greatly increase both disturbance and hunting pressure beyond current subsistence use.  Trading the ownership of refuge lands that Congress designated for conservation and as a wilderness area is a terrible precedent for the privatization of public lands for development that is incompatible with both refuge and wilderness lands. 
  • In the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, AIDEA (the Alaska Industrial and Export Authority, a state agency) is set to begin seismic surveying on coastal plain leases. The Administration intends to open the entire coastal plain (1002 area) to additional oil leasing, and the reconciliation budget bill passed in July mandates that four new lease sales be held in the refuge within the next seven years.
  • We are talking with and collaborating with partners to amplify our messaging and to otherwise support public lands. These include the National Wildlife Refuges Association, Americans for Alaska, American Hunters and Anglers, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and the Alaska office of the National Parks Conservation Association.
  • New threats to our refuges emerge almost daily. Most recently, the Trump Administration approved the Ambler Road, which will allow an industrial mining road to pass through the watersheds of several nearby refuges as well as through the Gates of the Arctic National Park. The government shut-down also endangers the refuges by closing visitors centers and furloughing employees, including those who monitor refuges and prevent damages to their resources. It remains to be seen whether additional lay-offs and budget cuts will follow.
  • Please keep abreast of events by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and our website. By sharing factual information about our refuges and by contacting elected officials, we can each be an advocate!

 



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Shutdown! Cancelled! Closed!

Federal Shutdown Demonstrates the Importance of Refuge Staff

The federal government shutdown that has come down hard on Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuges is a forewarning of the consequences of another budget cut.  Most staff were sent home two weeks ago and are not being paid.  Those deemed “essential staff,” which usually means the refuge manager and possibly a maintenance worker, must keep working through a shutdown although they aren’t being paid either.

Visitor centers that would normally be open in the winter are shuttered – in Homer (Alaska Maritime Refuge), Soldotna (Kenai Refuge) and Kodiak. All public programs are canceled, including school programs, community programs, and special events like Migratory Bird Day. Field work is paused, except for that mandated by legislation such as what’s required to run the trapping season in the Kenai Refuge or the biological work necessary to support hunting seasons such as Izembek Refuge’s annual Pacific Black Brant population study. This is the only field work going on but the staff or contractors involved are at least being paid. Refuge land, trails, campgrounds, and public use cabins are still open to the public but there is no maintenance, so if you visit, please bring your own toilet paper, take out your own garbage and please treat facilities with care.

Shutdowns are hard on staff. All projects and forward momentum are lost. Inevitably federal dollars are wasted in a budget environment where there was so little to begin with. On top of what the refuge staffs have already been through this year, this is a tougher one than most.  So far, it doesn’t seem like any staff have been terminated, which would be illegal, but is happening in other agencies.  Any further reductions in the refuge budget for FY26 will be even harder on staff.

Please help so that Refuge staff can go back to work and keep doing what they love – caring for our refuges and sharing their wonders with school children and visitors.



What You Can Do:

1) Document the impacts of the shutdown. If the lack of Refuge staff impacts your use of refuges, visitor centers or educational programs or has an economic impact on you or your business, please send notes to Friends so we can elevate them in advocacy with policymakers.

2.) Call, email, or meet with your U.S. Senators and Representatives. Ask for their support to pass a continuing resolution (CR) that funds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its National Wildlife Refuge System, and to include language safeguarding federal fish and wildlife management in any budget negotiations. Share specific local impacts you or your community are seeing (e.g., closed Refuge offices, cancelled programs, vandalism, lack of maintenance, lack of information about hunting and fishing seasons, disrupted collection of necessary biological data). Encourage them to press for protections in any subsequent appropriations package. Yes, I think it’s important to make clear that the CR is not the end of it.

 



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Friends get Unfriendly with Aleutian Invasives in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Recording online Here

Presented by Mark Conrad, Deb Kurtz and Dan Esler, Friends Volunteers

This program was recorded live on Tuesday, October 21.  Recording online here. 




  • Anchorage  – Deb and Dan in person at REI’s Community Room, 500 E. Northern Lights Blvd.
  • Homer – Mark will be in person with Deb and Dan on zoom at the Kachemak Bay Campus, KPC, Bayview Building, Rm B102, Pioneer Avenue
  • Soldotna – Watch Party at Kenai River Campus, Kenai Peninsula College, Ward Building, Rm 116, 156 College Rd. 
  • Or join us from anywhere via Zoom 

Imagine a 1400 mile journey by research ship through the misty, storm swept Aleutians to two special islands where help is needed fighting invasive species.  Along the way you spot life birds, swarms of seabirds and  marine mammals in abundance.  You work with great people – scientists, refuge people and the crew of the R/V Tiglax. This was the volunteer opportunity for three of our members this past July.  Join us to hear Mark, Deb and Dan talk about their experience –  the Aleutians, the danger invasives pose to island ecosystems, their hard, back breaking work, their visits to Adak with its crumbling abandoned military base and Aiktak, the isolated summer home of two seasonal biotechs.  It was a big adventure and good work was done.  







Mark assures me that there will be birds, lots of birds and beautiful photography.  Northern fulmars at sea.  PC: Deb Kurtz/Friends

The Aleutians have been part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge for over 100 years.   Despite this protected status, the remoteness and the vast distances, big actions – World War II and the frantic construction of military bases and very small actions – a dirty boot coming ashore – have brought non-native invasive species, both plants and animals to these wildlife rich islands.   Rats on Adak and Poa lawn grass on Aiktak were the focus for this trip.  Rats are voracious predators on birds, eggs and chicks and introduced plants spread.  Norway rats arrived on these remote islands by shipwreck and WWII supply ships.  The non-native grass probably came on a refuge employees boot and is spreading along all disturbed areas. 

Caption for Title Photo:  R/V Tiglax in Ugamak Bay off Aiktak Island.  PC Deb Kurtz/Friends

Biographies 


Mark Conrad was recently “retired” from a 30+ year career in conservation in Wyoming, researching and protecting water quality and wildlife habitat when he felt the call to check out Alaska in 2021.  He eventually settled in Homer, throwing himself into volunteer work with the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and other birding and conservation groups.   He monitors sea duck and shorebirds, works seasonally as a bear guard and with Friends has built rat traps and swallow boxes and participated in cleanups.  His Wyoming background in water quality and invasive weeds made him well suited for this volunteer opportunity.  Mark’s bachelor’s degree is from University of California Davis and his master’s from University of Wyoming.  Mark enjoys travelling, hunting, fishing, kayaking, xc skiing, birding, and learning about the maritime environment. Mark said he really enjoys the community of Homer and the whole state.  He is glad he made the move.

 

Deb Kurtz first came to Alaska on the ferry in 1999 for a summer of hitchhiking around the state to backpack and hike.  Two years later she returned for a seasonal job as a wilderness technician for the US Forest Service in southeast Alaska.  For the next 20 plus years she worked for the Forest Service, the Park Service, non-profits and the private sector doing marine bird and mammal surveys, invasive plant management, time lapse photography, snow surveys, glacier monitoring, oceanographic measurements, watershed management, fisheries surveys, and waterfowl banding.  Deb has been a Friends member for a few years, but it was her recent retirement that allowed her to take on a longer-term volunteer project like this.  Deb earned a bachelor’s in geography with minors in geology and environmental sciences from SUNY Geneseo and a master’s in earth science with a thesis on invasive plant modeling from Montana State.  Deb loves Alaska’s wildlands and wildlife and can be found recreating and exploring across the state’s mountains, rivers, coast, and tundra with a pair of binoculars and a camera around her neck. She lives in Anchorage.

 

Dan Esler’s parents called his bachelor’s degree from Northland College in outdoor recreation and biology “Camping for Credit.”  Dan went on to get a master’s from Texas A & M with his thesis on hydrilla, an invasive water plant, and a PhD from Oregon State.   He first came to Alaska for a three-month technician job with breeding waterfowl on the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge and stayed.  Most of his career was with USGS as a wildlife research biologist with an interest and expertise in nearshore marine ecology and birds, especially sea ducks.  He also spent 12 years on the faculty of Simon Fraser University in Canada as a researcher.  His work and outdoor adventures, often centered around birding, have taken him to many of Alaska’s national wildlife refuges including Yukon Delta, Yukon Flats, Kodiak, Kenai, Alaska Maritime, Izembek, and Tetlin refuges.  Dan notes that Tetlin Refuge is a favorite spring spot for spotting species hard to see elsewhere in Alaska like Sora, Ruddy Duck and Common Yellowthroat.  Dan lives in Anchorage and enjoys all sorts of outdoorsy and naturey activities.

 

Mark, Dan and Deb with Fish and Wildlife staff Mychele Smith and Stacey Buckelew, invasive species biologist in front of the Puffin Palace where two biotechs spend the summer alone on uninhabited Aiktak Island monitoring seabirds.  Note the team has dug the Poa grass out from around the Puffiin Palace, and it is now ready for laying geotextile fabric to prevent new growth.   Aiktak is one of the annual monitoring seabird sites for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.  The decades of data gathered here are not only important for documenting trends in seabird populations but is also used by other researchers to shed light on the state of life in the ocean and environmental disruptions.  PC/USFWS




Open post

It Wasn’t the Trip We Expected but it Was Pretty Great: Sailing to the Refuges Aboard the Tustumena

By Poppy Benson, Outreach Chair

The nine of us Friends sailing out of Homer in early September expected to see coastal refuges and we did.  We expected that in meeting with three refuge staffs we would learn from them their current challenges and we did.  We expected to see marine wildlife in abundance and the wild and rugged grandeur of Alaska’s coastline and we did.  We expected to have a wonderful time with a compatible group and we did.  We just didn’t expect we would never get to our destination of Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island where we had planned three days of hiking, cultural experiences and even a community presentation.

It was quite a shock when the Captain gathered all the passengers together in Cold Bay and said “We aren’t going any farther.  The storm is too bad. We are tying up here for two nights and going back”.  Wow!  But Alaskans are nothing if not adaptable to weather and we quickly realized this gave us a unique opportunity to really explore Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.   Izembek is probably the most expensive Alaska refuge to get to by plane, and here we were.  We revisited the Grant Point overlook in sunny conditions, hiked down to look at the eel grass up close, checked out spawning salmon in every stream, drove backroads looking for bear and had many more quality conversations with Izembek staff.  Nearly all the world’s population of Pacific Black Brant stop over at Izembek during fall migration.  The first week of September was too early to experience Brant filling the skies but we were lucky to spot small flocks of both Brant and Emperor geese.  Pam Seiser of Fairbanks remarked, “So many resources in such a small place – bear, birds, fish, ptarmigan.  It must be a hunter’s paradise.” View a short video on Izembek here.

One goal of our Discovery trips is to give members a chance to experience off road refuges.  The value of that was articulated by President Marilyn Sigman. “After being nearly blown off a ridge overlooking Izembek Lagoon, I have a much better feel for what a special place the Refuge is, the natural route and stopping off place for birds that migrate across the narrow isthmus between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean.”   Once a month the Tustumena provides a unique opportunity to experience five hard-to-access refuges.  It sails from Homer out the Aleutian chain calling in three ports that are headquarters for refuges – the Alaska Maritime Refuge in Homer, Kodiak Refuge in Kodiak City and Izembek at Cold Bay.  It passes by islands of the Alaska Maritime Refuge in route to Unalaska Island which is 90% refuge.  It cruises by Kodiak, Alaska Peninsula and Becharof refuges although you don’t set foot on them.  In Cold Bay, Izembek refuge staff meet every ferry with a van to take passengers out to a scenic overlook on the refuge. Visits to small isolated Alutiiq villages adjacent to the refuges gave us a glimpse of life there from Old Harbor’s lovely Russian Orthodox church to the charm of Chignik and the bustling fishing port of Sand Point.

The second goal of a Discovery trip is to meet the staff and learn firsthand about the work of their refuges and what Friends could do to help them fulfill their mission.  All the refuges are lacking staff.  Kodiak has 7 down from 15 a year ago.  Izembek only 3.  The hiring freeze continues keeping them from filling any positions such as the badly needed maintenance worker for Izembek.   Both Kodiak and Izembek need funding to get employees or volunteers to the field.  We funded the travel for two volunteers to Izembek this fall and we may be able to do more of that.   Marilyn Sigman’s takeaway from observing the situation at Izembek was that “Izembek has such an amazing team, but there is only a Refuge Manager, Assistant Refuge Manager, and Biologist – no maintenance person for many WWII-era buildings (which we learned originally had plumbing pipes installed running uphill) and vehicles with no services available in Cold Bay. If the furnace breaks down in the middle of the winter, as it did last year, it was the Refuge Manager who had to fix it. She also takes her turn scrubbing toilets in advance of a public tour whenever the ferry stops in Cold Bay. The biologist gives the tour while driving a bus.”  It was sobering seeing the reality of their situations. 

We learned, we laughed, we adventured.  See a photo gallery of our trip here.  This is the third Discovery trip.  Read about our Arctic and Yukon Delta refuge trips here.  A Togiak Refuge trip for 2026 is in the planning and will be ready for booking before the holidays.  Keep on eye on this newsletter as trips fill up nearly instantly.



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