Meetings

Join us and learn more about refuges and wildlife at our meetings held from 5-6 pm AKT, the 3rd Tuesday of the month. from fall to spring. Every meeting can be attended live if you are in the same town as the speaker, at watch parties in Anchorage, Kenai and Homer or on zoom wherever you are. All meetings are also recorded and posted on this page. You do not need to be a member to attend.

Upcoming Schedule:

February 18 –It was Worse than We Thought: Half of Alaska’s Murres Killed in Heat Wave by Heather Renner, Supervisory Biologist at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. In person in Homer, watch parties and zoom

March 18 – Built Like a Bear; Mosey like a Moose: Your Health and Alaska’s Wildlife Refuges presented by Matt Connor, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Supervisory Park Ranger. In person at Kenai Refuge Visitor Center in Soldotna, watch parties in Anchorage and Homer and on zoom.

April 15 – TBD

Every meeting will feature an engaging speaker from one of Alaska’s 16 Refuges or a partner who is closely involved with our Refuges.

It was Worse than We Thought: Half of Alaska’s Murres Killed in Heat Wave

Presented by Heather Renner, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Supervisory Biologist

Tuesday, February 18, 5 – 6 pm Alaska Time

Homer – Heather Renner in person at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 95 Sterliing Hwy. Reception follows talk.
Soldotna – Watch Party at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, Ski Hill Road
Anchorage – Watch Party at BP Energy Center, Spruce/Willow Room 1014 Energy Ct.
Zoom – with link to be posted HERE the weekend before the program.

Sea cliffs and remote islands of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge provide ideal nesting sites, protected from terrestrial predators and close to the ocean food source. Aiktak Island in the Semidi Islands is one of the annual monitoring sites of the refuge. PC Ian Shive

As early as summer 2015, Refuge biologists could tell something was amiss at common murre breeding colonies in Alaska. Murres were not showing up to breed like they have year in and year out. And then, the bodies started washing up on the beaches. In winter 2015 – 2016, half of Alaska’s common murre population, 4 million birds, died in the largest single species die-off for any bird or mammal species in recorded history. And they haven’t recovered yet. Hear from Heather Renner, Supervisory Biologist of the Alaska Maritime Refuge, on the refuge’s work to document the scope of this unprecedented tragedy.

When birds die at sea, only a small percentage of the carcasses washes up on shore. What did it really mean in terms of total bird death that 62,000 carcasses were recovered up and down the coast from California to the Bering Sea? Breeding colony counts were needed to give a clearer picture. Unfortunately, for a few years after the die-off, murres didn’t breed successfully, so biologists couldn’t be sure how many had died and how many just weren’t returning to the colonies to breed. When breeding returned to “normal”, biologists learned the true scope of the die-off. Heather is one of six coauthors of a paper published in Science in December of 2024 that caused a considerable stir over the magnitude of the tragedy, the lack of recovery seven years later and the reason – a heat wave in the ocean.

The refuge where much of this drama played out, the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, is an unusual and unusually remote refuge of 2500 islands, headlands and rocks stretched across more than 1000 miles of Alaska’s coastline. It is one of the world’s premiere seabird refuges, with 40 million nesting seabirds. Heather’s team includes biologists working in groups of two to three in field camps on uninhabited islands scattered along the coast. This group of dedicated scientists has been documenting since the 1970’s the status of seabirds, their numbers and breeding success; it was these data that allowed firm conclusions as to the extent of this tragedy. Data used in this analysis spanned two huge marine ecosystems, the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. They also included seabird monitoring data collected on Togiak and Alaska Peninsula/Becharof national wildlife refuges, as well as data collected by Alaska Department of Fish and Game (Round Island) and Middleton Island. Long-term ecological datasets like this are incredibly rare and are urgently needed to understand which species are most vulnerable in our changing ocean.
The before photo was taken in 2014 pre die-off and the post die-off photo was taken in 2021, six years after the event. South Island in the Semidi Islands.

Read More:
Monitoring the Common Murre: Mass Mortality in Coastal Alaska
Four Million Murres Missing: How long-term monitoring revealed an unprecedented wildlife die-off in Alaska

Biography

Seabirds, the Alaska Maritime Refuge and Alaska are part of who Heather Renner is. She is a life- long Alaskan who has worked for the Refuge for 25 years. She began her career at just 15 working in the Fish and Wildlife Service Regional office fisheries program. From there she worked her way up in other Alaskan Refuges – Alaska Peninsula/Becharof, YukonDelta, Togiak and Kenai – from a seasonal bio tech working in field camps to now supervisor of one of the most respected biological programs in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Heather even met her husband while he was completing his doctoral research in a field camp on Buldir Island. It has been her love for wild and remote places that drew her to Alaska’s refuges and inspired her to stay for so long.

Common murres nest in huge colonies laying their eggs right on the bare rock.

Heather said seabirds interested her because “they thrive in places that might seem miserable to people.” She also said she was excited about the science that could be done with seabirds and the questions that could be answered with 50 years of data. Much of Heather’s focus has been coordinating long-term monitoring datasets of seabirds and using those data to address scientific questions about both seabird conservation and ecosystem change. She is also interested in methods development for monitoring techniques. Heather has a BA in Biology from Colorado College, and a MS in Wildlife Management from Cornell University. She lives in Homer with her family and in her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, trail running and cross-country skiing.

What Really Matters: Reflections on our Combined 80 Years with Refuges

Presented by
Steve Delehanty, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Manager
Andy Loranger, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Manager

Tuesday, January 21, 5 – 6 pm Alaska Time
This program was recorded live and can be seen below:

Homer – Steve Delehanty in person at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 95 Sterling Hwy. Reception follows talk
Soldotna – Andy Loranger in person at the Kenai Refuge Visitor Center, Ski Hill Road. Reception follows talk.
Anchorage – Watch party at BP Energy Center, Spruce/Willow Room,1014 Energy Ct.
Zoom

The Kenai River is the heart of the Kenai Refuge. With the salmon rich rivers, highway access to Anchorage, canoe country and mountain trails, campgrounds, refuge cabins and a fine visitor center, this is the most visited refuge in Alaska. That visitor use creates love for the refuge but also management challenges unique in Alaska. PC Lisa Hupp/USFWS

Andy Loranger and Steve Delehanty have spent decades as refuge managers of two of Alaska’s most iconic and significant national wildlife refuges – the Kenai and the Alaska Maritime refuges. They are retiring this month leaving a big hole in refuge management in Alaska. In one of their last acts, they will share with us what their years in the refuge system have taught them and what it might mean for us and the future of refuges. They have seen the best from our crown jewels in Alaska – the Kenai with its salmon highways, abundant moose and bear and lovely landscapes from lake country to alpine; the Alaska Maritime – largest seabird refuge in the world with tens of millions of birds, volcanoes, thousands of islands and otters – to other significant wildlife landscapes in Minnesota, Texas, Wisconsin and elsewhere. This is a trying time for refuges. We all will benefit from their enthusiasm for refuges, their wisdom and a sense of the long view. Please join us for this significant event.

Alaska Maritime’s Steve Delehanty Kenai’s Andy Loranger

Biographies

Steve Delehanty has said that being a refuge manager is the best job in the world, except when it isn’t. While the incredible wildlife and wild places bring inspiration and solace, the real professional challenges as refuge manager generally involve people. “I love wildlife”, says Steve, “But I love people even more. Good thing, because I spend a lot more time at work dealing with people than I do with wildlife.” Fifteen years as manager of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge has topped Steve’s 39 year career with the Fish and Wildlife Service that began with an internship on Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge in Minnesota. Over his career, he has worked in Illinois, Montana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Alaska. Except for a brief internship in Illinois, Steve’s entire career has been in states near Canada.

Steve and his wife, Wendy, live in Homer. They have two adult children, one living in Alaska and one in Alabama. He likes hockey more than basketball, tundra more than forest, oceans more than mountains, and national wildlife refuges more than anything else.

Marine mammals, 40 million seabirds, and over 3000 islands characterize the Alaska Maritime Refuge. Most islands are only accessible by ship so the refuge has the largest ship in the Fish & Wildlife Service, the 120 foot R/V Tiglax. Very remote field camps, supervision of the Tiglax in the rough waters of coastal Alaska, and the dependence of the refuge’s abundant wildlife on off refuge food sources in the ocean create unique management challenges on this refuge.

Andy Loranger has been refuge manager at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge for 15 years. This was his second tenure on “the Kenai”. His first was as a wildlife biologist under Dr. Ted Bailey from 1988 to 1992. Andy said, “When I left Alaska to try refuge management in 1992, my only definitive career plan was to return someday. Being given the opportunity to come home to Alaska, and amazingly to the Kenai Refuge, has been an immense privilege.”

Accompanied from the very beginning by his wife Linda, a registered nurse, Andy‘s career journey started as a seasonal biological technician on the Benson Wetlands Management District in Minnesota, and continued in Alaska in the early 1980s with more seasonal employment on field crews conducting Arctic nesting goose research on Yukon Delta and Izembek refuges. This experience led to a permanent appointment as Nowitna Refuge’s first wildlife biologist, and later a similar role at Kenai. Upon leaving Alaska, he managed refuges in Arizona and Texas and served as Chief of the Refuge System’s Division of Natural Resources in the Fish and Wildlife Service’s national headquarters in Washington, DC. Andy received national recognition for his work in 2018, when he was selected as Refuge Manager of the Year by the National Wildlife Refuge Association. Andy said, “The refuges I served on, and my time in DC, helped me realize what true treasures we have in each and every one of our national wildlife refuges, and to appreciate the depth of dedication of our staff, Friends and volunteers.”

Andy and Linda reside in Soldotna and have 2 adult children, John and Emily, who also chose careers in public service. “We were so fortunate to share the wonders of the natural world on national wildlife refuges as a family, and more recently with our childrens’ families, and best yet, with our grandson Ira. In many ways these experience define who we are, and they have truly been the gift of a lifetime for all of us. Our retirement plans are for more of the same!”

Flying Wild Alaska: Aerial bird surveys give a bird’s-eye view of refuges and waterbirds

Presented by Heather Wilson, Fish and Wildlife Service Pilot/Biologist

This event was recorded live on November 19, 2024 in Anchorage, with other participants at watch parties and on Zoom.

“I think of the Cessna 206 as a Swiss army knife. It can do so many things well…and that makes it a very useful plane for aerial survey work” Heather Wilson as quoted in Vogue magazine. Heather flying the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Cessna 206 over the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. PC Erinn Springer, Vogue.

Heather Wilson has said that if she could have one animal adaptation it would be flight! She’s been featured in Vogue, Outside, and Smithsonian magazines and now she will be here with us on the 19th to share her unique dual-function position of both pilot and wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Migratory Bird Management. Learn how aerial bird surveys are conducted, the logistics of flying and surveying in some of the most remote parts of Alaska, and the research and management implications of the survey data she collects. Heather’s work takes her to ALL of Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuges and her surveys determine hunting regulations and management actions for an array of common and threatened species.

Heather is currently the project lead/pilot-observer for:

Population surveys for winter and fall brant at Izembek & Maritime National Wildlife Refuges
Breeding pair surveys across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Coastal Zone, Arctic Coastal Plain, Copper River Delta, Kenai and Kanuti National Wildlife Refuges
Molting goose surveys and captures in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Use Area and Innoko Refuge.

She touched on these, as well as other waterbird surveys and field work past and present across the state.

Counting Cackling Canada Geese by eye on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge flying only 125 feet AGL (above ground level). PC Tim Bowman/USFWS

Biography

Heather Wilson’s interest in conservation (and aviation) developed from growing up and working in the mountains, rivers, and forests of northern California. She holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and a B.A. in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. After several years of working as a field biologist in North, Central, and South America (focused on neo-tropical migratory birds and bats), Heather moved to Alaska in 2001. Within a year, she became a private airplane pilot, adding commercial, instrument, and float ratings in 2008.

Heather has said what she likes most about her work is the autonomy and challenge of aerial surveys in Alaska and getting to blend biology and piloting. She also enjoys visiting the vast lands that Fish and Wildlife Service manages across Alaska, seeing all the animals from above (100 ft), and working with a great group of people, “biologists and pilots are salt of the earth”. Although Heather is Anchorage based, she flies bird surveys throughout the state on National Wildlife Refuges, and beyond. Most of her aerial surveys serve as the primary population indices for setting hunting regulations through the Pacific Flyway and Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management Council, as well as assisting in conservation of Threatened species. When not in the work plane, Heather is busy compiling data and preparing for more surveys.

In her off time Heather enjoys hiking, skiing, hunting/fishing, playing music with her family and flying in the family’s Piper Super Cub. Heather Wilson with her children in the Super Cub.

See some great footage of bird flocks and learn more about her work as a Wildlife Biologist/Airplane Pilot in these short videos.

Mission Unstoppable TV show – How Biologists Count Birds: Biologist/Pilot Heather Wilson

LifeOnTERRA film – Chasing Birds in Beringia

Chasing Answers in the Arctic: Researching the Effects of Climate Change on the Porcupine Caribou Herd

Presented by Heather Johnson USGS Research Wildlife Biologist and Paul Leonard Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Supervisory Biologist
Tuesday, Oct. 15, 5 – 6 AKDT

This event was held with in person speakers at Fairbanks and Anchorage, at watch parties in Soldotna and Homer and on Zoom.

The Porcupine caribou herd is currently the largest in Alaska and one of the largest herds in North America. Each summer, it undergoes one of the longest terrestrial migrations on Earth to birth calves on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But what is the future of the herd given changing climate conditions? Join us to hear about how an innovative research project aims to discover whether and how a changing climate will impact the herd. Arctic Refuge Supervisory Biologist Paul Leonard will share with us the significance of the Porcupine caribou herd as a cornerstone of the ecological, cultural, and economic landscape of the Arctic Refuge, and as a vital part of the livelihoods and traditions of Indigenous peoples of the region, including the Iñupiat and Gwich’in. Lead researcher Heather Johnson of US Geological Survey (USGS) will discuss the research she is conducting on the Porcupine caribou herd in collaboration with partners including the refuge. Their research aims to understand the influence of changing climate conditions on summer habitat for caribou in the Arctic, the impacts of these changes on caribou behavior and population dynamics, and the implications for the future of the Porcupine herd. As part of the project, caribou wear video camera collars so researchers can ‘see’ life from a caribou’s perspective, footage we look forward to sharing with you!

Cow caribou carried video cameras which turned on every 20 minutes to takea 10 second video. This allowed researchers to see what they were eating, what habitat they were using, if they had calves and other important information.

This is a partnered program with the Campbell Creek Science Center serving as not only our monthly meeting but also their Fireside Chats monthly talk series.

Biographies

Heather Johnson is a Research Wildlife Biologist at USGS Alaska Science Center in Anchorage. Heather has a PhD in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana, a Masters in Wildlife Science from the University of Arizona, and a Bachelors in Ecology from the University of California, San Diego. Heather’s research focuses on understanding how changes in climate and land-use are influencing the behavior and population dynamics of large mammals, and how management strategies can minimize impacts. In her free time, Heather loves doing just about every type of outdoor adventure, especially when it means playing outside with her son.

Paul Leonard grew up in the rolling hills of central Kentucky and spent most of his youth playing out of doors and being constantly curious about the living things around him. He came to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 2019 after finishing a postdoctoral fellowship at Clemson University in South Carolina. His research and ecological interests are focused on recognizing and quantifying the spatial patterns in the distribution of natural resources and understanding the reasons for those patterns. He strives to synthesize large, complex spatial data on land use change, climate change and other human caused impacts to develop decision support tools and conservation strategies for diverse communities at a landscape level.In his free time, he likes self-powered adventures in the outdoors via boat, bike, and foot. He also spends a fair amount of time studying, photographing, and reading about birds.

Floating to the Hunt on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska

This meeting was held on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 5-6 pm AKDT
The recording of this event can be found below:

Presented by Barry Whitehill
Yukon Flats Deputy Refuge Manager (Retired)

Ivishak River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

From the mountains to the lowlands, rivers can take you to wilderness hunting. Floating has been Barry Whitehill’s primary vehicle for accessing national wildlife refuges in Alaska in order to hunt moose, sheep, and caribou. He also just loves rivers. Barry’s love of rivers was honed through a career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which enabled him to traverse remote Alaskan rivers for work. His retirement in 2009 as the Deputy Refuge Manager at the 8.6 million acre Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in central Alaska gave him the time and opportunity to undertake extended personal float trips. He has floated over 1000 miles of Alaska’s rivers in one summer! Barry knows Alaska rivers.

Feast or famine is often the dynamics of Alaska’s ecosystems. As a hunter in that setting, the difference between success and failure can be the ability to tap into the natural rhythm of the land. Barry considers floating to the hunt a great way to match the pace and terms of the Alaska landscape. Barry will share with us lessons learned in over thirty years of floating to these Alaska hunts. He will talk about some of his favorite rivers primarily on the Arctic, Kanuti and Yukon Flats refuges all accessed out of Fairbanks. He will also share tips for planning a float, logistics and gear.

Barry Whitehill’s biography in his own words:

I grew up in eastern Washington and considered myself fortunate to have public lands close at hand. Starting with my first elk at age 14, it became obvious to me that dropping into deep, dark holes and undertaking challenging floats on public lands consistently brought success as a hunter. Also, rivers and wild places rejuvenate my soul. Later, I found this true when living in Idaho, northern Nevada, and, since 1992, in Fairbanks, Alaska. I am a Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges member and on the Board of the Alaska Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. Both organizations do much to support our national wildlife refuges and our opportunities to float and hunt and enjoy these public lands.

Kanuti River on the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge.

Background on Hunting on Refuges

Some of you may be surprised to learn that hunting is one of the “Big Six” priority wildlife dependent recreational uses of national wildlife refuges along with wildlife viewing, wildlife photography, interpretation, education and fishing. These were established as priority recreational uses in the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997. Some lower 48 refuges are closed to hunting to protect species where the populations are not large enough to support hunting or where hunting would conflict with other priority uses. All national wildlife refuges in Alaska are open to hunting except for very small areas adjacent to visitor facilities and the Skilak Loop Road on the Kenai Refuge where wildlife viewing, wildlife photography and small game specialty hunts (youth, bow, and falconry) are the priority uses. Protection of species is accomplished through game regulations usually set by the state. Many Alaskan households utilize wild meat as a big part of their diet.

Subsistence hunting for rural residents is also one of the purposes of all national wildlife refuges in Alaska as established by Congress in the Alaska National Interests Lands Act (ANILCA) of 1980.

Riverside camp on the Ivishak River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Friends partnered for this program with the Alaska Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, a group dedicated to “ensuring North America’s outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife.” They have been advocates for refuges, wilderness and wildlife including taking positions opposing the Ambler Road and defending the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge during the 2016 takeover and occupation by the Bundys.

Conserving the Whole Lifecycle of Salmon: Gravel to Gravel in Alaska

Tuesday, April 16, 5-6 pm AKDT
Presented by Boyd Blihovde: Senior Advisor for Conservation, USFWS Alaska
This presentation was recorded. Watch below:

Salmon have been in trouble in western Alaska and for a long time. The people of the rivers who depend on salmon for much of their food resources and cultural identity are hurting. Boyd Blihovde, head of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s new Gravel to Gravel Initiative, will share with us this situation and his hopes for what this new approach will bring. Boyd, then manager of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, was in the thick of it in 2022 when salmon conservation discussions reached a peak in the villages of Western Alaska and beyond. Protecting Pacific Salmon’s entire lifecycle (from the spawning grounds to the ocean, and back to the spawning grounds) was not a new concept.

Yukon River smokehouse. Putting up salmon for the winter. pc S. Zuray

However, during several hearings and listening sessions with villages and tribes, it became clear that rebuilding salmon runs across Alaska was critical for indigenous people and other rural subsistence users. Leadership from the Department of Interior heard this message from the Tribes and responded with Gravel to Gravel. It is one of nine “Keystone Initiatives” in the United States that are being prioritized by the Department of Interior to focus agency attention and resources on priority conservation issues. The primary goal of Gravel to Gravel is, through tribal engagement and participation, to restore salmon streams and ensure food security to subsistence users within the lower-Arctic, Yukon, and Kuskokwim region of Alaska and into Canada. However, Boyd added that “we hope our efforts just bring back salmon numbers for everyone and all users.” Our vision is: “With Tribes centered, we unite to care for salmon, from gravel to gravel.

Fish drying racks and fishing boats are a key part of life in the salmon dependent villages of western Alaska pc USFWS

Bio: Boyd Blihovde is the Senior Advisor for Conservation at the USFWS Regional Office in Anchorage. He was the Refuge Manager at the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge based in Bethel, Alaska, from 2020 to August 2023. Prior to moving to Alaska, Boyd was the Refuge Manager at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, located in Los Fresnos, Texas. He began his Service experience in 1989 as a GS-3, Youth Conservation Corp member at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge eventually moving on to the University of Central Florida, receiving a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biology. Boyd studied and researched sea turtles on Archie Carr Refuge Canaveral National Seashore, and Puerto Rico and conducted research and wrote his thesis on the terrestrial behavior and site fidelity of gopher frogs.

More recently, Boyd and his wife Gisela have focused more attention on their twins (Ava and Taylor). Boyd writes “The kids have been a lot of fun and have changed our focus from work and self to family and fun.”

The Art and History of Unangax Bentwood Hats, workshop with Patty Lekanoff-Gregory

This event was held on Saturday, March 9, 6 – 7pm

Alaska Maritime Refuge Visitor Center, Sterling Highway, #1, Homer.

Join us for a special visit and lecture from Unangax artist Patty Lekanoff-Gregory. Patty is a world-renowned artist and one of the leading craftspeople helping to promote the once-lost tradition of bentwood hat making. Come learn more about the cultural and historical significance of this intricate craft!
Free!

Three Amazing Rivers of the Central Yukon Watershed with Refuge Manager David Zabriskie

Friends Membership Meeting
This event was held on Tuesday, March 19, 5-6 pm AKDT

Homer – Watch Party at Alaska Maritime Refuge Visitor Center, 95 Sterling Hwy.
Soldotna – Watch Party at Kenai Refuge Visitor Center on Ski Hill Road
Anchorage– Watch Party at BP Energy Center, Spruce/Willow Room, 1014 Energy Ct.

Three wildlife-rich refuges along the central Yukon River are named after the rivers that define them – Koyukuk, Innoko and Nowitna. Ecologically speaking, these rivers are the heart and lifeblood of the three National Wildlife Refuges. They are also the primary access to the refuges for the people of the central Yukon and beyond. Refuge Manager David Zabriskie who is the manager for all three refuges, will share with us his work to protect the Nowitna River, a National Wild and Scenic River, and more broadly the role all three of these rivers play in the lives of the wildlife and the people of the Central Yukon River Watershed. For a preview of this beautiful river David will be sharing with you, check out this two minute video.

The Nowitna River with the Kokrine Hills in the background. pc: USFWS

David Zabriskie’s Bio: After working as a U.S. Navy Aviation Electronics Technician for four years, David pursued his passion for conservation, completing a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in wildlife/forestry and began his Fish and Wildlife Service career through the Student Career Experience Program at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama. From there, he gained valuable experience working in the diverse landscapes of Mississippi, remote Pacific Islands, Tennessee, Alaska, and Arizona before returning to Alaska to work in Galena as the Deputy Manager and now Refuge Manager.

David Zabriskie on the Selawik Refuge

David’s travels have provided him with the opportunity to work with diverse partners and communities across the country on amazing rivers like the Tennessee River and Colorado River. He has also led the Alaska Region’s first Comprehensive River Management Plan for the Nowitna Wild and Scenic River. In his spare time, David’s interests in photography and herpetology often lead him to remote locations around the planet for new discoveries.

What We Think We Know: The Deep Past of the Ancient Unangan Aleut

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 5-6 pm AKT
With Archeologist and Author Debra Corbett

Friends Membership Meeting, ALL welcome.
The Zoom Recording of this event can be viewed below.

We ALL thank you so much Debbie for sharing your experience and knowledge with ALL of us. It was great!

Since then, exploring and trying to understand the ancient human history of these islands has been an all-consuming passion. Along the way I worked with amazing people and experienced transcendently beautiful land and seascapes. The past and old ways lie close to the surface if you listen. Ever so gradually we learned about the people, the culture and the rich history tied to this place. I will talk about my experiences working in the islands for 30 years and hit some of the highlights of our research.

Debbie Corbett photographing a site on Hawadax in 2001. pc WAAPP

For 9000 years people flourished in the Aleutian Archipelago, a 1000-mile chain of islands stretching from mainland America nearly to Asia. The rich marine environment supported 40,000 people before the coming of the Russians compared to a scant 8000 today. In spite of this long human history and complex and interesting social organizations of the ancient Unangax, very little archeological work was done in the Aleutians perhaps because of the remoteness or the weather. Debbie’s work was pioneering, and she is considered the foremost Aleutian archaeologist today. Most all of the Aleutians are in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

Debbie’s hot-off-the-presses book that she coauthored with Diane Hanson, Culture and Archaeology of the Ancestral Unangax/Aleut of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, will be available for purchase and signing at the talk in Homer. The book is available online from multiple sources.

Biography by Debra Corbett

At age seven I decided I would be an archaeologist; no other option ever entered my mind. I got my BA at the University of Arizona, and worked for a few years in Idaho and Arizona before heading north in 1983, to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The job was investigating historic sites claimed by the newly created Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Native Corporations.

That summer BIA sent two crews to Adak Island. Since I had actually been in a small boat, I was picked for one of the crews. Of the 12 of us, ONE, not me, knew anything about the Aleutians and none of us had been there before. My crew spent three months in a rat-infested cabin with an inflatable boat, in the Bay of Islands one of the most beautiful spots on earth. I was completely enmeshed in the magic of the islands.

I worked for the BIA until 1989 then went on to get an MA in Fairbanks, studying–you guessed it–the Aleutian Islands. One day my advisor approached me with a phone number on a scrap of paper and said “This crazy bird biologist in Kansas wants to find an Aleutian archaeologist. Call him!” and my future was set. After completing my degree, I went to work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), largely because the agency manages the islands as part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Unusual for any agency, FWS allowed me to participate in a multi-year research project with the crazy biologist, Dr. Douglas Causey, and some of his colleagues. From 1997-2003 we were the Western Aleutians Archaeological and Paleobiological Project (WAAPP). Along the way we experienced the best and the worst the Aleutians have to offer, shipwreck, injury, laughter, frustration, fear, transcendent joy, and unbelievable archaeology.

In December 2012 I discovered I was eligible for retirement and left the best job in the world so I could spend more time doing research and writing on the prehistory of the Aleutian Islands. Long time friend and colleague Diane Hanson here at University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) talked me into writing a book on the prehistory of the Aleutians Islands. We finished that book and here I am, to tell you all about 30 years in the Best Place in Alaska.

Winter Recreation on the Kenai Refuge

Presented by the Gaia Girls, Laura Pillifant and Mary King
The recording of the zoom meeting can be found below. Please note that this presentation was held before a live audience at Kenai NWR.

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