The 5th annual Art in the Arctic, February 27, showcasing birds of the Arctic Refuges was a sparkling event well supported by Friends. Two of the six featured artists are Friends members – Laurel Devaney and Amy Mackinaw. Friends Patti Picha and Judy Williams worked the Friends Outreach table with Frank Williams photographing the event. 
Numbers were down some from last year with 125 attendees due probably to the biting cold but a good time was had by all. This is a great event for bringing in a diverse crowd and softly conveying refuge messages and information about the 200 bird species that use the northern refuges. This event is run by Fairbanks based refuges – Arctic, Yukon Flats and Kanuti. 
Two days later, Arctic Refuge’s 2019 Artist in Residence, Michael Boardman, gave a talk and led a drawing workshop for 14. Boardman has widely shared his experiences on the Arctic Refuge with over a dozen audiences both here in Alaska and in his home state of Maine. Kudos to the northern refuges for so effectively using art to broaden support and appreciation for wild lands and wildlife.
Category: Events
Arctic to Attu: A Photographer’s Tour of Six Alaska Wildlife Refuges
Please join us on Tuesday, February 18, 5-6pm (AKDT), for our Friends February membership meeting with featured guest speaker and photographer, Lisa Hupp.
Lisa will be speaking to us at the Anchorage meeting: our other gatherings will join via Zoom Meetings or you can join from home (see below).
- Anchorage: Fish & Wildlife Service Regional Office, 1011 E. Tudor
- Fairbanks: Watershed School 4975 Decathlon
- Homer: Islands and Ocean Visitor Center, 95 Sterling Highway
- Soldotna: Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, Ski Hill Road
Lisa Hupp will share her experiences behind the lens photographing Alaska’s refuges. “I love how photography can demand close attention and devotion to place,” Hupp says. “It’s a way to see and share the world, whether you take photos on a phone or with a backpack full of equipment. Alaska’s national wildlife refuges are places of endless possibility for photographers, from dramatic and vast landscapes to charismatic wildlife. These refuges are big, wild and remote; photography can help us to tell their stories.”
Hupp is the Communications Coordinator for National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska. You can see some of her images and read how she gets those amazing shots here.
Download Lisa’s presentation: Arctic to Attu (PowerPoint .pptx file)
Missed the meeting? Watch a recording of the meeting below:
Adventures with a unique Alaska shorebird: the Bristle-thighed Curlew
Please join us on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, 5-6 pm (AKDT), for our Friends January membership meeting with featured guest speaker, Kristine Sowl.
Wildlife Biologist Kristine Sowl worked on a Bristle-thighed Curlew nesting ecology study in the Andreafsky Wilderness of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in the summers of 2010 to 2012. The curlew proved to be an elusive, difficult, and fascinating species to study. Her presentation will talk about her experiences during that project. Kristine Sowl has spent over 25 years working as a field biologist on public lands in Alaska, including Yukon Delta, Izembek, and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuges, and summer seasonal jobs at the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, Aniakchak and Cape Krusenstern National Monuments, and Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. She moved from Bethel to Homer a year ago and now spends her time helping Alaska’s wildlife refuges plan their biological programs.
Kristine will be at the Homer meeting; our other gatherings will join via Zoom Meetings.
- Fairbanks: Watershed School 4975 Decathlon
- Anchorage: Fish & Wildlife Service Regional Office, 1011 E. Tudor
- Homer: Islands and Ocean Visitor Center, 95 Sterling Highway
- Soldotna: Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, Ski Hill Roaddownload Kristine’s presentation and follow along:
Announcing Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival Keynote Speakers for 2020
The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival is excited to announce our Keynote Speakers for the 2020 Festival! This year, we welcome Eli Knapp and Catherine Hamilton to Homer to share their unique perspectives on birding.
Eli Knapp is a professor and author, whose writings you may have seen in Bird Watchers Digest. His recent book, The Delightful Horror of Family Birding, takes readers around the globe from a leaky dugout canoe in Tanzania, to the mating grounds of Ecuador’s cock-of-the-rock, to a juniper titmouse’s perch at the Grand Canyon. He will share insights gleaned from birds, his students, and the wide-eyed wonder his children experience.
Catherine Hamilton is a professional artist, bird guide and conservationist. Her illustrations and writing can be found in The Warbler Guide and Good Birders Still Don’t Wear White, and in journals and magazines such as Nature, Living Bird, Bird Observer, and Orion Magazine. Catherine will share her work in her role as ZEISS Sports Optics’ Ambassador for Birding, working with partner organization Birdlife International to help promote conservation awareness through birding and art.
We hope you will join us May 7-10th at the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival to hear these two amazing folks speak.
Spooky Seasons at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
A group of 4 Friends met on Friday, October 25th to prepare salad bar items for the Spooky Season’s “Fish Anatomy” Salad Bar. The group met to cut, dice, slice, boil and prep pasta/salad items to create edible items that would represent fish anatomy. Salad bar items such as kidney beans, black olives, red bell pepper, artichoke hearts, noodles, tapioca, and grapes were prepared and delivered to the Refuge in anticipation of Saturday’s event.
On Saturday, October 26, 4 Friends members supported the event by staffing Discovery Tables such as the Fish Anatomy Salad Bar, Bats, Bug Eyes, Thunder and Lightning, Bloodsuckers, and Skulls & Bones. Representing Friends as we shared environmental education to assist in dispelling fears of potentially “spooky” items, we provided information in an interesting and fun way to over 310 children and family members who attended the event.
Overall Friends donated 13 hours of planning, preparation and staffing to support this successful event at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. A hearty well done to Ranger Jack who took the lead on this event and coordinated with Friends members.
2020 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival Updates
Planning for the 2020 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival is underway! The Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service welcome locals, outsiders, and of course, shorebirds as they migrate back to Kachemak Bay every year to make this spring-time celebration Alaska’s largest wildlife viewing Festival.
The 2020 Festival, May 7th-10th, coincides with a full moon and some impressive tides. This year, the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival is excited to welcome two Keynote Speakers: Catherine Hamilton is a well known artist, bird guide and naturalist who uses her talents to bring attention to bird conservation issues across the globe. Eli Knapp teaches courses in ornithology, biology and human ecology at Houghton College and published The Delightful Horror of Family Birding in 2018. Our Festival Artist, local Soldotna resident Abbey Ulen, is already busy creating this year’s Festival design.
If you want to participate in the 2020 Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival, there are several ways to get involved:
Host an official Shorebird Festival event
Promote an event or business in the Festival program
Donate to the Crane Club
Join us to attend May 7-10, 2020
Event sponsorship and donations may be submitted online by January 15, 2020 at: www.kachemakshorebird.org/
Friends Need Friends
By: Tara Schmidt and Poppy Benson
Friends came to visit, and it was invigorating! Thirteen Friends Groups from throughout the Pacific plus Fish and Wildlife staff descended on Homer in September for a 4 day “Tanax Agliisada” conference aimed at teaching us all new skills and sharing best practices. Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges hosted the conference at the Alaska Maritime and Kenai National Wildlife Refuges. A grant from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation brought the 60 attendants to Homer from Alaska, Hawaii, coastal Washington and Oregon, Midway Island and the Marianas Trench.
Building stronger boards, board recruitment and retention, improving community relationships, and empowering our organizations to ensure the success of the Refuge system as a whole were some of the topics covered in. Breakout groups allowed for brainstorming, sharing experiences and goal setting. We learned many of the issues we faced were not unique to us.
We all were fascinated although pretty depressed learning about the Washington D.C. scene from Caroline Brouwer of the National Fish & Wildlife Association and Desiree Sorenson-Groves of the Arctic Refuge Defense Campaign. At least I came away convinced we, Alaska Friends, do need to make a trip to DC once a year to keep our concerns in front of our representatives, and we do need to form a stronger alliance with the National Fish & Wildlife Association.
The National Wildlife Refuge chiefs from both the Alaska and Pacific regions, shared insight on national priorities, departmental directives, long term planning goals and ways we can work together on a panel titled “Impacts of National and Regional Priorities”. Understanding Refuge system priorities will help us work together to successfully develop programs and projects, which should in turn build community awareness and support of the refuge system.
In a small group meeting of the 10 Alaska Friends in attendance we hammered out these goals for the board for this year: 1) create a membership committee and recruit a chair committed to recruiting/following up with members who have indicated an interest in participating at a higher level in our organization; 2) improve our communication efforts to highlight our work, promote our projects within the communities that are benefiting from our financial support of programs tied to the Alaska Refuge system; and, 3) send two from the Board to DC during the budget months of February or March.
Our fellow Friends were very interesting and fun people making for a stimulating four days. Our hosting role went flawlessly thanks to our extraordinary conference organizer, Friends volunteer Anna Sansom. Our visitors loved getting to visit two refuges – Alaska Maritime and Kenai, see their first moose, eat smoked salmon and moose we provided and even participate in Homer’s iconic “Burning Basket”. We hope we have gained new allies in the fights to save Alaska’s Refuges.
Two takeaways from this conference are 1) we are part of a larger organization; and, 2) together we can be a strong coalition for advancing the mission of Wildlife Refuges. This was in line with the goals set for the conference – increase effectiveness and strengthen relationships across refuges. We need to work with other Friends Groups to achieve economies of scale, continue to share know-how and cross sell.
Chasing Eiders: My Summers in the High Arctic
Please join us on Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 5-6pm (AKDT), for our Friends October membership meeting with featured guest speaker, Elyssa Watford.
Want to hear an eider’s heartbeat? Be taken along through ice and fog to the off-shore world of the barrier islands of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? Wonder what it would be like to live and work in a remote field camp on the edge of the Beaufort Sea? Then join us, the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, to hear Elyssa Watford share stories and stunning photos and videos of her three years of eider research on the barrier islands. Elyssa, a PhD candidate at UAF, has been working with Common Eiders, North America’s largest duck, for three years. The focus of her work has been the potential impacts of climate change on these special birds and their habitats. Come learn about these birds and this important work and find out about volunteering and advocacy opportunities.
Elyssa will be at the Fairbanks meeting; our other gatherings will join via Zoom Meetings.
- Fairbanks: Noel Wein Library, 1215 Cowles, reception at 4:30; meet at 5
- Anchorage: Fish & Wildlife Service Regional Office, 1011 E. Tudor, gathering and snacks at 4:30, meet at 5 p.m.
- Homer: Islands and Ocean Visitor Center, 95 Sterling Highway, meet at 5
- Soldotna: Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, Ski Hill Road, meet at 5
If you can’t make it in person, join us by phone or by computer: - By phone:
Dial-in number: 720-707-2699
Meeting ID: 619 207 040
(Press ‘#’ if you are asked for a participant ID) - By computer:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/619207040
(We are only using audio in this meeting; please join this meeting without video.)
If you are joining us by phone or computer, please download Elyssa’s presentation and follow along:
Download Presentation (PowerPoint .pptx)
Agenda:
Introductions and Discussion (5 minutes)- Introductions: Where do you live?
- New People: Why did you join the call today?
- Reminder to please mute yourselves when you aren’t talking
Board Activities/Decisions–
- Refuge Projects and Reports
Speaker/Presentation (30-40 minutes) –
Elyssa Watford
Topic: Chasing Eiders
Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 21, 5-6pm Guest Speaker TBA
Six meetings yearly: January, February, March, April, September, October
Kodiak Refuge Week Events 2019
Poster Details:
Sunday September 29 4 pm – 8 pm:
Stamp with us @ the Salmon Life Celebration
Look for our table and join us for some salmon-inspired art projects!
At the Fort Abercrombie Group Recreation Site.
At the Refuge Visitor Center, 402 Center Ave. All Events FREE:
Monday September 30 7 pm – 8 pm
From Arctic to Attu: A Photo Journey with Trivia
A slideshow-style presentation of landscape and wildlife photography from several Alaska Refuges with trivia challenge by Lisa Hupp, Refuge Outreach Specialist
Tuesday October 1st 5 pm – 7 pm
Art Night for All Ages: Watercolor Night Scenes
Join our Education Specialist Shelly Lawson and paint your night fun! Option to enter paintings into the Arts Council Trading Card Show.
Wednesday October 2nd
10:30 am: 10:30 AM: Recycling F.U.N. Program (3-5 yr olds & families)
7 pm: Film – “Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic?”
This FREE award-winning film focuses on the politics of bags, single-use disposables, waste and recycling and the health of our oceans. Popcorn provided!
Thursday October 3rd 12 pm – 1 pm
Seabird Science: Die-Offs, Tern Tagging, & Surveys
Join Robin Corcoran, Refuge Bird Biologist, for an update about our seabirds and the science that monitors their health. Bring Your Own Lunch.
Friday October 4th 5 pm – 7 pm
Welcome to Wild: Photography & Art Show
Community show for First Friday with light refreshments.
We welcome submissions!
Ongoing:
Trash Pickup Challenge and lottery
Love Your Lands by cleaning up Kodiak and reducing waste!
Starting now – take a picture of your trash clean up and share it in order to earn entries into the lottery to win Refuge prizes! You can enter a pic everyday by emailing your photo to Ranger Robins at evan_robins@fws.gov, and you can earn another entry by sharing your photo on social media with both #TrashChallenge and #KodiakTrashChallenge. We’ll draw for a winner every day during Refuge Week..
Togiak Refuge 5k Salmon Color Run
Togiak National Wildlife Refuge partnered with the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation in the Annual 5K Salmon Color Run held this year on Saturday, July 27th in Dillingham, Alaska. There were 203 registrants for the free event which featured free t-shirts emblazoned on the back with the meaning of each color – one for each featured health and wellness topic. For example, green is for smoking cessation.
Walkers and runners were able to view informational signs along the route with health facts that incorporated Refuge and outdoor themes. For example, in the red section for substance abuse avoidance, there was a sign showing hikers on Togiak Refuge and the message is “Get a Natural High – Visit a National Wildlife Refuge!”At the end of each section, walkers and runners were doused with colored corn starch powder that showed up well on the predominantly white t-shirts. After completing the course, participants were treated to free fruit provided by the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, along with plenty of fresh water to drink.
Togiak Refuge Artist-in-Residence Penny Creasy provided an art activity for young people before the run officially began at 1:00 pm. Penny donated one of her prints of a sleepy bear (she completed the original in pastel) and the drawing for the print was won by a young Haven Mae Chapman.