Category: Special Events

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Friends 20th: Celebrate at Kelly Lake, Kenai Refuge, July 12

Friends have been caring for our Alaska refuges for 20 years and that is worth celebrating, so let’s do it! – outdoors, on a refuge, and with new and old Friends, salmon, canoes, and fun.  Join us Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges for our 20th Birthday at Kelly Lake Campground on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Saturday, July 12, mile 68.1 Sterling Hwy. Come for the day or campout with us Friday and or Saturday night.  It is also a great chance to inspect the Swan Lake Wildfire Scar and learn from refuge experts how the land is recovering.

 Saturday the 12th.

  • All day: Canoeing (refuge furnishes canoes), fishing(trout), andhiking (Seven Lakes Trail)
  •  1:00 pm: Guided bird walk with Kristine Sowl, retired FWS bird biologist, may also do early morning TBD
  • 3:00 pm: Guided plant walk through the regenerating 2019 burn area with John Morton, retired Kenai Refuge biologist
  •  6:00 pm: Salmon and hot dog BBQ
  •  7:00 pm: Fireside talk by Leah Eskelin, Kenai Refuge Ranger — The Swan Lake Fire Six Years Later

This is a members only event.  Not sure you are still a member?  Just ask us or rejoin here.

RSVP to us at info@alaskarefugefriends.org as we need to plan food and camping spaces.  Tell us

  • How many coming
  • What days
  • Are you camping and tent or RV because we need to save space (not enough space for really big rigs).

You need to bring

  • sides or dessert to contribute to Saturday night feast
  • camp chairs 
  • your own beverages
  • bug dope and your good company.

Wish List

  • More salmon
  • Another BBQ grill big enough for a salmon fillet














It was at the Kenai Refuge Education building in November of 2005 that a handful of citizens met and decided to form Friends.  It has been quite a ride since then.  We have grown to over 350 members, with 100 – 200 attending every meeting in person or by zoom, dozens in the field volunteering and numerous refuge projects funded.  








But now as summer bathes the refuge and salmon swarm the rivers, let’s celebrate what we have accomplished – 20 years of supporting Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuges.  July 12.  See you there.



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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!




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Birding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with Bird Guide Aaron Lang

Monday, December 4, 5:30pm, AKT.

Live in Homer at Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge’s Visitor Center or on Zoom.
You can view the recording of the live event below:

Aaron Lang will share stories and stunning photography at the Kachemak Bay Birders monthly meeting about the unique wilderness birding experiences to be found in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  All are welcome to attend or zoom in.  Aaron, widely considered one of Alaska’s top birding guides and a downright nice guy, will draw from his 21 years of exploring, birding and guiding in the Arctic Refuge.  Aaron is the co-owner of Wilderness Birding Adventures based in Homer and was the guide for the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges’ trip to the Marsh Fork of the Canning River in the Arctic Refuge last summer.  


Aaron collecting feathers from an abandoned nest cavity for Gray-headed Chickadees. No birds were found on the 2023 trip. The feathers were collected for possible DNA analysis. pc: Nancy Deschu

Approximately the size of South Carolina, the 19-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has no roads or facilities. The lands and waters are a critical nursery for birds who migrate and winter throughout North America and beyond and is an important home for iconic resident wildlife such as caribou, musk oxen and polar bear.  The refuge presents a unique, wilderness birding experience and contains the largest designated Wilderness within the National Wildlife Refuge System. Birds commonly found along the Arctic’s rivers include nesting shorebirds such as Wandering Tattler, Upland Sandpiper, and American Golden-Plover and Golden Eagles, Arctic Warbler and Smith’s Longspurs.

This program will be recorded and posted HERE within a few days.

Aaron began birding in southern Minnesota at age 11 when the curious behavior of a Northern Flicker caught his eye, and he’s been hopelessly addicted to birding ever since. Combining bird-related work with a passion for travel has led him to adventures in Brazil, Tibet, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bhutan. After settling in Alaska, Aaron spent several years running environmental education programs for the Prince William Sound Science Center in Cordova, all while scheming on how to turn his birding obsession into a career. In 2002, he began guiding for Wilderness Birding Adventures and, after 11 years, Aaron and his wife Robin bought the business.


Smith’s longspurs were frequently spotted on the Marsh Fork last summer. PC Jerry Britten

Aaron has served on the Alaska Bird Checklist Committee since 2009, the American Birding Association Checklist Committee (2015-2022), and the board of Audubon Alaska since 2019. He currently holds the Alaska Daydream Big Day Record for the most species of birds thought about in one 24-hour period. 

This Kachemak Bay Birder Meeting is cosponsored by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge with the zoom and recording capabilities provided by Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges.



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Journey of Landscape and Light with Photographer Taz Tally

Thursday, September 28⋅6:30 – 7:30pm

 
Photographer Taz Tally will share with us his stunning images, videos and stories from 9 seasons of visiting the Brooks Range in fall and winter.  Light refreshments will be provided.
 
Cosponsored by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges