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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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A Brit on the Kisaralik: Friends Discovery trip to the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge

by Peter Thompson, London Friends Member











Eight Friends from London, Colorado, Homer, Fairbanks and Anchorage all dressed up with nowhere to go . . . . . .until the weather clears.


A man can only really play so much cornhole, you know.  So, when Alaska skies are low and you’re stuck in a hangar with bags on the plane – you do what you can.  Mike and I couldn’t resist a plea from two young lads in another group, “you guys ready to lose?”  Ready – yes. Lose – no.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mike lose at cornhole.  But when the pilot burst in and said “We’re trying again, let’s go,” we left the cornhole and the vanquished youngsters behind.
 
I was on this trip as a new Friends member courtesy of my best pal Mike, who is on the Friends Board and my guide to Alaska for a long time. Alaska doesn’t see enough of me and vice versa and this float on the Kisaralik was a special chance to go somewhere I knew little about.  Not to mention I am now the first international member of the Friends – so something of a celebrity – with a very small ‘c’!

London has been my home for 23 years so although I’m very familiar with low, white clouds, I was delighted to see them breaking as our floatplane headed southeast from Bethel.  What was my first impression of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge from the air?  What a great place to be a duck – or a moose!   We were lucky enough to spend the prior afternoon at the Refuge offices with Refuge Manager Spencer Rearden and some of this staff who gave us a real sense of the challenges they face in managing such a vast area on very limited resources. But their commitment and love for this land was unquestionable – they are true public servants and that left a real impression.




A perfect morning on Kisaralik Lake at the start of our float.

We joined Marty Decker and his fantastic group of guides, including his daughter Emily, that afternoon at Kisaralik Lake and even landed a few lake trout before dinner.  Many things about Alaska have kept me in awe over the years, but I keep coming back to the simple scale of the place to an average and somewhat displaced lower 48er like me.  Damn, it’s big.  The Kilbuck mountains framed it for us at the lake and a perfect sunrise gave us their mirror image around the campfire the next morning.  What a start!
 
The river journey itself evolved as the days passed, from the high plateaus and natural berms of the upper stretches to the alder, cottonwoods and conifers as we lost elevation.  Clear, cold, fast water that carried us effortlessly while reminding us of its power and the hydraulics of submerged rocks and downed trees, along with the ability of its channel to wander – leading us to often beach our boats to reconnoiter the route ahead.  The ability and care of our guides was constantly on display and for one not used to being ‘guided’, they were worth their weight in gold.  And so much life to see – a dramatic silhouette of caribou along a high river ridge and a golden eagle with two chicks nesting on riverside cliffs were highlights.  But outside of one overly curious black bear near our camp one night, we did not see any brown bears and wondered if this was an effect of the state-run predator control program, as those that had previously floated the river had seen them frequently.

Sadly, our trip did have a before and after moment that reminded me of the stakes visitors face in what can be an unforgiving environment.  The party in front of us  lost a boat and its occupants over the Kisaralik Falls which took the life of one of those three.  We found them the next day further downriver – a lesson to us all of human tragedy and the awesome, destructive power of nature.
 
As always, Alaska showed me great new beauty with a reminder that those that come here and seek that beauty and its wilderness must be ready for it.  A big thank you to the Friends and our intrepid guides for a truly remarkable trip.  Needless to say, I’ll be back!

This was the second in a series of Discovery Trips to the off-road refuges.  Next year’s trip will be to the Alaska Maritime Refuge.  Plans are still being developed but the trip should be ready for booking soon.  Watch our newsletters.


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Yukon Delta Discovery Trip 2024

Explore the Yukon Delta Refuge with Friends!
Raft, hike and fish with us in 2024

This trip is FULL- Contact us to be added to the waiting list.

Travel with us on the crystal-clear waters of the Kisaralik River to experience being in salmon and bear country, to bounce through riffles, to be pampered by our guides and to fall asleep to river music. This river is scenic and wild with no lodges and river boat traffic is limited by the falls (yes there are falls – we will portage). Habitat is varied from the Kilbuck Mountains at the headwaters to the flat productive lands of the Delta 80 miles downriver from our start. We will learn about this 19-million-acre refuge which produces so much of the country’s waterfowl and shorebirds as well as five species of salmon and trophy rainbow. The Kisaralik is a tributary of the Kuskokwim River that along with the Yukon River forms the vast watery world of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. We will have opportunities to hike, bird, photograph and fish.


Link

Float the river with us. PC Frontier River Guides


The river has world class fishing and our guides are all experienced fly-fishing guides but they understand they will need to provide us with a well-rounded experience including hiking and birding. However, for committed fishers, this river is world class. And if anybody ever wanted to learn to fly fish – these are your guys. We will spend a day in Bethel with refuge staff learning about the refuge, its work and the Yupik people of the Delta. There are more than 40 villages on or adjacent to the refuge.

When: July 15 – 23: July 15 in Bethel to meet with refuge staff, tour cultural center; July 16 – 23 (8 days) on the river. We will return to Bethel via jet boat on the 23rd in time for the evening Alaska Airlines jet to Anchorage.

Difficulty: This is one of the few western Alaska rivers with any whitewater at all. We will need to portage the falls and two other rapids are Class II. Our guides are capable of handling this. Mostly it is a lively little river that slows as it hits the flats. To be comfortable on this trip, you must be able to sit in a raft for long periods, climb in and out of rafts and tents, walk over uneven ground, squat, tolerate some wet, windy weather (it’s the Bering Sea out there) and biting insects. The bugs are not bad in most places but you will need a bug jacket. No children.

Link

Class II Golden Gate rapids is just one of the fun features of the Kisaralik. Most of the river is Class I with riffles but there are 4 rapids, one of which we will portage.

 

Guides: Frontier River Guides. Check their website for more information. Do not be put off by what seems to be an exclusive focus on fishing. I have had long talks with their owner Marty, a former school teacher, and I am confident they will provide us with a diverse trip. Setting up fishing rafts and non-fishing rafts may be one way to ensure everybody’s happy. There will be only two of us per raft with our guide.

Cost: $5600 for the river trip includes a $200 donation to Friends, transportation to the river via float plane and return from the river via river boat, gourmet food, all camping gear except your own sleeping bag and pad, and one guide for every two of us. What’s not included: transportation to Bethel (Anchorage – Bethel about $300); housing and food in Bethel (we might have use of the bunkhouse for the night of the 15th).

Payments and Refund Policy:

  • $1800 is due to Frontier River Guides at the time of booking. This is refundable until February 1.

  • 2nd payment of $1800 due February 1

  • Final payment of $2000 due June 1.

How to book: Email me Poppy Benson with your name and phone number. I will forward the first 8 names on to Frontier River Guides. They will contact you and arrange payment. I expect this trip will quickly sell out but we will maintain a waiting list.

Membership: Required before signing up. You can join here. Not sure if you are current? Ask me and I will check.

Questions? Contact me Poppy Benson (907) 299-0092 for questions about signing up. I have also ran this river twice with my family and it is my favorite of the Yukon Delta Rivers. Contact Frontier River Guides info@frontierriverguides.com; 877-818-2278 for questions about the trip and gear.



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Friends Sponsored Trip to the Arctic Refuge

Caribou, Mountains and the Marvelous Marsh Fork: Friends First Sponsored Arctic Refuge Trip a Blast

By Poppy Benson, Friends Board Vice President

A very compatible and interesting group of eight lucky Friends members from California, Oregon, Fairbanks, Anchorage and Homer signed up quickly enough to get on this trip (it filled in two hours after newsletter publication). pc: Jerry Britten     

Just go!  Just go to the Arctic Refuge.  Our trip was too much fun.  Caribou every day, the tundra in full bloom, mountains more magnificent than any of us expected, wolverine tracks in the mud, coral fossils from an ancient sea on every gravel bar, floating the splashy Marsh Fork of the Canning River, a golden eagle camp flyover, Marv and Jerry’s first grayling, springs and a secret canyon.  This trip exceeded all of our expectations.

 
We flew over the Continental Divide in a 4-seater Cessna 185.  The Marsh Fork drains north, to the Arctic Ocean. pc: Nancy Deschu

Our adventure started at refuge headquarters in Fairbanks where Arctic Refuge Wilderness Specialist and sage of the Arctic, Roger Kaye, filled us in on the history of the Refuge.  This was a Friends trip so getting the inside scoop on the Refuge was part of the deal.  Later, we spent an hour with Arctic Refuge Manager, Merben Cebrian.   Next, we met our wonderful guides, Aaron Lang and Chris Mannix from Wilderness Birding Adventures who knew every bird and flower and were a real comedy act.  Then two flights in progressively smaller planes before we landed on a bouncy tundra strip to spend our first night beside the river under the midnight sun. 


Paddle raft teamwork is fun.  We took turns paddling or riding in the oared boat which was better for photography. pc: Poppy Benson

For the next 10 days we alternated a day of river rafting with a day of hiking with great weather and minimal bugs.  There was work – dragging the boats across the aufeis to get to the river the first day, hauling gear, repairing the gravel bar “landing strip” so our pilot could pick us up at the end; and there were joyous experiences  – wading into the cave to discover the stream did not spring from the earth but fell from the sky into the cave in a hidden waterfall, watching a caribou succeed in crossing the river after a long struggle against the current, seeing the big blonde grizzly swim the river and spotting the northern shrike chick its parent was noisily defending.   It was heaven.

Flowers, birds, views and loafing were highlights of our hiking days  pc: Poppy Benson

This was the first time Friends attempted to “sponsor” a trip to a remote refuge.  The point was to get Friends out on the Arctic Refuge so we had a chance to form our own bond with the land and its wildlife.  All of us felt touched by the grandeur of the place.  The landscape was incredibly vast and wild and needs our care and protection. 


Carol Harding from Homer said “Seeing the caribou moving north every day,“ was the best part of the trip for her. For Marv Ritter of Oregon it was watching the lone caribou fight the river current.  Caribou were part of every one of our days.  pc: Poppy Benson.

Based on this trip’s success and the demand to get out on refuges, we are planning a summer 2024 Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge raft trip.



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Friends Highwater Trip to Tetlin Refuge

By: Nancy Deschu, Friends member and retired hydrologist from Anchorage. She is the refuge liaison for Alaska-Peninsula/Becharof Refuges.

Our Friends’ trip to Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Memorial Day weekend was all about water. It was sunny and hot and the refuge was in flood stage. Our original plan to canoe and flag a trail along Desper Creek changed – the water was so high camp sites would be flooded and it would be impossible to paddle back upstream.  After bringing breakfast to the refuge staff, we eight Friends helped Ranger Tim Lorenzini with the annual roadside cleanup.   We then trailered refuge canoes to Deadman Lake for use by refuge visitors, and set up camp at Deadman Lake.  Over the next four days, we made site visits to check on trails and flood conditions along the refuge’s north boundary all the way to the border of Canada.

 

Water from snow melt, glacial melt, and rainfall in the Nutzotin and Mentasta mountains drives the vast wetlands of the Tetlin Refuge.  The Chisana River (meaning “Rock River” in Upper Tanana language)  and the Nabesna River (meaning “Along the Muddy River” in Ahtna language) head in high peaks in Wrangell St Elias National Park and Preserve, then flow north about 70 miles, and pour into the refuge. Hot, sunny weather in May caused extreme melting in a year with high snowpack so we found high water wherever we went. The boat ramp at Scottie Creek was two feet underwater.  

We estimated the high flow at the Scottie Creek bridge by dropping sticks from the bridge and timing the flow of sticks over a set distance with a stopwatch.  We estimated the surface flow to be nearly three feet per second, which is quite fast for the low gradient and otherwise sluggish Scottie Creek.  The lake level at Hidden Lake had risen so much that it floated and then swamped two jon boats stashed in the lakeshore spruce woods.


Friends in the birding blind in Tetlin Refuge’s Lakeview Campground.  pc: Poppy Benson

We canoed the entire shoreline of Deadman Lake looking at birds and potential backcountry campsites.  Highlights were several species of warblers flying out of spruce trees over the water to feed on insects, horned grebes, swans and Hudsonian godwits.   We sighted 40 bird species on the refuge including a diversity of ducks.  Ducks were abundant on Yarger Lake, but noticeably fewer were observed on Deadman Lake.  No waterfowl were observed on Hidden Lake.
 

Nancy Deschu and two girls from the campground examine captured aquatic invertebrates. pc: Tom Chard

At Deadman Lake we sieved the shallows for aquatic invertebrates. A joyful happenstance was meeting two girls who were fascinated with invertebrates and netting their own trove.  We exchanged specimens in our makeshift aquaria and spent considerable time identifying and observing the creatures.  The girls’ knowledge was impressive!

Although our Tetlin trip was not what we had planned, we were able to contribute our observations on the refuge during unusually high water and enjoy camping and birding on the refuge.



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Trip Report: Tetlin Discovery Trip, July 2019

2019 Tetlin NWR – Refuge Discovery Trip Report

Refuge Discovery Trip Report – by Pauline Strong, Friends Member

At the beginning of July, a group of Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges met at the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge to assist with two projects requested by the refuge staff and to explore a small part of the refuge. Although the trip was originally intended to have 12 participants, only 7 were able to come because of concerns about traveling through smoke from wildfires on the way to the refuge. Fortunately, we only experienced a small amount of wildfire smoke at the end of the trip.

The first day’s work was assisting with blocking the Alaska Highway for the Tok 4th of July parade, setting up and manning an information booth about Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, and doing face painting for the 4th of July celebration. There was intense rivalry between the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife for the best float in the parade, and the refuge float won out.



The two face painting volunteers, Moira O’Malley and Georgiana Smith, have extensive experience working with youth and boundless enthusiasm. There was a long line of kids waiting to have their faces painted the entire 4 hours of the festival and the fair grounds were full of fantastically painted children. We were all surprised at how tremendously popular the face painting turned out to be. Steve Ebbert was able to share his knowledge of the Alaska Wildlife Refuge system with people who came by the information booth, and we all explained what it means to belong to the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges while enjoying the wonderful music of Juno Smile who played the whole afternoon. This two-person band had been unknown to us, but they were fantastic musicians, able to play and sing clearly on pitch and with a toe-tapping beat.



The next morning, we loaded up the canoes and gear and set off the canoe portion of the trip. We went to Scotty Creek to launch, but found the creek far too low to get our canoes and gear on the water with a reasonable amount of effort, so we went back to Desper Creek and paddled downstream to a campsite 3 miles down that was used by the Friends last year. The weather was wonderful. We saw several sets of ducks with ducklings on the creek, a red-tailed hawk and its nest, and the air was full of dragonflies.

The next day we put up a bird nest box not far downstream from the campsite and then paddled down to the first (unnamed) lake. After Dave Schroyer installed the bird nest box, he let Meg Parsons and Pauline Strong stand next to it while he took a photo. After a lunch stop there, we started the water trail marker part of the project.  The creek is so slow moving that it could be hard to tell upstream from downstream coming out of the lake. We had time to put signs on one side of the creek from the unnamed lake to Desper Lake this year. Clearing the brush for visibility may have been the hardest part of installing the water trail markers.



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2019 Tetlin Refuge Discovery Trip July 3 – 7

Join us as we explore Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, experience a small town 4th of July and help this understaffed refuge.    We will combine a canoe trip into Tetlin’s vast birdy system of lakes and rivers to begin signage of the refuge’s first water trail with helping the refuge make Tok’s 4th happen.  

We will meet in Tok on Wednesday the 3rd to help the refuge set up the town’s 4th.  On the 4th we will help staff the refuge booth and lead family games, and take down the booths in the evening.  And Yes!  There will be a parade with a refuge float.  The refuge’s prominent role in Tok’s 4th of July has always been a key part of the refuge’s outreach to the community.  Now that the staff has been reduced to 8, it is a struggle to make this happen.  We can help!

On Friday the 5th, we will launch the refuge canoes on highway accessible Desper Creek to a campsite amidst numerous lakes providing perfect habitat for nesting waterfowl, swans, rusty blackbirds and warblers.  Camping for two nights will give us time to begin work on a long-term Friends project to sign a water trail on Desper and Scotty Creeks.   Some of this will be exploratory going beyond where Friends have gone before to identify routes through the lake systems.  Paddling out Sunday against the slow current of Desper Creek should not take more than three hours putting us back at Tok by early afternoon for our farewells and the drive home.   Desper Creek is a very slow-moving creek suitable for beginners.  We may have to lift canoes over beaver dams depending on the water level.

For more information about the Tetlin Refuge check out their webpage or on Facebook.  You can read about our 2018 trip here

The trip limit is 12 and the minimum age is 18 or 16 with a guardian.  You must be a current Friend to participate but you can join here. 
Registration is now open and limited to the first 12 applicants.


Canoeing Desper Creek on 2018 Tetlin Discover Trip

 Leaders:

  •  Dave Schroyer, david_schroyer@hotmail.com; (907) 240-1375.  Dave was raised in Alaska with life long experience canoeing, hunting, birding and exploring all over the state.  He is bear safety qualified and was co-leader of last years Friends trip on Desper Creek.

  • Moira O’Malley, moiraomalley@hotmail.com; is a long time Fairbanks resident, teacher and avid canoeist.  She also was on the Friends 2018 trip to Desper Creek and has “fallen in love with Tetlin”.

Cost:  $60 for 4 dinners and 4 breakfasts.  Bring your own lunches and snacks.  Contact the trip leaders if you have dietary restrictions.

Equipment needed:  Your own personal camping gear plus bear spray.  Contact the trip leaders if you don’t have a tent.  Canoes and life jackets will be supplied by the refuge.  If you would rather bring your own let us know.  We will not be portaging other than the possible beaver dam.  Also bring binoculars and fishing gear if desired.  Equipment list will be furnished to participants.

Weather, Bugs and Bears:  Average highs are in the 70s and thunderstorms are possible.  Bring good raingear – jacket and pants, and waterproof knee-high boots.   Gortex fishing waders with wading boots are an option to stay dry and allow walking into lakes and creeks when launching canoes.  Bugs this time of year are not supposed to be as bad as up north but a bug net or bug jacket is a prudent idea.  This is not noted as a “bear-y” area but it is Alaska so please bring your own bear spray and a holster system that will allow you to wear it.

Housing in Tok: The refuge staff is reserving 3 of their cabins for use Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday night if needed.  There is also plenty of tent space at refuge headquarters.  We will be able to use their staff kitchen for meals.

How to sign up:  Trip will be limited to the first 12 to complete the registration, including the $60 fee.  Please fill out the registration form below.  Registration payment options will be presented after the form is completed and submitted.   All participants will be required to fill out a Volunteer Agreement for the Refuge and sign a liability waiver for Friends.



Registration for the Tetlin Refuge Discovery Trip July 3 – 7, 2019 is closed.



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Discovering Kenai’s Snowbound Cabin: Refuge Discovery Trip Report (Feb. 2019)

by the “Dolly Varden Cabin Gang,” Poppy, Sandy, Ellen, Rose and Tim Snow fell soft and deep as we snowshoed back across Dolly Varden Lake after an awesome Friends’ Discovery Trip to the Kenai Refuge’s Dolly Varden public use cabin.   The February 1 – 3, weekend didn’t turn out quite as planned because the community ice fishing event we were there to help with was canceled because of the shutdown.  However, the cozy cabin was already reserved for Friends, so we weren’t going to waste that opportunity.  Five Friends from Anchorage, Soldotna, Homer and Indiana including intrepid leader Tim Shipman made the trek in.   What did we discover?  Sandy Kerns from Soldotna, said “A hidden lake, snowshoeing abilities, how much weight can we pull in a sled across a frozen lake, babbling water in an open creek, how good food tastes prepared camp style, new friends, and that planning service projects for Alaska Wildlife Refuges makes one feel connected to the land and community.”   Yes, we talked into the night about future fun and good work we can do on the Kenai and other refuges.  Kenai is the drive to refuge for Kenai/Soldotna, Homer, Anchorage and the Valley.  Stay tuned for more Discovery Trips and Volunteer Projects on the Kenai. The Kenai Refuge cabins have opened up the refuge to use in winter.  Many are easily accessible.  All are cute and cozy and make winter activities fun. And we had fun!  Rose Lahti of Anchorage on her very first Friends event said “The best outdoor experiences are with like-minded souls and there are no strangers when it comes to sharing what we enjoy doing, just “friends”.   I look forward to another “friends” activity and the memories I made at Dolly Varden cabin are precious.” 


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Kenai Refuge Discovery Trip – February 1-3, 2019

Let’s go play in the snow! 

Ever want to experience the Kenai Refuge in winter? Try out ice fishing with people who know what they are doing in a warm ice fishing tent? Then join our Discovery Trip to the Dolly Varden Lake cabin on the Kenai Refuge the weekend of February 1 – 3, 2019.

Enjoy a cozy, off-road, cabin, ice fishing and assisting the refuge!  Ski, snowshoe or probably even walk into the cabin only a mile across the lake from the Dolly Varden campground.   Since the cabin only sleeps 6, we will have a Friday night group and a Saturday night group.  Both cabin groups will help the Refuge with their Saturday Family Ice Fishing event on Dolly Varden Lake.  

Not up for an overnight? Then come out on Saturday just for the day to help with or participate in the Ice Fishing event which will be held right next to the Dolly Varden Campground, 14 miles up the Swanson River Road from Sterling, from 1 to 4 p.m. with set-up at noon.

Times: Friday group will meet at the Dolly Varden campground at 2 p.m. Friday to pack gear and ski, snowshoe, or walk in. We will haul our gear back to our cars by noon Saturday to be ready to help set up the ice fishing event which opens to the public at 1 p.m.

The Saturday cabin group will meet at the Dolly Varden campground about noon to help set up the event and have lunch with staff. Afterwards, we will ski into the cabin and spend the night coming out by noon Sunday.

The cabin overnights are limited to 6 per night with a minimum age of 16.  You must be a current Friend to participate but you can join here. 

Day trippers who want to help with the ice fishing event should show up at the Dolly Varden campground about noon to help set up. The event is open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m.  The ice fishing event on Saturday is open to all and free. Families are encouraged to attend, and you do not need to be a Friends member.

Leaders:

  • Friday night: Poppy Benson, poppybenson@alaskarefugefriends.org; (907) 299-0092. Poppy has had 30 years of experience in Alaska and more than that on skis. Poppy is Wilderness First Aid certified and a Friends Board Member.
  • Saturday night: Tim Shipman, tim.shipman@gmail.com; (907) 252-8450. Tim lives in Soldotna and has been hiking and snowshoeing on the Kenai Refuge for 30 years.

Cost: $20 for dinner and breakfast at the cabin plus a hot dog lunch over the fire on Saturday. Bring your own snacks and beverages other than coffee and tea. Contact the trip leaders if you have dietary restrictions.

Equipment needed: Your own personal gear for traveling to and overnighting in a cabin and being out on the ice. The refuge will have ice fishing gear but you might want to bring your own chair or bucket. Contact the trip leaders if you don’t have a way to bring your gear in. A pulk (shown in photo) is the very best for hauling gear but a backpack works too. Bring skis or snowshoes for the mile trip across the lake as snow may be deep. A full equipment list will be supplied to participants.

Weather: The trip will happen unless we have a major blizzard or record low temperatures. The refuge is bringing portable ice fishing tents. The cabin has a stove and will be warm but a winter weight sleeping bag is a good idea.

How to sign up: The overnights will be limited to the first 6 people per night to register and pay but any number can join in on the Saturday ice fishing.   Please fill out the registration form below even if you only plan to go for the day.  You must be a current Friends member to participate in the cabin overnight but you can join here. 

All participants who are not yet signed up as Fish and Wildlife volunteers will be required to fill out a Volunteer Agreement. Prior to the trip, all participants will be required to sign a liability waiver which will be sent to you.

Please leave your furry friends at home.

Questions about this awesome opportunity to experience the wilds of this refuge in the company of Friends and refuge staff? Please contact Poppy Benson, Outreach Coordinator: 
poppybenson@alaskarefugefriends.org


Register for the Kenai Refuge Discovery Trip – Feb 1-3, 2018

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Kenai River Cleanup – Sept. 7-9, 2018 (Volunteer Opportunity)

Kenai River Cleanup – Do good, have fun and see more of the Kenai Refuge.  September 7 – 9.  Sportsmen’s Landing, Cooper Landing.  

Friends will join Alaska Fly Fishers in doing an end of season clean-up of Sportsmen Landing, and downstream beaches.

Event begins Friday evening with a potluck and music in the Sportsmen Landing/Russian River Ferry campground.  After a continental breakfast Saturday morning,  teams will either float the river cleaning beaches or clean around the landing, campgrounds and parking areas.  The Kenai Refuge will bring at least one raft to take Friends downriver to clean refuge beaches.  That evening the Alaska Fly Fishers will put on a free BBQ for all participants with prizes!  Sunday at 10, Friends will sponsor a hike on the Hidden Creek Trail off Skilak Lake Road. 

For more information and to sign up, contact Poppy Benson, Outreach  chair, poppyb.ak@gmail.com or call (907) 299-0092.  Check out our event co-sponsor’s website.

This promises to be a very fun event that will also help build an alliance with the Fly Fishers, Kenai Watershed Forum and other partners.



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