Thursday, September 28⋅6:30 – 7:30pm
by Poppy Benson, Friends Board Vice President
On a river and lakes and mountainsides, Friends were helping Refuges this past July-August. Read the reports of three members about their work on Kodiak, Yukon Delta and Tetlin Refuges.
Saw Some Amazing Fish
by Michelle Beadle, Palmer member
I spent a week in July helping the Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries crew at the Kwethluk Fish Weir in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Due to high water lingering into summer, the weir had only been “fish tight” for a couple days prior to my arrival. Having fish identification experience myself, I spent lots of time helping with the fish counts to free up the crew for buttoning up other projects. Fish passing through the weir are counted and monitored by video 24 hours a day. Chinook, sockeye, and chum made up the bulk of the fish observed with occasional pink salmon and whitefish showing up as well.
Saw Some Amazing Fish by Michelle Beadle, Palmer member
My time at the weir was great fun. I learned a lot about what it takes to run a weir on a large river system. The crew lead from the Kenai Fisheries Office, Derek, and the workers from the nearby village of Kwethluk were a pleasure to work with and shared a wealth of knowledge. The peacefulness offered by the remote tundra and adventure of traveling along the rivers rounded out the experience. I am looking forward to many more adventures in Western Alaska!
The fish trap is also closed for a short time each day, which allowed us to live capture fish to record age, sex, and length before releasing the fish upstream. pc: Rory Spellman
Rory Spellman, Soldotna Friend, and Ryan Peyton, Anchorage Friend, also volunteered at the weir.
Would I do it Again?
In a Heartbeat: Berry Monitoring on Kodiak Island
by Moira O’Malley, Fairbanks Friend
You may have heard of Exploratory Botanist Steve Perlman “going to extremes by descending remote cliff faces to save Hawaii’s most endangered native plants from extinction”. Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge has their own Extreme Wildlife Biologist- Bill Pyle. Bill is on a mission to help save the Kodiak bears by monitoring berries- salmon, blue, elder, and devil’s club. I assisted him for 3 1/2 weeks this summer.
Berry monitoring with Bill is not for the faint of heart. First of all, you have to get to the remote sites by a Beaver Cub float plane; weather permitting, of course. It’s often a waiting game. Once at the site, be prepared to stay in a public use cabin with no running water (Uganik), a teepee (Red Lake, my favorite), the ‘posh’ Camp Island (Karluk), and the bunkhouse (Kodiak). Then the fun begins. Kodiak bushwhacking features steep climbs, scrambling through stinging nettles, burning poochki (wild celery), tussocks, ‘root grabbers’, all while under relentless attack by mozzies (mosquitoes), no-see-ums, white socks, and biting flies. And dealing with cold soggy fingers and keeping the data dry! On one site, I was perched on a 140-degree slope barely hanging on by the ‘skin’ of my boots with my heels dug into the wet, muddy, slippery soil to keep from sliding down the incline!
My job was writing down data as it was given to me, often shouted from a distance. Alders became my friend. They not only provided shade, but the branches offered a comfortable place to sit while collecting data.
Oh, the views, wildlife, and flora of Kodiak Island! What an unforgettable experience! Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!
The Set Up Crew: Banding Ducks was a Bonus
by John and Lyn Kennedy, Soldotna Friends
We spent the first three days of our week building and setting up the duck banding traps in Deadman and Yarger lakes at Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. The traps consisted of 40 foot long rolls of chicken wire prepped with a door to be used by banders to enter the trap and retrieve the ducks. We boated the materials to the desired area in the lakes and held the traps in place with ground rods. Then an opening was fashioned to allow the ducks to swim into the trap and bird netting was attached creating a roof so the ducks weren’t able to fly out. Traps were baited with barley and corn and fingers were crossed hoping the ducks would come.
It was early in the season so we went with the expectation that we would just be setting things up and not actually banding any ducks, so for us it was a bonus. Lin Kennedy prepping duck for banding.
On the fourth day, we actually caught some ducks. Deputy Refuge Manager Ross Flagen was in his element teaching how to determine if it was a juvenile or a mature duck, male or female. After that a band was put around a leg, and they were sent along their merry way. As John and I were newbies to this and have no birding experience, it was very educational.
It was a fun, informative week. We enjoyed being able to experience the Tetlin Refuge. The staff we encountered were all very friendly, excited and appreciative to have “Friends” at their refuge. John and I would both be more than happy to go back again.
Great Weather if You like it Hot with Thunder and Lightning.
by Dan Musgrove, Soldotna Friend
Our second week team of Dan Musgrove and Jerry Hupp had to be very adaptable to the extreme weather conditions. The three teams after them were canceled due to the high water making it impossible to trap ducks. Hear what Dan had to say.
Dan Musgrove with the outhouse he was building as part of the Scottie Creek historic cabin’s transition to a public use cabin.
Due to the hot weather and high water levels duck banding was not good and we only got three ducks the first day. We ended up adding a couple more traps on Deadman Lake for later on in the season. After that we switched gears and started working at Scottie Creek Cabin. The Tetlin Refuge was turning this historic cabin into a public use cabin. We helped build an outhouse and enhanced the trail going into the cabin. We lined the trail with sawdust, which took two large dump trailers full from Tok.
We had great weather if you like it hot with thunder and lightning. Thermometer in the shade of the Northway gas station showed almost 90 degrees! I had a great time volunteering and would recommend it to everyone. Thanks again for these opportunities.
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.
Float the river with us. PC Frontier River Guides
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.
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.
by Friends Advocacy Committee
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
By far the most significant advocacy update this month was the cancellation of the oil and gas leases sold to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) back in January 2021. These leases were sold in an illegal lease sale during which no major oil companies bid. Two other smaller companies bid but later backed out of their leases, leaving AIDEA as the sole lease owner. Fortunately, the Biden Administration took action on September 6th to protect the coastal plain and canceled the leases. The State of Alaska has challenged this cancellation, but Friends, along with many conservation organizations and Tribal governments, have applauded this step.
Friends issued the following statement regarding the cancellation of the lease sale: We are thrilled that the Biden Administration has canceled these illegal leases. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to a rich biodiversity of wildlife that depend on the large stretches of intact habitat found in the coastal plain and beyond. We thank the President and Secretary Haaland for their support for protecting this jewel of the Refuge System.
Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
Since the March 14, 2023, decision by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to withdraw the proposed Trump administration land exchange that authorized a road through the biological heart of the Izembek Wilderness and the subsequent dismissal of the court case, we have continued to watch the next steps at Izembek.
A Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) was issued in May 2023, and Friends submitted comments to the Administration. As of the first week of September, the Department of the Interior (DOI) is still reviewing those comments and preparing their team to move forward on the SEIS, which is tentatively due in the summer of 2024.
Friends remain concerned that Secretary Haaland could propose an alternative land exchange now that the previous case has been dismissed. One of the major deficiencies cited by the Secretary in her March withdrawal was an absence of impact on subsidence resources associated with the proposed land exchange. The implication being that a land exchange may still be on the table, rather than a focus on non-road alternatives.
Friends and the entire Izembek coalition firmly believe that any manner of land exchange outside of a Congressional or Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) framework is illegal as it threatens both critical habitat on the refuge as well as the nearly 150 million acres of federally protected conservation lands in Alaska protected by ANILCA. Accordingly, we are asking that non-road alternatives to address the needs of King Cove be strongly considered just as they were in the original Environmental Site Assessment. We continue to speak with USFWS in Alaska and at Headquarters in DC regarding the SEIS.
by Poppy Benson, Friends Board Vice President
We have over 20 volunteers out this summer and fall and here are the early reports.
Galbraith Lake Bunkhouse – The area “is to die for”, said Friends volunteer Bev Cronen about her work site at Galbraith Lake in the Arctic Refuge. “There aren’t very many places you can look in every direction and see wilderness and beauty.” Bev and her husband Louis Dupree of Homer drove their camper up the Dalton Highway to help the refuge assemble the insides of a new bunkhouse. Bev went on to say that they really enjoyed the refuge people and volunteers they worked with and were glad to be a part of this. She praised their supervisor Paul Banyas for his flexibility and adaptability as they had several surprises when they arrived at Galbraith Lake after a long day of packing the trailer with furniture parts, tools, and supplies and pulling it up the Haul Road. They arrived at 11 pm, only to find that the bunkhouse still had carpenters working in it and the old bunkhouse was full of archeologists. Thank goodness Louis and Bev had their camper but Paul made it all work.
First meal on the newly assembled table in the new Galbraith Lake bunkhouse. From L to R – Refuge Intern Clay, hired carpenters Zack and; Nathan, Refuge maintenance worker Paul Banyas, Friend Louie Dupree, and refuge volunteer Ken. It was an amiable group that finished the work in time to go hiking. pc:: Bev Cronen.
Kenai River Festival, Soldotna. Every year we help the Kenai Refuge at their booth and do outreach of our own at the Kenai River Festival in early June. Volunteer participation was great this year under Marie McConnell’s leadership. Seven friends volunteered: Marie, Lynne Schmidt, Dan Musgrove, Becky Hutchinson, Anna Haylock, Carolyn Weathers who helped with the refuge activities and Michelle Semerad who came from Anchorage to help. Marie reported attendance at the festival seemed to be down and more of a tourist audience than in prior years.
Marie McConnell and Lynne Schmidt of Soldotna at the Friends outreach table at the Kenai River Festival in June. pc: USFWS
Merben Cebrian has taken what has to be the most unusual and worldly path to Refuge Manager of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Not only does he hold dual US/Dutch citizenship and have a Dutch wife, but he grew up in the Philippines where he spent much of his childhood in nature. The US Army took him to Africa, the Middle East and Fairbanks where he ended his military career and enrolled in the University of Alaska Fairbanks earning a wildlife biology degree. Merben spent 20 years in Alaska as a wildlife biologist on the Tetlin Refuge and with the Bureau of Land Management in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Glenallen.
_______________________________________________________________________________When I asked David Zabriskie, “What is a snake guy doing in Alaska?” he responded “Making money to fund my snake hunting trips!” David has the most experience of the three with the National Wildlife Refuge System having begun his career as a student trainee at the Wheeler Refuge in Alabama, followed by refuges in Mississippi, on remote Pacific Islands, Tennessee, Alaska, and Arizona before returning to Alaska to work as the Deputy Manager and now Manager of the Koyukuk/Nowitna/Innoko Refuge Complex on the Yukon River.
By Poppy Benson, Friends Board Vice President
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by Poppy Benson, Friends Board Vice President
From a Ducks Unlimited Banquet in Bethel to The Month of the Military Child in Fairbanks, Friends were reaching out to new and old audiences spreading the word about Friends and Alaska’s incredible 16 National Wildlife Refuges.
Birders flocked to the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in Homer in early May giving us our biggest opportunity to recruit new members and talk up all the refuges beyond the Alaska Maritime with which we cosponsor the festival. Sixteen Friends from Soldotna, Anchorage, Homer and Colorado worked our outreach booth for 4 days signing up 40 new and renewing members. Most also volunteered with other Festival events as well. Beyond the booth, we had opportunities to reach out to this audience of Alaskans and lower 48 birders at the keynote event and again at the Birder’s Coffee which we host.
Friend Susan Watkin’s painting of a moose crossing through the refuge’s Sterling Highway wildlife underpass served as a photo booth and a highlight of the Kenai Refuge exhibit at the Sports and Recreation show in Soldotna. Five Friends under Marie McConnell’s leadership worked at a Friends table co-located with the Kenai Refuge allowing Friends to help with fun refuge activities, share their knowledge of the Kenai Refuge and recruit members. This was a different audience with important ties to the Kenai Refuge and 12 new members were recruited.
Becky Wick and Tim Shipman work the Friends booth at the Soldotna Sports and Recreation Show. The 12 new members recruited at the Show bring Friends membership in the Kenai/Soldotna area to 50. pc: Marie McConnell
Also on the Kenai, the refuge’s Greenup, Cleanup service project turned into an outreach event when Friend Becky Wick showed up with 10 members of her hiking group. Plenty of opportunities to chat about Friends while cleaning up three refuge campgrounds and access roads on Saturday and the refuge’s muti use trail on Friday. Tim Shipman, long time Team Friends organizer, remarked that the campgrounds were cleaner this year.
Although not technically an outreach event, our members turned the Kenai Refuge Greenup, Cleanup into one by inviting friends, family and a hiking club. L to R Dan Moultrie, Becky Wick, Dan Musgrove and Robin Musgrove. pc: Marie McConnell
Ten people flying from Alabama to Bethel for dinner was just one unexpected twist to our first ever Bethel outreach event. When Yukon Delta’s Refuge Manager, Boyd Blihovde, told his new Friends liaison, Ryan Peyton, that he wanted to see Friends do an event in Bethel like a Ducks Unlimited (DU) banquet, he was talking to the right guy. Ryan, a long time DU member, quickly saw the benefit in developing a relationship between the waterfowl rich refuge and the waterfowl group who has done so much for habitat conservation. Ryan hosted a Friends’ outreach table at the DU banquet adjacent to the refuge’s information table. The DU banquet is the biggest conservation event in Bethel with over 125 people attending including the 10 from Alabama. Ryan hopes he set the stage for a greater role in next year’s event and other cooperative activities with DU.
Ryan Peyton, a long time Ducks Unlimited (DU) member and Yukon Delta Refuge liaison, staffed our first ever outreach effort in Bethel at the Bethel DU Banquet. About 125 people attended including people from out of state. pc: Laurie Boeck/USFWS
Military children and families are an important part of the Fairbanks community. Due to refuge staff transfers, the northern refuges were at risk of being a no-show at the community event marking Month of the Military Child. Arctic Refuge’s Friends liaison Jeff Walter came to the rescue and singlehandedly ran the northern refuges’ booth which was visited by at least 90 people, half of them children. The focus here was not on Friends recruitment but interesting the kids and families from Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base in wildlife and wildlife refuges.
Jeff Walters, Friends Arctic Refuge liaison, was the sole staffer for the northern refuges booth at a Fairbanks community event celebrating the Month of the Military Child. About 90 people, half of them children, stopped at his table.
This spring was an exciting time of growth for Friends outreach due to the new audiences, diversity of locations and sheer numbers of Friends who volunteered. Thanks to all who helped.
Caroline Brouwer was appointed to a new position of a second Vice-President which we amended our bylaws to include. Caroline has served on the Board since 2020 and has been involved in advocacy for the National Wildlife Refuge System since 2008, lobbying on behalf of funding increases for the Refuge System and policy changes. She spent 14 years working in Washington, DC on behalf of public lands advocacy and national wildlife refuges with Ducks Unlimited and the National Wildlife Refuge Association. by Mike Schantz, Friends Advocacy Committee
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