summer2023 – Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges

The Most Amazing Refuge You’ve Never Seen: Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge

September 23, 2023
Presented by Jeff Williams, Deputy Refuge Manager

This presentation was recorded. Watch below:

In Homer and Soldotna – bring sides or desserts to the soup/chili after gathering or just come. Refuge staff will share upcoming winter events and volunteer opportunities.

Remote. Difficult to access. Harsh weather. Thousands of Islands. Millions of Birds. Erupting volcanoes. You’ve heard about it, but few people have actually had the privilege of visiting this spectacular refuge. Spanning in extent from southeast Alaska, west to the end of the Aleutian Chain, and north above the Arctic Circle, a distance equivalent to that from the East Coast to the West Coast of the lower 48, the 4 million acre refuge is comprised of several thousand islands. It’s also home to 80% of all the breeding seabirds in North America – we guess that is over 40 million birds, but our tally counters don’t go that high. Oh, and don’t forget the hundreds of thousands of seals, sea lions, and otters too. Remote field camps on uninhabited islands and the largest ship in the Fish and Wildlife Service, the 120 foot R/V Tiglax, carry out the work of the refuge. The Refuge’s Islands and Ocean Visitor Center is in Homer at refuge headquarters. Jeff will provide an overview of the unique scenic beauty of the refuge and give you a look into the current refuge projects from the biological program to tribal engagement, ship operations and more.

Most of North America’s seabirds nest on this one refuge and crested auklets are some of the coolest. PC USFWS

Jeff came to the Alaska Maritime Refuge in 1990 when the refuge was only 10 years old. He has worked for this refuge probably longer than anyone else working his way up from Biological Technician, to Biologist, to Refuge Operations Specialist, to Assistant Manager and now Deputy Refuge Manager. Jeff says he remains passionate about the refuge after all these years because the work is always new, people and projects are interesting, and the refuge is a spectacular crown jewel in the refuge system. He even met his wife working for the refuge. In his current position, Jeff oversees the day-to-day operations of the refuge and staff, serves as supervisor and scheduler for the R/V Tiĝlax̂, and wishes he could do more surveys in a skiff. Jeff was based in the Adak office for 12 years and moved to the Homer office in 2001. Jeff enjoys spending time with his family, reading widely, working in his shop on projects and woodworking.

Jeff Williams on Segula Island in the Aleutian Islands. pc: USFWS

30 Years Later: Are Spectacled Eiders still a Mystery?

Presented by Dan Rizzolo, Endangered Species Biologist.

Tuesday, April 18, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. AKDT
Dan’s presentation was recorded. Watch below:

Spectacled eiders were in rapid decline in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in 1993 when they received the protection of the Endangered Species Act by being listed as a Threatened species. They were a mystery then. Western science knew very little about this sea duck species with the spectacled plumage. We knew they made their nests in the coastal tundra along the Bering Sea and Arctic coasts of Alaska and Siberia, but not where they molted their feathers or spent the winter. How many were there? What did they eat? And, importantly, why were they in such rapid decline? In the 30 years since they were listed, we have learned much about this tough duck that winters among the pack ice in the Bering Sea. In this 50th anniversary year of the Endangered Species Act, join us for Dan’s review of what has been learned since listing, including how spectacled eiders are responding to changes in sea ice in the Bering Sea. But knowledge does not always bring recovery and with ongoing anthropogenic climate change, the spectacled eider continues to face an uncertain future.

Dan, Mist Netting birds on the river. pc Mark Lindberg

Dan Rizzolo is a wildlife biologist who works with a great team of biologists and support staff in the Endangered Species Recovery program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, based in Fairbanks. He found his way to Alaska from the east coast for a summer job after finishing his undergraduate studies and has remained in the Great Land since, working as a biologist throughout the state, primarily with birds. Dan enjoys spending time in remote areas of Alaska, both for work and for play. In Fairbanks, you will often find him pedaling his fat tire bike up O’Connor Creek trail, or at local ice rinks cheering on his favorite hockey players, his wife Adrian and son Gavin.

Canoeing Yaghanen; Canoe Trails of the Kenai Refuge

Presented by Dave Atcheson author, fly fisherman, canoeist
3/21/23, 5-6PM

Watch Dave’s recorded presentation below:

Dave will be in person at the Kenai Refuge with a book signing at 4:30 pm, talk at 5 and reception at 6. A watch party will be at the Alaska Maritime Refuge in Homer with Dave’s books available for purchase.

Come learn about the vast canoe country of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge with Dave Atcheson, author of the newly released book, Canoeing Yaghanen. Swan Lake and Swanson River canoe trails, just north of Sterling, Alaska, cover over 100 miles with more than 70 lakes, two river systems and portage trails. These routes are a national treasure having been recognized as Water Trails within the National Recreation Trail System. The Swan Lake trails and most of the Swanson River trails are within designated Wilderness, closed to motorized equipment and boats. All you will hear will be loon calls, beaver tail slaps, swans honking and wind in the spruce. Dave will share his images and thoughts on what makes this place so special, its wildlife and waterbirds, incredible trout fishing and of course, how you can plan your own adventure into this wonderful network of wilderness trails and waterways. From easy family weekend trips to weeklong adventures, paddlers of all abilities and ages will enjoy this unique wilderness experience.

Portages varying in length from a hundred yards to nearly a mile connect the lakes of the canoe system. Dave Atcheson portaging. pc Cindy Atcheson

Dave Atcheson is an avid canoeist, sports fisher and hunter and has spent much of the last 30 years exploring the Swan Lake and Swanson River canoe systems. Dave writes that the canoe trails are one of his favorite places, not only in Alaska, but anywhere. He also writes that “this still-water wonderland contains some of the finest lake fishing Alaska has to offer.” (from Canoeing Yaghanen) Dave has written for a variety of periodicals from Outdoor Life to Boy’s Life to Alaska Magazine and is a past contributing editor to Fish Alaska. He is the author of the memoir of his commercial fishing days, Dead Reckoning, Navigating a Life on the Last Frontier, Courting Tragedy on its High Seas. He also wrote National Geographic’s Hidden Alaska, Bristol Bay and Beyond and the guidebook Fishing Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. Dave teaches fly fishing and has run the Kenai Fishing Academy at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula College. Originally from upstate New York, Atcheson has traveled all over Alaska and lives in Sterling close to the canoe country.

Dave Atcheson with Kenai River rainbow. pc: Lee Keuper

Canoeing Yaghanen (the Good Land): A Guide to Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s Swan Lake and Swanson River Canoe Systems was published by Alaska Geographic and is available from their online store here or at the Alaska Geographic bookstores at the Kenai Refuge and Alaska Maritime Refuge Visitor Centers.