Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

A sign advertising a public meeting about the plan for a multipurpose trail alongside Ski Hill Road stands alongside the road itself Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Many people choose to walk the road, which winds into the woods near the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor’s Center, for exercise, but there have been concerns in the past about conflict between cars and pedestrians on the road. The refuge and the Federal Highway Administration are in the process of planning a pedestrian pathway somewhere along the road to help divert foot traffic away from the road itself. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Refuge begins planning for Ski Hill Road trail

The wheels are finally starting to turn on a plan to get a trail built to get foot traffic off Ski Hill Road. The road,… Continue reading

A sign advertising a public meeting about the plan for a multipurpose trail alongside Ski Hill Road stands alongside the road itself Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Many people choose to walk the road, which winds into the woods near the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor’s Center, for exercise, but there have been concerns in the past about conflict between cars and pedestrians on the road. The refuge and the Federal Highway Administration are in the process of planning a pedestrian pathway somewhere along the road to help divert foot traffic away from the road itself. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Wind and waves High winds churn up the surface of Skilak Lake and blow in a mixture of clouds and blue sky Sunday in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Skilak Lake, about 15 miles long and up to four miles wide in places, is one of the largest in Alaska and can be extremely dangerous to boaters when the wind is high. From the hills above the lake Sunday, whitecapped waves appeared and large breakers were visible on the shores. The Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation advises staying off the lake when the winds are high if possible. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Wind and waves

High winds churn up the surface of Skilak Lake and blow in a mixture of clouds and blue sky Sunday in the Kenai National Wildlife… Continue reading

Wind and waves High winds churn up the surface of Skilak Lake and blow in a mixture of clouds and blue sky Sunday in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Skilak Lake, about 15 miles long and up to four miles wide in places, is one of the largest in Alaska and can be extremely dangerous to boaters when the wind is high. From the hills above the lake Sunday, whitecapped waves appeared and large breakers were visible on the shores. The Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation advises staying off the lake when the winds are high if possible. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
This August 2016 photo shows Skilak Lake with Mt. Redoubt in the background on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. The state of Alaska is engaged in two lawsuits at the federal level with national implications, one of which involves a set of rules for hunting on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, finalized in March 2016. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Two state lawsuits hold national implications

The state of Alaska is caught up in two fish and wildlife-related lawsuits in federal courts that could set precedents around the nation for years… Continue reading

This August 2016 photo shows Skilak Lake with Mt. Redoubt in the background on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. The state of Alaska is engaged in two lawsuits at the federal level with national implications, one of which involves a set of rules for hunting on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, finalized in March 2016. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Summer attire

Summer attire

Summer fashion A caribou grazes along the side of the Forest Lane in Soldotna on Friday. The coat of the caribou changes with the seasons. During… Continue reading

Summer attire
What to watch for: a strand of Elodea trying to hitchhike on a boat trailer from Sports Lake to another waterbody on the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Your photo can save salmon on the Kenai Peninsula

So here’s a riddle. What’s green, likes water but travels by airplane, is freely passed around but is actually quarantined in Alaska, and has the… Continue reading

What to watch for: a strand of Elodea trying to hitchhike on a boat trailer from Sports Lake to another waterbody on the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
The East Fork wildfire burns in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge as seen from the air Thursday, June 15, 2017 near Sterling, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Tim Mowry, Alaska Division of Forestry)

Work continues on East Fork fire break

The East Fork wildland fire burning near Sterling in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is shrinking in size as fire managers prepare to clear fuels… Continue reading

The East Fork wildfire burns in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge as seen from the air Thursday, June 15, 2017 near Sterling, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Tim Mowry, Alaska Division of Forestry)
This map, issued Sunday, June 18, 2017 by the Alaska Division of Forestry shows the area burned by the East Fork Fire near Sterling, Alaska. (Photo courtesy the Alaska Division of Forestry)

East Fork Fire grows to 1,300 acres

The East Fork Fire on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge has grown to more than 1,300 acres, but is still headed away from infrastructure. The… Continue reading

This map, issued Sunday, June 18, 2017 by the Alaska Division of Forestry shows the area burned by the East Fork Fire near Sterling, Alaska. (Photo courtesy the Alaska Division of Forestry)
Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion An array of photovoltaic solar panels generate electricity from the winter sunlight at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge headquarters on Wednesday, Jan. 4 in Soldotna.

Kenai Wildlife Refuge beginning to track solar energy

When the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge opened its new visitors center in May 2015, one new feature was a pair of 60-square meter solar arrays.… Continue reading

Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion An array of photovoltaic solar panels generate electricity from the winter sunlight at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge headquarters on Wednesday, Jan. 4 in Soldotna.
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge intern Kyra Clark rakes masses of the invasive waterweed elodea from the Soldotna-area Sport Lake on Tuesday, May 16. Behind her, staff from the Refuge, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and the Kenai Watershed Forum prepare to launch the two boats that will target elodea with the herbicides diquat and fluridone. Following Tuesday’s herbicide discharge into Sport Lake, Refuge biologist John Morton said there’s a three-day safety restriction on drinking the lake water, but none on swimming or fishing. He also cautioned against sprinkling the herbicide-treated water on lawns or gardens. A second round of diquat and fluridone will be put into Sport Lake in September, Morton said, to contnue killing elodea through the winter. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Photo: Raking the lake

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge intern Kyra Clark rakes masses of the invasive waterweed elodea from the Soldotna-area Sport Lake on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. Behind… Continue reading

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge intern Kyra Clark rakes masses of the invasive waterweed elodea from the Soldotna-area Sport Lake on Tuesday, May 16. Behind her, staff from the Refuge, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and the Kenai Watershed Forum prepare to launch the two boats that will target elodea with the herbicides diquat and fluridone. Following Tuesday’s herbicide discharge into Sport Lake, Refuge biologist John Morton said there’s a three-day safety restriction on drinking the lake water, but none on swimming or fishing. He also cautioned against sprinkling the herbicide-treated water on lawns or gardens. A second round of diquat and fluridone will be put into Sport Lake in September, Morton said, to contnue killing elodea through the winter. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)