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Denali today, whose height was first calculated by Bradford Washburn at 20,320 feet. (Photo by David Merz)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: Bradford Washburn — an early explorer’s use of aerial photography over a century of exploration, science

Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a series the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is doing on…

Pilot and biologist Dom Watts collects bees at Twin Lakes as part of the refuge's pollinator survey. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: A summer on the refuge — Valuing a wildflower to the value of a system

I’ve never been one to be partial to favorites. But, on an overcast and rain bath morning in…

Kenai Central's Wade James punts against Eielson on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, at Buck Nystrom Field on Eielson Air Force Base. (Photo by Jeff Olsen/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

Sports

Kenai, SoHi football start season with victories

By JEFF OLSEN

Some great examples of genetic diversity with Kenai River king salmon populations. (Photo by Ken Gates)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: Where have the big Kenai River kings gone?

Over the years, fishing for king salmon has provided many anglers with great memories and stories to tell…

Take a number. The "patients" wait briefly in the trap box before being seen and released upstream to continue their migration. (Photo by Ryan Hagerty/USFWS)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: Anatomy of a fish weir — Keeping a finger on the pulse of Alaska’s salmon runs

During a routine physical exam, your doctor checks your vitals: Weight, heart rate, blood pressure and so on.…

(Photo provided)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: A guide to adventures that abound on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Canoe System

Among the gems hidden within Alaska’s vast National Wildlife Refuge lands, there is an area that has drawn…

A cow moose and calf eating cattails on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on June 30, 2022. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: A cattail conundrum

I like cattails. They remind me of Florida, where largemouth bass and red-winged blackbirds lived around the patch…

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Sports

Bird Homestead Golf Report: Men’s, ladies nights shine on

Have you seen the hidden treasure 12 miles down Funny River Road? It is quite the gem. It…

Gail and Bill smile from their summer volunteer position at the Refuge Visitor Center front desk. (Photo provided by refuge)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: A salmon in the freezer and a moose on the porch

There’s a moose on our patio and a bear near our RV steps. Life can be an adventure…

Thereճ a lot of buzz around fireweed. A diversity of pollinators visit the flowers. (Photo by Katrina Liebich/USFWS)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: Fireweed shows Alaska’s summer clock is ticking

Alaska’s short, sweet summer is usually in full swing by the time you really notice it. “Better hurry…

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Sports

Bird Homestead Golf Report: Soaking in gorgeous weather

Bird Homestead Golf Course has been in particularly great condition and the weather has been absolutely gorgeous. Take…

"Doing our part to be bear smart" keeps bears behaving naturally on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Photo taken with a 600mm zoom lens. (Photo by Colin Canterbury/FWS)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: It takes a village to keep bears wild on the Kenai

It has been a while since I have been up close and personal with a bear. It happened…

A moose browsing on birch on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Colin Canterbury/FWS)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: Moose and pizza: A matter of taste?

Special note from Kris Inman, refuge supervisory wildlife biologist: From time to time, we look back at previous…

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Sports

Bird Homestead Golf Report: The drive before the drives

The Last Frontier is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Here on the Kenai Peninsula we…

A brown bear. (Photo by Tim Bowman/USFWS)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: Drilling down into bear dentition — A (safe) look into the mouth of Alaska’s bears

What comes to mind when you think of bears? Smokey? Losing the playoffs? What about teeth?

Pollen collects on the beak of a female rufous hummingbird and is transferred from flower to flower. (Photo by T. Eskelin, USFWS)

Sports

Refuge Notebook: Only warm-blooded pollinator on peninsula has wings, will travel

This past weekend I participated in the Summer Hummingbird Days event hosted by the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.…

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Sports

Bird Homestead Golf Report: Senior tees are in

Jeff Gilman and his crew have been hard at work and even put in senior tee boxes, one…

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Sports

Bird Homestead Golf Report: Golfers enjoy incredible weather

It has been an amazing past few days with our gorgeous weather. The course has been coming along…

There are two photos of Mystery Creek plots burned by Swan Lake. This plot was only burned by the Swan Lake Fire and has blackened duff with variable depth of burn, low shrubs resprouting from surviving roots, and other plants seeded in since the fire. Photos were taken in 2021.

Sports

Refuge Notebook: Swan Lake Fire — A burn severity story

If you live in Southcentral Alaska, there’s a good chance you’ve driven or hiked through the 2019 Swan…

Soldotna starter Atticius Gibson fires a pitch during Palmer's 5-1 win over Soldotna during the Southcentral Conference title game Friday, May 27, 2022, at Redington Jr./Sr. High School in Wasilla, Alaska. (Photo by Jeremiah Bartz/Frontiersman)

Sports

Palmer baseball topples SoHi for Southcentral crown

During a pair of regular season starts against Soldotna this season, Palmer standout pitcher Landon Guggenmos was tagged…