Beluga monitor Teresa Becher watches as beluga whales swim up the Kenai River on Saturday, April 24, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. Beluga monitoring will be the first topic of a series of Fireside Chats hosted by Kenai Watershed Forum at Kenai River Brewing, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion file)

Beluga monitor Teresa Becher watches as beluga whales swim up the Kenai River on Saturday, April 24, 2021, in Kenai, Alaska. Beluga monitoring will be the first topic of a series of Fireside Chats hosted by Kenai Watershed Forum at Kenai River Brewing, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion file)

Fireside chats to feature speakers on the local environment

The Kenai Watershed Forum will host the chats through Nov. 23

The Kenai Watershed Forum will be kicking off a season of Fireside Chats on Wednesday with a presentation by University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate student Sonia Kumar on Cook Inlet beluga monitoring. Each Fireside Chat will run from 6-7 p.m. at Kenai River Brewing Company, featuring an hour of conversation on a topic relevant to the Kenai Peninsula.

During this Wednesday’s chat, Kumar will share preliminary findings from her last field season, based on the acoustics and sound of the local endangered species.

KWF Membership Coordinator Sara Aamodt said the topic should hit home for locals.

“This is in our own backyard,” she said. “It’s happening under our noses. It’s going to be an interesting and educational community event.”

Beluga Monitoring is the first Fireside Chat of the season, but they will continue weekly through Nov. 23. Next week will be a presentation on the spruce bark beetle by Mitch Michaud, followed by megafauna fossils found here on the peninsula, dog sledding, environmentally conscious development, and a final session yet undetailed.

Speaking more broadly about the Fireside Chat series, Aamodt said, “It’s a place where we can gather and learn about the environment.”

The series will be family friendly, and Aamodt is hoping to see everyone from elementary students to community seniors gathering, mingling and learning about their local environment.

“We wanted to gather a variety of topics from a variety of speakers,” Aamodt said. “Hopefully, it’s both interesting to people and relatable to people.”

She said the chat on spruce bark beetles, like beluga monitoring, should grab attention because it’s something happening in our community.

“People will want to come and learn about things that affect their everyday lives.”

Aamodt said she was also excited about the megafauna fossil chat, where Dick Reger will be bringing in actual fossils for attendees to examine.

Fireside Chats are free to attend, with food and drink from the Kenai River Brewing Company available for purchase. KWF members will get one drink provided by the organization.

More information about the fireside chats and about the Kenai Watershed Forum can be found at Kenai Watershed Forum on Facebook.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Kenai River Brown Bears goalie Nils Wallstrom celebrates winning a shootout over the Fairbanks Ice Dogs on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Brown Bears sweep Ice Dogs, move into 3rd place

The Kenai River Brown Bears earned a two-game sweep over the Fairbanks… Continue reading

The waters of Cook Inlet lap against Nikishka Beach in Nikiski, Alaska, where several local fish sites are located, on Friday, March 24, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Unprecedented closures threaten setnet way of life

Setnetters have been vocal about their opposition to the way their fishery is managed

Legislative fiscal analysts Alexei Painter, right, and Conor Bell explain the state’s financial outlook during the next decade to the Senate Finance Committee on Friday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Legislators eye oil and sales taxes due to fiscal woes

Bills to collect more from North Slope producers, enact new sales taxes get hearings next week.

Expert skateboarder Di’Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and whose work is featured on the new U.S. stamps, rides her skateboard next to her artworks in the Venice Beach neighborhood in Los Angeles Monday, March 20, 2023. On Friday, March 24, the U.S. Postal Service is debuting the “Art of the Skateboard,” four stamps that will be the first to pay tribute to skateboarding. The stamps underscore how prevalent skateboarding has become, especially in Indian Country, where the demand for designated skate spots has only grown in recent years. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Indigenous artists help skateboarding earn stamp of approval

The postal agency ceremoniously unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard” stamps in a Phoenix skate park

Bruce Jaffa, of Jaffa Construction, speaks to a group of students at Seward High School’s Career Day on Thursday, March 23, 2023, at Seward High School in Seward, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Seward students talk careers at fair

More than 50 businesses were represented

Alaska state Sen. Bert Stedman, center, a co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, listens to a presentation on the major North Slope oil project known as the Willow project on Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. The committee heard an update on the project from the state Department of Natural Resources and the state Department of Revenue. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
Official: Willow oil project holds promise, faces obstacles

State tax officials on Thursday provided lawmakers an analysis of potential revenue impacts and benefits from the project

Jerry Burnett, chair of the Board of Game, speaks during their Southcentral meeting on Friday, March 17, 2023, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Board of Game decides on local proposals

Trapping setbacks, archery hunts and duck restrictions were up for consideration

Audre Hickey testifies in opposition to an ordinance that would implement a citywide lewdness prohibition in Soldotna during a city council meeting on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna council kills citywide lewdness ordinance

The decision followed lengthy public comment

Samantha Springer, left, and Michelle Walker stand in the lobby of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Springer named new head of Kenai chamber

Springer, who was raised in Anchorage, said she’s lived on the Kenai Peninsula since 2021

Most Read