Beautiful things don’t ask for attention, and I think that can be said about the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is not a theme park, with no bright lights and no billboards begging for attention. There is no need to advertise the unique habitats or spectacular fishing, hiking and wildlife observation.
However, I will brag about the refuge and the time I was able to spend there for the rest of my life! I will tell everyone I meet just how beautiful the refuge is and how important it is to notice the beauty and share it with someone special.
I think that as people grow up, we forget to take the time to appreciate the world around us. I was so lucky to work with kids who have grown up around the refuge and haven’t lost their intrinsic curiosity for the world.
Working with the Environmental Education Program, I found myself in both teacher and student roles. I was able to share my knowledge of biomes, plants and animals with children through four weeks of summer camps, and in turn, they shared their knowledge and experiences from growing up on the Kenai and their connections to the refuge.
Together, we shared knowledge of conservation, and I experienced their unbridled enthusiasm for this amazing place.
The summer camp programs that I was able to assist with this year started back in 2008. It is more than learning the names of plants and animals but about their backyard and interconnections with nature.
“Critter Camps” are geared toward children ages 6 to 8 and include more craft-based activities. The camps let children be creative while learning about fish, insects, plants and mammals.
Some of their favorite activities at that camp were the recycled insects and fish investigation. They used their imaginations to create an insect (using recycled materials like lids, containers, egg cartons and more) with a head, thorax, abdomen and six legs.
While discussing food chains, the campers learned that insects, even the pesky mosquitoes, are important to the refuge. Only female mosquitoes suck blood (with a proboscis), and they use the protein in the blood for their egg production. Turning a creature they thought was “just annoying” into one, they can now appreciate and understand the purpose of the mosquito’s annoyance.
While doing fish investigations, it was interesting to see which children would want to touch the fish and which would rather stay 3 feet back. (The majority did want to touch the fish.)
In the other camp, “Get Out and Get Dirty,” for ages 9 to 12, we taught natural history topics but also how to read maps, and it was more skill-based using digital photography, binoculars, loupes, dipnets and compasses to dig a little deeper through observations.
Some campers’ favorite activities let them express their individuality and creativity while interacting with nature, such as building fairy houses, creating trail art and exploring with digital cameras.
It was amazing to see the children’s eyes light up as they learned about their favorite Alaska animals, made abstract connections, and got to experience a little bit more about the way the world works. At the end of the week, campers were given the opportunity to showcase their knowledge and skills to their parents and family.
We set up tables displaying their crafts and tools from the week. When their parents arrived, they got a chance to tell them, and show and teach them, what they learned.
I was grateful to experience children who have grown up understanding what a National Wildlife Refuge is and how special it is to have this in their own backyards. I know there are more than 570 National Wildlife Refuges around the country, but this one has a special and unique beauty to me and the children who spent time at the refuge summer camps.
I am glad I got to spend my summer being a part of it — and even though the refuge doesn’t boast about its beauty, I surely will!
Rowan Yorkston, a rising senior at University North Carolina at Charlotte, was a 13-week Student Conservation Association Environmental Education intern at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Check for upcoming events, wildlife spotlights, and more on Facebook (@KenaiNationalWildlifeRefuge) or online at kenai.fws.gov. The Refuge Notebook is published once a month, and you can see past Refuge Notebook articles at https://www.fws.gov/kenai-refuge-notebook
Rowan Yorkston teaching “Critter Campers” about the different shapes of eggs. (Photo provided by refuge)
