Refuge notebook: Monitoring wetland change on the Kenai

Refuge notebook: Monitoring wetland change on the Kenai

For the past year I’ve been sitting in a university office in Eastern Pennsylvania staring at maps of the Kenai Peninsula. The maps show the… Continue reading

Refuge notebook: Monitoring wetland change on the Kenai
Reeling ‘Em In: Blackmouths getting bigger at Fishin’ Hole

Reeling ‘Em In: Blackmouths getting bigger at Fishin’ Hole

Things are much better this season compared to the last go around

Reeling ‘Em In: Blackmouths getting bigger at Fishin’ Hole
Out of the Office: In Pursuit of a Green Thumb

Out of the Office: In Pursuit of a Green Thumb

This spring, I decided to get serious about gardening. By gardening, I mean finding the most hearty, resilient plants I could and sticking them in… Continue reading

Out of the Office: In Pursuit of a Green Thumb
Reeling ‘Em In: Chinooks starting to hit at Fishin’ Hole

Reeling ‘Em In: Chinooks starting to hit at Fishin’ Hole

The best is yet to come, if you know what you’re doing.

Reeling ‘Em In: Chinooks starting to hit at Fishin’ Hole
Refuge notebook: A fun way to learn about natural resource stewardship

Refuge notebook: A fun way to learn about natural resource stewardship

2019 marks the fifth year the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge has hosted a Game Warden Camp for local youth. This camp offers youth the chance… Continue reading

Refuge notebook: A fun way to learn about natural resource stewardship
Tangled up in Blue: Showing up

Tangled up in Blue: Showing up

The competition is constantly changing, wherever you go. A few weeks ago at the Exit Glacier Race, I came in second during the 5-kilometer race.… Continue reading

Tangled up in Blue: Showing up
Out of the office: Ruffled feathers

Out of the office: Ruffled feathers

Life often has a funny way of coming full circle. I like to think I’m a pretty rational person. I also like to think that… Continue reading

Out of the office: Ruffled feathers
A raven flies off with a couple of tortillas in Hidden Lake Campground. (Photo by Amber Kraxberger-Linson/Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge notebook: Ready. Set. Camp!

Summer is coming to the Kenai Peninsula. Days are getting longer, birds are returning to raise their young, and Alaskans are digging out their camping… Continue reading

A raven flies off with a couple of tortillas in Hidden Lake Campground. (Photo by Amber Kraxberger-Linson/Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Tangled up in Blue: Plastic is not my bag

Tangled up in Blue: Plastic is not my bag

My car’s rear window is full of stickers. I have a few inspired by the Grateful Dead, a Settlers of Catan one, a 3022 ft.… Continue reading

Tangled up in Blue: Plastic is not my bag
Refuge notebook: Alaska’s state bird is one of a kind

Refuge notebook: Alaska’s state bird is one of a kind

I saw a small flock of willow ptarmigan along the Seward Highway near Summit Pass last week. I had to take a hard look as… Continue reading

Refuge notebook: Alaska’s state bird is one of a kind
A metal figurine stands atop a peak in the Mystery Hills on the Kenai Peninsula on April 28, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Column: What will 30 bring for me?

I’ve turned 30 years old recently, and as this occasion arrived, I wondered how different it would feel as I enter this particular stage of… Continue reading

A metal figurine stands atop a peak in the Mystery Hills on the Kenai Peninsula on April 28, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
A male Golden-crowned Kinglet displays its “mohawk” on Fuller Lakes Trail on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Colin Canterbury)

Refuge notebook: Little rock star of the woods

Earlier this month, I took a hike up Fuller Lakes Trail with my dog, Scout. The sun was just peaking over the tips of the… Continue reading

A male Golden-crowned Kinglet displays its “mohawk” on Fuller Lakes Trail on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Colin Canterbury)
Tangled up in Blue: Alley Cats

Tangled up in Blue: Alley Cats

Wednesday night, all the cats of Seward took over the alleys. The second annual Alley Cats Run brought all of the felines in town away… Continue reading

Tangled up in Blue: Alley Cats
Underpasses to help wildlife move across the Sterling Highway is one way to resist changing conditions. (Photo provided by Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge notebook: A new way of thinking about climate adaptation

Last week I was in Madison, Wisconsin, at the National Adaptation Forum. This is an invigorating conference, powered by almost 1,000 passionate people who seek… Continue reading

Underpasses to help wildlife move across the Sterling Highway is one way to resist changing conditions. (Photo provided by Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
A photo submitted to iNaturalist showing a female Lycia rachelae on April 7, 2016. This is one of only a few species of moths where the female is flightless. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS).

Refuge notebook: Connecting the dots on your next hike

As experts continue to learn more about our environment and flood the world with facts, figures, predictions and management directions, it can be a little… Continue reading

A photo submitted to iNaturalist showing a female Lycia rachelae on April 7, 2016. This is one of only a few species of moths where the female is flightless. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS).
Refuge to provide campfire cooking lessons at Sport Show

Refuge to provide campfire cooking lessons at Sport Show

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge will provide hook to table, hands-on campfire cooking lessons at the Kenai Peninsula Sport Rec and Trade Show, which is… Continue reading

Refuge to provide campfire cooking lessons at Sport Show
Skis and poles, ready for crust skiing, sit at the Dale Clemens Cabin above Resurrection Bay and Seward on April 12, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the office: Winter to summer

In January, it took allusions to neuroscience, the Green Bay Packers and Metallica for me to explain in this space how the Culture of the… Continue reading

Skis and poles, ready for crust skiing, sit at the Dale Clemens Cabin above Resurrection Bay and Seward on April 12, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Tutka Backdoor Trail project gaining momentum

Tutka Backdoor Trail project gaining momentum

The rugged backcountry on the south side of Kachemak Bay is getting a fresh look from hikers with an eye on connecting two coasts. As… Continue reading

Tutka Backdoor Trail project gaining momentum
Nikki Aufiero practices a handstand at Fourth of July Beach near Seward, Alaska, in April 2019. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Tangled up in Blue: The other ocean

I got confused looking out at Resurrection Bay recently. The horizon was clouded, none of the mountains that typically line the coast were visible from… Continue reading

Nikki Aufiero practices a handstand at Fourth of July Beach near Seward, Alaska, in April 2019. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Pilot-biologist Dom Watts flying out of Fairbanks in a Super Cub. (Photo provided by Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

The road to becoming a U.S. Fish & Wildlife pilot-biologist

I remember the first time my Uncle Larry flew down in his Cessna and picked me up at the little airport a few miles from… Continue reading

Pilot-biologist Dom Watts flying out of Fairbanks in a Super Cub. (Photo provided by Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)