Fog rolls in on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022 at the Halibut Campground in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Rain happens

As I write this Sept. 8, since July 1 Homer has had eight days of clear weather, 30 days of rain and 31 days of… Continue reading

Fog rolls in on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022 at the Halibut Campground in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Nick Varney
Nick Varney
Denali today, whose height was first calculated by Bradford Washburn at 20,320 feet. (Photo by David Merz)

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 the history of remote sensing and aerial… Continue reading

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

Reeling ‘Em In: Target silvers at first light — wait: What light?

Well now, August has just about jetted through its allotment of solar days and should be deeply embarrassed about it. There wasn’t much “solar” during… Continue reading

Nick Varney
Kids playing soccer on a sunny summer day. (Photo by Charlie Menke/ Homer News)

Out of the Office: Coaching

Sport has been a well of vitality that has nourished me since I was a young child. Growing up in Homer, playing hockey and soccer… Continue reading

Kids playing soccer on a sunny summer day. (Photo by Charlie Menke/ Homer News)
Nick Varney

Reeling ‘Em In: Nick offers tips on how to fillet a silver

Its always great to receive emails from our out-of-state visitors, especially when it’s their first trip to Homer and they are trying to get some… Continue reading

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

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 mid-July, while walking with one of the… Continue reading

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

Reeling ‘Em In: More tips from Nick on catching silvers

Now, here are a few more suggestions on how to pop those coho tumbling around the lagoon.

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

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 their friends and family. Oftentimes these stories… Continue reading

Some great examples of genetic diversity with Kenai River king salmon populations. (Photo by Ken Gates)
Bradley Walters leads the pack up Angle Hill on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, at the Salmon Run Series at Tsalteshi Trails. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the office: Race thyself

During the pandemic, I questioned the value of regular community racing and the numbers show I wasn’t the only one. The five-race Salmon Run Series… Continue reading

Bradley Walters leads the pack up Angle Hill on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, at the Salmon Run Series at Tsalteshi Trails. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Nick Varney
Nick Varney
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)

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. Annual visits establish a baseline of personal… Continue reading

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)
Mt. Redoubt rises above Cook Inlet and the Anchor River drainage as fireweed is in bloom, as seen from Diamond Ridge Road on Friday, July 22, 2022, near Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Take the long way around

“Slow Down. What’s the hurry?” reads an inscription on the Reuben Call bench at the end of the Homestead Trail of Diamond Ridge Road. I… Continue reading

Mt. Redoubt rises above Cook Inlet and the Anchor River drainage as fireweed is in bloom, as seen from Diamond Ridge Road on Friday, July 22, 2022, near Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Nick Varney

Reeling ‘Em In: Fishing hole on the uprise

Mother Nature’s fiendish and sudden moves are vexing to the fishing enthusiast

Nick Varney
(Photo provided)

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 me back time and time again: the… Continue reading

(Photo provided)
Walking near the mudflats in Hope, Alaska, on Saturday, June 4, 2022. (Courtesy Sabine Poux)

Out of the Office: I’ll always have Alaska

The first time I came to the Kenai Peninsula I was on a solo weekend vacation about a month after I had moved to Anchorage.… Continue reading

Walking near the mudflats in Hope, Alaska, on Saturday, June 4, 2022. (Courtesy Sabine Poux)
Nick Varney
Nick Varney
A cow moose and calf eating cattails on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on June 30, 2022. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)

Refuge Notebook: A cattail conundrum

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

A cow moose and calf eating cattails on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on June 30, 2022. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)
Fishermen young and old try their luck at the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon on June 4, 2020, on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Fishermen young and old try their luck at the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon on June 4, 2020, on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Gail and Bill smile from their summer volunteer position at the Refuge Visitor Center front desk. (Photo provided by refuge)

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 as a volunteer host. As we write… Continue reading

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