Refuge Notebook Volume 9 • 2007 USFWS Kenai National Wildlife Refuge ii This volume was compiled in 2016 by Jennifer Peura from the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s archive of Refuge Notebook articles. Formatting has been improved, some hyperlinks (URI’s) have been updated, and minor edits were made, but the articles have mostly been unchanged. Contents Contents iii 1 Share the Refuge with a child; it will open up a brand new world, Richard Johnston 1 2 Climate change on the Kenai Peninsula: Cooked moose?, John Morton 3 3 Big back yard: Winter activities abound on wildlife refuge lands, Bill Kent 5 4 Refuge ecologist visits the Bahamas, Ed Berg 6 5 Guides services on the Kenai Refuge in 2007, Tai Davis 8 6 Owls: Formidable predators of the Kenai Peninsula, Toby Burke 10 7 Bark beetles will shift Kenai forests toward hardwoods over next century, Ed Berg 12 8 Pins on the map: crash site reflections and practical considerations, Rick Johnston 14 9 Biodiversity on the Refuge, Mark Laker 16 10 Birding events celebrate spring!, Candace Ward 18 11 Hyperspace: From the Yukon River to the Kenai River, Geoff Beyersdorf 20 12 Give caribou a break, John Morton 21 13 Black bear baiting on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Chris Johnson 23 14 Emergency care and rehabilitation of baby song birds workshop May 13, 2007: Knowing when to help, and when to stay away, Liz Jozwiak 25 15 Refuge plans prescribed fire northeast of Sterling, Doug Newbould 27 16 Kenai Shorebird Celebration flies for third straight year, Todd Eskelin 29 17 What can be done to prevent the spread of “invasive” plants on the Kenai Peninsula? Find out by attending Dandelion Sundae, Toby Burke 30 18 Mother nature leaves Refuge fishing facility unusable, Bill Kent 32 19 Kenai Mountain Treeline Advances Like Spreading Bread Mold, Not Like Rising Bathtub Wa- ter, Roman Dial and Ed Berg 34 20 Burning Peat—a good source of energy and a firefighter’s nightmare, Doug Newbould 36 21 Kenai and Kasilof Flats: A resource to cherish and conserve—not trample, Toby Burke 38 22 When the family from Georgia comes for a visit, Bill Kent 40 23 Preventing bear problems is everyone’s responsibility, Liz Jozwiak 41 iii Refuge Notebook • Vol. 9 • 2007 24 Keeping bears and people apart on the Russian River, Bobbie Jo Skibo 43 25 Kids Don’t Float, a successful program, Rick Johnston 45 26 Putting out wildfires is not enough; defensive clearing and prescribed burn are also necessary, Dianne MacLean 47 27 Forest detective finally notices strange purple plants in muskegs, finds name, and morenames, Ed Berg 48 28 Fall fireweed brings reflections and transitions, Michelle Ostrowski 50 29 Yellow spruce needle rust looks bad, but usually not fatal, Ed Berg 52 30 Lessons from Scotland, John Morton 54 31 Splitting the Kenai: two halves don’t make a whole, John Morton and Rick Ernst 56 32 Birds changing with the environment, Todd Eskelin 58 33 The anticipation and enjoyment of watching loons rear young, Ted Bailey 60 34 “Milk chocolate crunch weevils” often seen in houses, especially in bathtubs, Matt Bowser 62 35 Leaving the Kenai!, Jim Hall 64 36 Marten rediscover the western Kenai Lowlands, Andy Baltensperger 66 37 Checklist of Alaska bird species: growing by leaps and bounds, Toby Burke 68 38 “It’s been more than sixteen years … really ”?, Bill Kent 70 39 Peat deposits record postglacial climate history of the Kenai, Ed Berg 72 40 Historical aerial photographs show Kenai open wetlands shrinking at an accelerating rate, Ed Berg with Kacy McDonnell 74 41 A fish, an opposable thumb, a bucket, and 18,000 years, Mark Laker 76 42 Local riders dreaming of a White Christmas, Rick Johnston 78 43 Soldotna area Christmas Bird Count slated for Saturday, December 29, 2007, Liz Jozwiak and Jack Sinclair 80 iv USFWS Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Refuge Notebook • Vol. 9, No. 1 • January 5, 2007 Share the Refuge with a child; it will open up a brand new world by Richard Johnston Previously printed 22 October 1999 are particularly expert at seeing and experiencing the Having worked on, played in and explored the more subtle side of the Refuge. Kenai National Wildlife Refuge for nearly twenty I recollect leading a school fieldtrip many years years, there are few Refuge experiences I haven’t at ago where I was distressed that we hadn’t seen any least sampled or places on the Refuge I haven’t ex- of the normal wildlife that day. I kept coming up plored. As a pilot, I think I’ve seen the Kenai Moun- with explanations that would have shamed the best tains in about every shade of beautiful that there is. It you-should-have-been-here-yesterday tales of a Kenai is easy to be humbled by the overall beauty and wild- River fishing guide on a slow day. One of the ness of the Kenai Refuge, especially at 3,000 feet on a kids started asking questions about this small fungus gin clear October morning with a V of sandhill cranes growth on a downed log. Pretty soon the focus of silhouetted against the eastern mountains. I recall cer- the entire fieldtrip switched from seeing moose to The tain wildlife sightings and hunts that some might say Great Conk Hunt of the Kenai, 1983. It was then that I were once-in-a life time, but when friends and Refuge wished I’d paid more attention to the small stuff; Ireal- visitors ask me about my favorite Refuge experiences, ized that I didn’t need an obliging moose to make these I smile and reply, “Anywhere on the Refuge and shar- kids’ day. A small amount of “interpretive knowledge” ing just about any activity with a child.” on my part could really enhance their modest adven- Kids have a very simple and powerful way of ob- ture. They were simply glad to take the day andthe serving and experiencing the many wonders of na- outdoor adventures as they might come. The natural- ture. We often hear adult conversations about past ist interpreters on our Refuge staff have learned from trips or planned outings on the Refuge. These knowl- such experiences to direct more attention to the small edgeable conversations might concern harvesting an and subtle aspects of the trailside, such as insect ef- elusive 60 inch moose, catching that once-in-a-lifetime fects, fungi, edible plants, wild smells, and bird calls. trout, getting that perfect bear photograph, summit- When they do this, every small trip can be a big ad- ing a difficult peak or a twenty mile off trail traverse. venture for the kids. But listen to the conversations of two children on the Young residents of Kenai Peninsula and their fam- Refuge and you may really come closer to the heart of ilies are particularly fortunate to live with such an what the Kenai Refuge is really all about… and what abundance of wildland and wildlife opportunities. any of us can experience on any day in the presence Whether it’s taking a child hunting, fishing or hik- of a child. ing, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge has a place The kids may be talking excitedly about asmall and season that is made to order for you. For example, squirrel they saw, or about a passing cloud reflection the many short day trails within the Skilak Recreation on the Kenai River and how it looked like a buffalo. Area and along Swanson River road are perfect for an Two very small cowboys may be astride horse-like outing and the exploration pace of kids. Small chil- aspen branches temporarily serving them as trusty dren like my four-year-old love to stop often and are steeds, with all this adventure in a small greenbelt be- much less concerned with the final destination than tween two campsites in a roadside campground. As the “journey” and the infinite adventures that a mile far as they’re concerned, they are Lewis and Clark and of trail provides. the sights, sounds and smells of their little exploration Skilak Lookout, Skyline, Bear Mountain, Hidden forest are on the edge of nowhere and the year is 1850. Creek, Kenai River are just a few of the Refuge trails No doubt children love to see a large bull moose or to that by virtue of length, degree of difficulty and natu- catch a big fish as much an adult, but I believe they are ral features (e.g., things to climb on) are made to order natural appreciators of the simple and ethereal, and for kids. Hidden Lake Campground is a very popular USFWS Kenai National Wildlife Refuge 1 Refuge Notebook • Vol. 9, No. 1 • January 5, 2007 destination; children of all ages find enough adventure considerations for being out on land and water, partic- in this campground to fill several days. ularly as temperatures drop and days grow shorter. A A kid-size trail called Bernie’s Trail, named after compass, warm clothes and a hunter education certifi- a late Refuge biologist, is a great place to spend the cate addressing safety and hunter ethics are very good afternoon. And nearby, the Refuge has a new trail starting points. called Hideout Trail that will be formally opened to There are many trust issues that an adult should the public next spring. It was recently completed after fully consider while mentoring a young hunter or two seasons of volunteer labor by high school Student fisherman. Adults should be skilled and willing to Conservation Association volunteers.