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Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

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Soldotna, AK
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

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For the official source of information about Kenai NWR go to kenai.fws.gov/. For more info about the USFWS: www.fws.gov or www.fws.gov/home/socialmedia

As of 10/2021, the Visitor Center is temporarily closed to the public, but you can reach staff with Refuge questions/trip planning at 907-260-2820 daily from 10am-4pm. Trails in the Visitor Center area are always open 24/7. Headquarters/Administrative Building is also closed but staff are available Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm and the main Refuge Office number is 907-262-7021.

10/28/2026

WEIRD WILDLIFE WEDNESDAY: SPOOKY NATURE EDITION!

Nature can be beautiful, bizarre, and sometimes… a little creepy!

From unusual plants to clever corvids and slimy invertebrates, the natural world is full of things that make us stop and stare. And while one person might see a fascinating creature, another might be saying, “NOPE. ABSOLUTELY NOT.”

Which of these gives you the biggest case of the heebie-jeebies?
* A raven watching you from a tree
* A slug leaving a trail of slime
* A creepy-crawly with way too many legs
* A plant that looks like something has gone VERY wrong

Tell us your pick in the comments! 👇

Our reactions to wildlife are all different, and there's a lot to discover about the creatures and characteristics that surprise us.

Come explore the weird, wonderful, and spooky side of nature with us at our all-ages Spooky Seasons event at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge! We'll be exploring corvids, invertebrates, sensory experiences, and more.

When: Friday, October 30th AND Saturday, October 31st; 10am-4pm
Where: The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center 33398 Ski Hill Rd, Soldotna

📷: R. Smith/ USFWS

10/23/2026

If you read yesterday’s post about the trading cards….and saw card #3 will be for guided fall/winter walks, I can verify there are lynx out and about. Yesterday on the trail, with Ninilchik students participating in a digital photography program, we were able to watch this magnificent feline. Such a special experience for these students (and for me to share it with them). I love my job! 😀Ranger Michelle

13 second video of a lynx quietly watching us. The quiet whispers of excitement from the kids is pretty neat to.

10/22/2026

How many animal collector cards have you picked up this year at refuge events, field trips, school visits or guided hikes?

Here’s a recap:

1- Moose: Over 1000 moose cards were handed out at the America 250 Independence Day parade in Kenai and even more followed at the Progress Day parade in Soldotna!

2- Brown Bear: visits to our visitor center bring you these cards along with bear safety info from our awesome volunteer hosts and rangers…available Weds-Sat. 10am-4pm through the winter.

4- Bald eagle: The eagles soared over our PEEPS Preschool programs and select summer outreach events

5- Sockeye Salmon: a stop by the refuge tent at the Wednesday Market earned you a salmon card…did you play the migration game with our staff? How far did you make it through a salmon’s life cycle?

6- Beaver: a field trip to the refuge this fall finished with these cards…to recognize all the busy beavers our local students are, working hard to learn about their nearby nature.

8- Wood Frog: classroom visits from refuge environmental educators are where you might have found these frosty frogs, who freeze to survive the winters with special anti-freeze blood.

9- Wolf: our BARK Ranger dog walks celebrate responsible recreation. Who can name the elements of B.A.R.K.?

Coming soon:

7- Little brown bats will feature at Spooky Seasons, an event hosted on 11/30 and 11/31 at the refuge visitor center!

3- Lynx cards are ready for our guided winter walks…check out the November and December refuge event flyers for these dates.

And we will finish strong with the Refuge Explorer card in late November starting at Thanksgiving break 11/25 at any refuge event, walk, talk and also at the visitor center front desk…a finale just like fireworks with this card popping up everywhere!

In celebration of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s 85th anniversary this collection of 10 wildlife cards concludes on the Refuge’s birthday celebration on Wednesday, December 16, 2026… bring in your cards that day to enter a series of drawings at the party!

Between now and then, visit the refuge Visitor Center in Soldotna to pick up a new card or swap any duplicate you might have…a full suite of 10 is your goal! (One new card or swap per visit, please)

10/21/2026

Dying is part of the salmon lifecycle and the ecosystems rely on it! Dead salmon are still a great food source for animals looking for an easy meal. Bites taken out of the head are often from hungry bears, as they favor the brains. Birds will pick out the eyes and flies find a great breeding ground to rear maggots, like in the video. Not only that, but salmon carcasses are full of nutrients, specifically nitrogen, that are broken down into forms that plants can use and benefit from. While dying after spawning may seem like salmon get the short end of the stick, their bodies fully shape the ecosystems even after they die.

🎥: E. Parker/USFWS
Alt Text: (5 second video) A close up of the inside of a salmon carcass's eye socket. Inside, there are maggots wriggling around. The salmon carcass is covered in rocks from the beach. The salmon is a deep brown color and decaying.

10/16/2026

Some bears catch salmon; this bear catches up on paperwork! Wednesday was National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work/School Day, so naturally we thought we'd put "Teddy" to work.

Teddy spent the day with Diana at Refuge Headquarters, where he discovered there’s a LOT more to keeping a National Wildlife Refuge running than he had expected!

Between answering phones, printing permits, and keeping up with radio calls from staff out in the field, Teddy got a firsthand look at the busy (and sometimes unpredictable!) days behind the scenes.

He may have come for the adventure, but we think he left with a newfound appreciation for the people who keep everything running smoothly. Every great refuge adventure takes a team, and today Teddy got to meet one of the administration people making it all happen!

Thanks for showing him the ropes, Diana!

📷: D. Myer/ USFWS

10/14/2026

Spotting a coyote in the wild is always a thrill—but have you ever heard their eerie calls echoing through the night? Unlike the steady howl of a wolf, coyotes create a chorus of high-pitched yips, barks, screeches, and overlapping howls that can send shivers down your spine!

Tomorrow’s Little PEEPS theme is all about Foxes and Coyotes! Bring your preschooler to the Education Center for an hour of fun with stories, active games, and a hands-on craft. Choose the session that fits your family: 9am or 10:30am. We can’t wait to explore the wild side with you!

📷: C.Canterbury

10/09/2026

Answer to the mystery:

That white powder that was on an aspen tree is produced by the tree! The powder is a result of bark cell shedding, so it's dead cells from the tree. Similar to how we shed skin cells, the aspen trees can sometimes shed their bark cells.

Did you get it?

📷:S. Camp/USFWS

10/07/2026

It is Spoooky Season here at the Kenai NWR, so we wanted to highlight some spooky and mysterious wildlife for this month's s!
Starting off with a mystery...

About a month ago, a couple biologists went into the field to survey some vegetation. When they were out there, one biologist noticed that the bark of an aspen tree looked a bit chalky. He touched the bark out of curiosity and yellowish-white powder came off.
What do you think caused this white chalky tree bark?

Check back on Friday for the answer...

📷:S. Camp/USFWS

Address

PO Box 2139; 33398 Ski Hill Rd
Soldotna, AK
99669

Opening Hours

Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+19072602820

Website

http://kenai.fws.gov/

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