Author: calebjmoss

Today we cruised the Kenai Fjords National Park.  We saw and heard the crash of calving glaciers;  we saw humpback whales, Orcas, puffins and sea lions at close range; we saw in the sky bald eagles.

It  was amazing to see an environment not yet significantly impacted by man.  Everything seemed healthy, happy, and as it should be.

It was amazing to raft down the Kenai River.  It is located in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.  The Refuge is one of over 500 units in the National Wildlife Refuge System, a 150-million acre network of lands and waters set aside to help conserve our nation’s fish and wildlife heritage.  I know that you will agree that this Refuge is a very special place among special places.

We saw salmon, bald eagles, otters, sheep, and more in their natural environment.  Alaska is a land of awe-inspiring beauty and fish and wildlife spectacles, and the Refuge is a microcosm of all this wonderful state has to offer.

I encourage you to take a few moments to reflect on the spirit of this wild place.  It is the spirit of Alaska, it is endless, and it will inspire and enrich you.

I was privileged today to visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC).  It is a sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through conservation, education, research and quality animal care.  This nonprofit organization rehabilitates injured or orphaned animals and returns them to the wild.

Animals at the AWCC include a wolverine, lynx, brown bears, porcupines, wood bison, black bears, a grizzly bear, fox, coyotes, wolves, moose, elk, Sitka black-tail deer, muskox, caribou, reindeer, bald eagle, and great horned owl. Most of the animals are cared for in large, natural habitats, including enclosures designed for the display of multiple species.

The AWCC has taken part in a program to reintroduce the native wood bison back into Alaska after a 100-year absence. The wood bison is the largest land mammal in North America and is a keystone grazing herbivore from the region.

In 2008, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center embarked on plans to develop an Alaskan bear conservation science and education facility and interpretive center.

The center is a truly amazing place.  Its programs will hopefully negate past, present, and future detrimental affects on wildlife and the environment.