The annual Outdoors Show marks the beginning of the short but busy summer recreation season. It draws people from all over interior Alaska who are eager to hunt, fish, and view wildlife on the land surrounding Fairbanks, including the National Wildlife Refuge System lands managed by Arctic, Kanuti, and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuges.

The refuges seized the opportunity to expose outdoor enthusiasts to methods and equipment used to minimize potential impacts on fragile arctic and subarctic habitats, animals, and other visitors to Alaskan wildlands. A wide array of cutting-edge technology, from a cook pot heat exchanger which can cut fuel usage by up to 30% to a PETT (portable environmental toilet) and other human waste pack-out methods, was displayed to illustrate that the ultimate test of an outdoor enthusiast's skills is whether those who follow know he was there.

For more information about the northern Alaska refuges or the Fairbanks Outdoors Show, please contact Jennifer Reed, Visitor Services Specialist for Arctic NWR, at (907) 455-1835 or jennifer_reed@fws.gov.

Photographs are available upon request.