Students participating in a Kenai National Wildlife Refuge environmental education class learn Leave No Trace camping skills.

Environmental Education is a Congressional mandate for Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and the Refuge works hard to implement this special purpose.  Spring and summer programs brought 692 participants to the Refuge for a variety of curricula aimed at assisting young people to learn about wildlife and wildlands.  The programs included fire ecology, the role of predators, leave no trace camping, animal senses, wildlife habitats, and "Amazing Animals."  Nearly 300 students also participated in the Trail Explorer workbook and 72 students participated in the “Bear Aware” safety presentation.  The Environmental Education program at the Refuge is housed in a log classroom dedicated to year-round access staffed by a full-time environmental education specialist.  For more information about the Refuge's educational programs, or to sign up for a program, contact Nicole Johnson at (907) 262-7021.