Funny River Road gravel pit, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, before restoration activities.

Funny River Road gravel pit, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, after restoration activities.

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge recently completed a gravel pit restoration project at Mile Six Funny River Road.  The nine-acre pit was used many years ago for road construction and maintenance purposes but was no longer serving such a need.  In recent years the area increasingly was used to dump trash.  Target shooting adjacent to the road also became an increased concern.  The Refuge proposed restoration of the area to natural conditions for many years and finally received funding in 2006.  To complete the restoration, Refuge staff re-sloped the exposed gravel areas and restored them with native soils from the Kenai Peninsula.  Staff planted some native trees and shrubs, but the design allows primarily for natural re-seeding of the area by local plants.