This GSA-leased hybrid will help Kanuti Refuge staff save gasoline, reduce carbon emissions, and safely negotiate city stop-and-go traffic at refuge headquarters in Fairbanks. FWS photo, June 2008.

As part of its ongoing effort to be environmentally responsible, reduce our carbon footprint, and conserve funding by reducing fuel use, Kanuti Refuge recently replaced a large passenger truck with a hybrid compact sport utility vehicle. The hybrid will be used almost exclusively within Fairbanks, where staff believe it will average more than 30 miles per gallon and travel more than 500 miles on a single tank of gas! The green vehicle even boasts eco-friendly seat covers made of post-industrial waste plastics and fibers.

Kanuti Refuge takes its resource stewardship responsibilities seriously and works not just to comply with but to exceed environmental standards. In recent years, staff   replaced all boat motors with more efficient and less polluting four-stroke outboards,  installed solar energy systems at remote facilities, and installed electrical sensors and timers to reduce energy consumption. Kanuti Refuge employees embrace Service Director Dale Hall’s message to reduce our carbon footprint and we continue to seek ways to minimize the effects of our activities on the environment.