Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Supervisory Biologist Dr. John Morton recently presented results of the Refuge's successes in developing a monitoring program that will model breeding landbird distribution across the 2 million acre refuge.  The results were presented to attendees at the 11th Alaska Bird Conference in Juneau February 2006, and highlighted accomplishments of the Refuge's Long Term Ecological Monitoring Program that inventories and monitors flora and fauna on 350 permanent sites and allows for reasonable extrapolation to other areas based on similar habitat types and other environmental conditions.  While the focus of the presentation was on birds, the monitoring effort looks at all species, large and small, plant and animal.  This new approach provides a cost effective monitoring effort for large areas such as the Kenai Refuge and is a template for other agencies and organizations desiring to create landscape level long-term ecological monitoring programs.  An abstract and powerpoint presentation on the topic may be obtained by contacting Dr. Morton at the Refuge (907) 262-7021.