Kodiak Artist Bruce Nelson, has been hard at work for more than two years illustrating individual whale bones as part of the Kodiak Gray Whale Project.

Scientific illustration by Kodiak artist Bruce Nelson, one of more than 50 Gray whale drawings.

Thanks to the continuing efforts of Stacy Studebaker, Kodiak Gray Whale Project Coordinator and creator of the Bare Bones Education Project, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge will soon be the new home to a complete, rearticulated Gray whale when the Visitor Center opens its doors this fall.

In the tradition of natural science illustration, Kodiak artist Bruce Nelson, is cataloging more than 50 of the 200 some bones that make up this 36-foot long Gray whale. As a part of this public education effort, a complete catalog of photographs and graphite illustrations will compliment the project. A featured piece will be an educational poster with a selection of Nelson’s bone illustrations, along with detailed graphite drawings of baleen, whale barnacles, whale lice and other parasites that travel within the microhabitat of the Gray whale. The Kodiak Refuge Visitor Center is proud to welcome the Kodiak Gray Whale Project and looks forward to partnering with Studebaker’s Bare Bones Education Project on future educational activities.