Beluga Slough and the Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center

On Wednesday, June 29, 2016, we had the morning free before our hike to Grewingk Glacier, so we sought out some more information on the amazing environment in the area of Homer.  Our destination was the Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center:

The Center provides an introduction to the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, which is the nation's premiere seabird nesting and research refuge.  The Refuge was established to conserve marine mammals, seabirds and other migratory birds, and the marine resources upon which they rely. The Refuge's 3.4 million acres include the spectacular volcanic islands of the Aleutian chain, the seabird cliffs of the remote Pribilofs, and icebound lands washed by the Chukchi Sea, providing essential habitat for some 40 million seabirds, representing more than 30 species.  The refuge spans the Aleutian Islands as well as part of Kodiak Islands and other shore areas:

It comprises 2,400 islands, headlands, rocks, islets, spires and reefs in Alaska, with a total area of 4.9 million acres, of which 2.64 million acres is wilderness. The refuge stretches from Cape Lisburne on the Chukchi Sea to the tip of the Aleutian Islands in the west and Forrester Island in the southern Alaska Panhandle region in the east. The refuge has diverse landforms and terrains, including tundra, rainforest, cliffs, volcanoes, beaches, lakes, and streams.

The diversity of wildlife represented in the refuge is awesome, but it was only possible for us to get a hint of the richness by taking a stroll out on Beluga Slough behind the Center:

The path took us down onto the slough that lay below our lodging, the Beluga Lake Lodge, across the way.  The hiking path was graced with some quirky public art --

-- and informative explanatory markers.  Here, birds of all kinds were nesting and looking for their day's sustenance:

From our trail, we could look out over wet grasslands, to tidal flats, and on to the beach of Katchemak Bay, with the Kenai Mountains in the background to the southeast:

The weather changes continuously here on the Kenai Peninsula, producing constant changes in the moods of the mountains, bay and tidal lands:

As we walked, we were lucky to spot a pair of sandhill cranes with their young chicks.  This was our first sighting of one of the adults:

And, eventually, we caught sight of the other adult and their two chicks, foraging for food in the tall grass of the estuary:

To fully appreciate the refuge would require an air or boat tour of most of the Aleutian Islands. Those lucky enough to work for the Refuge may be fortunate enough to get their own tour by signing up for duty on the Research Vessel Tiglax (TEKH-lah), which is Aleut for eagle.  The Tiglax and its crew work for the Refuge as its research and transportation support vessel. In a season, the Tiglax may sail to islands in Southeast Alaska, the far western end of the Aleutian Chain, and into the Bering Sea, typically traveling, 15,000 to 20,000 nautical miles.

Where do we sign up?