Refuge Notebook
Peninsula Clarion Article
Dated
19 January 2001
Winter Months Mean Training and Summer Preparation
by
Bill Kent
Those of us on the Visitor Services
staff at Kenai Refuge stay busy through the winter even though the throngs of
visitors are not around as in July. This is the time of year we tackle the never-ending
paperwork that is part and parcel of working for the government, attend training
courses, and continue with the ever-present preparations for our summer programs.
At times, it would seem there is a specific office somewhere in Washington,
D.C., whose sole purpose is generating reporting requirements. Although I am sure
each of these reports fulfills an important accountability function, there are
times when you just have to wonder... how many times can you count the number
of vehicles, boats, toilets, or other pieces of equipment? Is there someone back
there on the east coast who thinks we lost a toilet, or misplaced the grader during
the past year? I can assure them (and you) that we would let someone know if either
of those incidents occurred. My guess is, because we are funded by Congress, these
reports are probably used to reassure our elected representatives that we are
actually using the equipment purchased with those appropriated funds.
The
winter months are also when we complete a great deal of mandatory training in
such areas as supervision, pilot accreditation, law enforcement, first-aid and
CPR refresher, aircraft safety, interpretation, and education outreach. Personally,
I am a firm believer in training in order to keep employees’ skills and enthusiasm
at a high level, both for the employees’ benefit and our visitors. It is
the policy at Kenai Refuge that each year, everyone gets one training opportunity
which helps them professionally; this is in addition to whatever mandatory training
is scheduled. Some of the training opportunities my staff has taken advantage
of over the past years are interpretation skills development, wilderness stewardship,
various law enforcement skills development courses, environmental education curriculum
development, training for qualification as an aircraft safety instructor, and
other disciplines. By attending these various types of training we are better
able to deliver better quality visitor services to you and others, and make a
visit to Kenai Refuge a safe and enjoyable experience. We also use this time to
review the training we provide to our seasonal employees so they are prepared
to assist you when you visit the Refuge this summer.
A great deal of our
time in the winter is used to prepare for the upcoming “busy season”.
Currently, one of the projects we are busy with is working with a contractor to
develop and produce interpretive and information signing for the new visitor facilities
at Moose Range Meadows, along the south bank of the Kenai River on Keystone Drive.
We plan on having information there regarding riverbank protection, visitor safety,
sockeye fishing techniques and other topics. Our law enforcement staff continue
their patrols throughout the winter, checking on fishermen, trappers, and other
Refuge users to insure compliance with laws and regulation and to assist visitors
who may need help with one problem or another. Another task is reviewing and selecting
volunteer applications sent to us by the Student Conservation Association for
positions assisting us with spring/summer/fall visitor services and environmental
education programs. One of the bigger projects this year is planning the celebration
of the 60th anniversary of Kenai National Wildlife Refuge; President Franklin
Roosevelt signed the order to create the Kenai National Moose Range on December
16th, 1941. (With everything else on his mind at that time, I am amazed he took
the time to take that action.) We will be providing more information on this celebration
in future “Refuge Notebook” articles and other means in the coming months.
All in all, this time of year means we remain busy because the work doesn’t
take the winter off... it just takes on a different face.
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Bill
Kent is the Supervisory Park Ranger at Kenai NWR. He and his wife and daughter
recently moved to Sterling after living in Soldotna for nine years.
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