During firefighting activities, a wolf den was damaged by a bulldozer and 5 pups (3 males and 2 females) were rescued by firefighters. The Funny River Fire, a human-caused fire that began on May 19, 2014, had burned largely in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
In 2009 lightning ignited the Shanta Creek Wildfire, which burned over 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) of Refuge land before it began moving toward populated areas outside of Soldotna and was aggressively fought to keep it from endangering these areas. In any given year there is a high likelihood of several small fires burning within the refuge. Naturally occurring wildfires are seen as beneficial in the long run for boreal forests, and so many areas of the Refuge are classified as limited suppression areas and firs may be allowed to burn unchecked so long as they do not move toward populated areas or Refuge facilities. HuntingĪs with most national wildlife refuges, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is open to hunting with certain restrictions, in particular in the area of Skilak Lake Road. These hikes range from difficult, multi-day back-country hikes to easier, short paved-trail walks. There are over 110 miles of hiking trails in the refuge, accessed from the Sterling Highway, Skilak Lake Loop Road, Swanson River Road, various campgrounds, and the refuge visitor center and headquarters. The longest, the Swanson River Canoe Route, spanning 80 miles, begins either at Paddle Lake or Gene Lake, and ends where the Swanson River meets the Cook Inlet at Captain Cook State Park. The most popular, the Swan Lake Canoe Trail, travels 60 miles, beginning at Canoe Lake (the west entrance), and terminates alternatively at Portage Lake (the east entrance) or the confluence of the Moose and Kenai rivers in Sterling. It further possess two larger canoe trails, which link large networks of lakes and rivers, often via portages. The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge has multiple small canoe systems linking lakes or groups of lakes. Since 2005 the refuge has offered 16 cabins for public use via a reservation system, with some cabins accessible only via boat. Other less-developed campgrounds and campsites are accessible from the Sterling Highway, Skilak Loop Road, Swanson River Road, and Swan Lake Road, the later of which do not require fees to access. The refuge has several campgrounds and boat launches, including two developed campgrounds, one at Hidden Lake and another at Skilak Lake, both accessible from Skilak Lake Loop Road, which intersects the Sterling Highway at both ends. Visitor's center at refuge headquarters in Soldotna Boating and Camping
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