Within Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, you'll never be more than 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Here, Kodiak brown bears gorge on salmon and mountains rise 4,000 feet from craggy coastlines, misty fiords, and deep glacial valleys. Birds are prolific. Kodiak's climate is marine-influenced and characterized by moderately heavy precipitation, cool temperatures, and cloudy days. However, breaks in the weather are stunning.


Latest News

tufted puffin landing into a group of puffins on the water
Science and Technology
Puzzling about puffins
At the end of August along the Alaskan coast, fuzzy gray pufflings fledge from their earth burrows into sleek, dark seabirds. They follow their parents to the sea to make their way in the marine world, the start of a migration away from land for the next several months. We know very little about...
A tufted puffin in summer plumage holding several small silver fish crosswise in its bill.
Science and Technology
Tufted puffins as sea sentinels
Have you ever peeped a tufted puffin? Chances are, you saw them during the summer breeding season: bright orange beaks, long golden feather head plumes, and a sharp white and black eye mask with red eyeliner that has earned them the name "clown of the sea." But when it comes to monitoring marine...
A rainbow over a bright green field
Recreation
Rainbows Over Refuges
Few of nature’s wonders are more eye-catching and breathtaking than rainbows. This story touches on the science and lore of rainbows
A brown bear standing and touching a piece of light green vegetation with water in the background
Recreation
Why I Took These Shots #4
This is one in a series of articles in which U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff members reflect on favorite photos they have taken at national wildlife refuges. It features communications coordinator LISA HUPP and national wildlife refuges in Alaska.
two side by side bugs that look like bees.
Wildlife Wonders
Alaska’s Wanna-bees
There are nearly 900 species of flower flies in North America, with roughly 200 species in Alaska (they’re also known as syrphid or “hover” flies). Adult flower flies feed on pollen and nectar. As they move from plant to plant, they serve as unintentional pollinators — pollen grains hitch a ride on...
A Tufted Puffin Takes Flight
Migratory Species
Tracking an Alaskan Icon
Sadly, Tufted Puffins have experienced serious declines in the southern portion of their range, declining approximately 90% relative to early 1900s estimates, and are currently declining 9% annually from California to Washington state. They are also declining at the southwestern end of their range...
View All News

Location and Contact Information

      Our Species

      Aleutian tern on kelp in the water

      dentification Tips: Length: 13 inches Sexes similar Dives into water for prey Medium-sized tern with short, slender, pointed bill Long, deeply forked tail Smoothly rounded head without crest Mostly pale underwing with dark bar on secondaries Gray mantle Adult alternate: Black legs Black bill...

      FWS Focus
      Species
      Kingdom
      Animalia
      Taxonomic Rank
      Species
      Bald eagle up close with wing raised

      A large raptor, the bald eagle has a wingspread of about seven feet. Adults have a dark brown body and wings, white head and tail, and a yellow beak. Juveniles are mostly brown with white mottling on the body, tail, and undersides of wings. Adult plumage usually is obtained by the sixth year. In...

      FWS Focus
      Species
      Kingdom
      Animalia
      Taxonomic Rank
      Species

      Our Library

      Past and present projects and research conducted on Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.

      Get Involved

      woman kneels next to a huge brown bear paw
      Image Details

      Kodiak welcomes and relies on volunteers, Friends, and interns to accomplish refuge goals in all aspects of conservation and education!

      Common volunteer opportunities include cabin maintenance, invasive plant control, berry surveys, bird banding, and staffing the visitor center.

      Volunteer opportunities on the Refuge include float plane or boat transportation to the Refuge, as well as meals and lodging, but trips to the Refuge require aviation and bear safety training to be completed in advance so be sure to plan ahead.

      We welcome youth volunteers to assist with several refuge programs. Opportunities include: The Kodiak Refuge Youth Leadership (KRYL) Program, Salmon Camp Aide, Avian Monitoring (bird banding), Visitor Center Guide and assisting our staff with events and environmental education programs.

      Projects and Research

      Diverse island ecosystems, abundant fish and wildlife, and a remote wildland setting serve as an ideal outdoor laboratory. Working jointly, biologists with the Refuge, State of Alaska, and U.S. Geological Survey monitor populations of Kodiak brown bear, bald eagle, salmon and other fish and wildlife and their habitats to estimate trends in abundance, survival, and productivity. The Refuge also sponsors and conducts basic and applied research projects, develops monitoring methods, and evaluates management strategies.

      By designing and implementing appropriate research and monitoring studies, the Refuge will better understand, conserve, and protect its natural and cultural resources for the continuing benefit of the public.