Homer’s Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies in Homer works to give anyone interested a hands on learning experience.
Melanie Dufour: “Maybe actually holding that sea star, actually seeing that bird fly, and using that microscope to look at those invertebrates, it comes to life. We all learn differently and this is a way for everybody to experience nature.”
Melanie Dufour, Marketing Director with the Center, says the educational operation offers guided tours, summer camps, and youth internships on both sides of the Kachemak Bay.
For kids, she says the field trips that they offer can integrate what students are reading in science with real life.
The Alaskan learning experiences aren’t only limited to youth though, she says the guided tours are also a great offer for tourists or even local adults looking for an alternative to a screened device.
For over 30-years the Center has organized the Kachemak Bay CoastWalk: an event where volunteers can adopt stretches of Kachemak Bay’s shoreline, clean the sections of litter, and collect data on marine life and human impacts.