The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s new Visitor Center is reportedly seeing over 200 people per day not including scheduled groups.
That number is more than expected according to Visitor’s Services Chief Matt Connors, who added their improved parking lot is easier for vehicles like RVs and tour buses to park in also.
Connors: “We’re seeing some of the tour buses that just traditionally didn’t stop, especially here. Perhaps now that puts Soldotna, Kenai, Sterling, some of those other communities on their maps when they come through.”
Another perk of moving the old visitor center into its new space is that the refuge’s law enforcement officers are now able to move into the headquarters’ office building, freeing up space in annex buildings for additional volunteers to work in.
Connors said without this season’s great staff, the center’s first months may have gone differently.
Connors: “This new visitors center is something we’ve never had, this type of flow we’ve never experienced, and we really are building an airplane in flight right now but it’s flying pretty well so we’re really happy with how things are going.”
The $9 million Visitor Center is expecting a new keepsake for their gift shop: miniature bronze sculptures of the exterior moose statue, named “Majesty of the Kenai” by Soldotna resident Kenneth Brown.
Those will cost approximately $150.
