AUGUST 2006 - Construction Begins on new Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Downtown Kodiak

A prime piece of property in downtown Kodiak was selected and purchased by the Fish and Wildlife Service for their new Visitor Center. Located near the waterfront across the street from the ferry terminal and within walking distance of three other museums, the new visitor center will include many exhibits honoring the marine and terrestrial flora and fauna of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge with special focus on the world famous Kodiak Brown Bear. Dead marine mammals, including whales, wash up on Kodiak beaches frequently and provide bears with an important food source.

The Gray Whale skeleton hangs in a two-story section of the building over the entry foyer. A stairway leads visitors up along one side of the skeleton to a balcony that wraps around the whale on three sides of the second story. The whale skeleton is suspended from the ceiling in a graceful S-curve, head down and tail up.

The new Kodiak National Wildlife Visitor Center (pictured below) was completed in October of 2007 by Blazy Construction Company.