Permanent Exhibits

Kachemak Bay: An Exploration of People and Place

Homesteaders driving a wagon up the beach
© William Wakeland

Kachemak Bay is a place of magical wonder. As the first phase of the Museum's Master Exhibit Plan, the visitor is taken on a journey beyond the Museum walls to the historic and contemporary life around Kachemak Bay. Through means of community-based videos, photo essays, computer interactives, and remote video technology, these new exhibits and programs promote education and spark passionate interest in where we live. We have also adapted this permanent exhibit into an online version.

 

Stewardship

Brown Bear in riverEffects of climate change and massive spruce bark-beetle infestation are evident throughout our forests and waters. Population growth, industrial development, and urbanization threaten habitat and wildlife. Poorly managed resource extraction takes a toll on our environment. How we react to these natural and human-induced changes can either destroy or preserve the abundance of our place and, consequently, the quality of our lives. Our three components to the stewardship exhibit examine issues surrounding bears, beetles, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

 

The Sea and Its Bounty

Pink or Humpy salmonThe Sea and Its Bounty greet you eye-to-eye in the aquarium as an octopus glides past. A sea star creeps over the edge of a rock, an anemone opens and closes, a sculpin forages for food. Other intertidal specimens invite further discovery. More than 75 species of fish, birds and mammals that live in and by the sea are found throughout the museum, including the rare Bering Sea Beaked Whale, Steller Sea Lion, Beluga Whale, and Sperm Whale.