Shorebirds by the thousands flock to Kachemak Bay every year.

Located on the Homer Bypass at 95 Sterling Highway, this state-of-the-art interpretive educational and research facility opened in 2003. It is a partnership of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve.

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge consists of 4.9 million acres of headlands, islands and rock pinnacles around the entire coastline of Alaska. Many species of seabirds including puffins, auklets, murrelets and murres as well as marine mammals such as sea otters, walrus and sea lions make the refuge their home.

Inside the center, a grand two-story glass lobby faces Kachemak Bay, and visitors can step into a room thatrecreates the sounds (and smells) of a bird rookery, take a voyage to the islands through an award-winning film, and learn about the birds and marine mammals that inhabit these remote places and the researchers who work there. A short trail leads from the Islands and Ocean Center past Beluga Slough to Bishops Beach. During the summer, guided bird-watching treks and beach walks are offered.

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; the rest of the year, it is open Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Contact them at 235-6961, www.islandsandocean.org.

The refuge co-sponsors the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in early May. Guided bird watching, talks, children's activities and a variety of other events will be part of the festival. Refuge naturalists also accompany the state ferry Tustumena on trips from Homer to Seldovia, Kodiak and Dutch Harbor. They offer interpretive programs and wildlife sighting and identification assistance.