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            The Kodiak National Refuge Visitor Center is offering two extra programs for the public during the summertime. On Thursdays, sit down with some coffee with a ranger, and on Saturdays, enjoy hikes suitable for kids of all ages - including the grown up ones.

            Coffee with a Ranger is led by Caryn Hacker, who is an interpretive park ranger for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

            She says the talks can cover more advanced subjects, but it should be appropriate for, say, a bright middle-schooler and older kids.

            The coffee Hacker serves is roasted exclusively for the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge by the Kodiak Island Coffee Company.

            Coming up tomorrow, Hacker will be talking about commercial, sport, and subsistence fishing. Next week you can dive into the world of the aquatic and marine species inhabiting our neighbor, the ocean.

             On Saturdays, the whole family can enjoy spending time outdoors with Dana Lindaur, a volunteer with the refuge, as she leads the Happy Trails program.

            Groups will meet at different locations on the road system each Saturday at 1 p.m. The schedule is on a poster at the refuge visitor center downtown.

            This Saturday's Happy Trails will be at Miller Point out at Fort Abercrombie, where you can have a whale of a good time learning about the giant mammals that migrate through Kodiak's waters. Next week, it's the Many Marvels of Mud out at the Buskin Beach pavilion.