The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge has installed animal-inspired workout equipment along a popular 2 mile multi-use trail in Soldotna.
The two stations were added to the Ski Hill Multi-use Trail near the refuge headquarters in the fall, with more planned. They have interpretive panels that demonstrate exercises associated with wildlife found in the refuge.
Matthew Conner, supervisory park ranger, says the trail sees over 100 users a day. He says the refuge is always looking for new ways to educate visitors about the wildlife that call it home.
“I started to ponder, ‘I wonder if everyone who’s walking that trail realizes they’re on a national wildlife refuge?’" Conner said. "And although we’re thrilled they’re coming out here and walking, getting some exercise and spending time outdoors, could we take it to the next level and let them know how important specialties and lands are?”
One of the new workout stations is for improving balance, coordination and core strength. Users can stand, balance or stretch on the two coil platforms. It’s called the “mosey like a moose” station because Conner says moose need good balance and coordination to walk through snow, ice and marshes on the refuge.
The second station is a pull-up and chin-up bar that can also be used to stretch out back muscles and improve posture. That one is called “built like a bear.”
“On a brown bear, a hump is a very attractive thing, but on a human, we can develop something called upper crossed syndrome, which comes from spending too much time in front of the computer or on the cell phone when we're leaning over," Conner said. "And this is an exercise that allows you to crease those back muscles to help improve your posture, so that you're not built like a bear.”
One future station could be for grip strength exercises to be tied to the strength of an eagle’s talon.
Conner says the workout stations were funded in part by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s regional office.
