{"id":190,"date":"2026-05-26T18:08:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:08:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingtoalaskausa.com\/?p=190"},"modified":"2026-05-26T18:08:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:08:46","slug":"land-named-for-colorful-character-herring-pete-added-to-alaskas-kachemak-bay-state-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingtoalaskausa.com\/?p=190","title":{"rendered":"Land named for colorful character \u2018Herring Pete\u2019 added to Alaska\u2019s Kachemak Bay State Park"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A century ago, a Norwegian-born mariner nicknamed \u201cHerring Pete\u201d and his Austrian-born wife operated a fox farm on a scenic, remote and mountainous Kenai Peninsula island.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now that 24-acre island parcel is part of 400,000-acre Kachemak Bay State Park.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Conservation Fund, a private nonprofit that protects vulnerable lands and habitat, has purchased the site on Nuka Island known as Herring Pete\u2019s Cove and donated it to the state.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nuka Island, which comprises about 15,300 acres, is adjacent to Nuka Passage, a well-traveled, safe and sheltered route used by boaters sailing between Seward and Homer. The region is a in itself for wildlife watchers. It has salmon, seabird colonies, marine mammals and land mammals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a wild and fascinating, beautiful place,\u201d said Chris Little, Alaska field representative at The Conservation Fund.\u00a0 It is rich with fish and wildlife, and \u201cthe scenery is absolutely breathtaking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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With the purchase of Herring Pete\u2019s Cove, all of Nuka Island is now folded into Kachemak Bay State Park. The Conservation Fund\u2019s 2023 acquisition of a site called Mike\u2019s Bay added 22.5 acres.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow the entire island is public, which is really cool,\u201d Little said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Conservation Fund previously added acreage elsewhere to the park to ensure public access to a site called Saddle Trail. That purchase, comprising 5 acres, was completed in 2022, and the parcel was officially added to the park in early 2023. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Alaska governor vetoes bill that sought to adjust state\u2019s transportation planning<\/a><\/p>\n

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