Kenai River Guide Academy Curriculum

* This schedule is an example; times of presentations are subject to change due to instructor availability.

Monday

1. 8:00 - 8:30 AM
   Welcome by Gary Chamberlin, President, Kenai River Professional Guide Association; Jack Blackwell, Superintendent, Kenai River District, AK State Parks; and, Gary J. Turner, Director, Kenai Peninsula College and board chair, Kenai River Guide Academy®

   • Why this course was created - “Why are you here?”
   • Course requirements, permission to release contact information, testing, course evaluations, and campus safety
   • Public perceptions of the guide industry, your role as ambassadors for sport fishing and Alaska
   • Student introductions: how many years of guiding experience, how many years fishing on the Kenai, and employer

   8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
   Introduction to the Kenai River Special Management Area

   12:30 – 2:00 PM
   Kenai River State Park Use Permits

   2:00 – 2:15 PM
   Class Photo

   2:15 – 4:40 PM
   Alaska Wildlife Habits: Moose and Bear Safety

Tuesday

1. 8:00 – 9:00 AM
   Overview of Kenai River Fishing Regulations

   9:00 - 11:00 AM
   Board of Fisheries (BOF), Local Advisory Committees & Public Process, Partnering with Local Organizations (Kenai River Special Management Area board, ADF&G)

   11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
   Economics and Value of Participation in Sport Fishing Industry, Kenai River Watershed Research and Habitat/Conservation Projects
                                                              
   12:30 – 1:30 PM
   Alaska Fishing Guide Licensing and Proper Logbook Documentation

   1:30 – 2:45 PM
   Upper, Middle Kenai River and Kasilof River issues

   3:00 – 4:00 PM
   How Kenai River Fisheries Management Plans Impact Movement of Fish into River, and Interface of Various User Groups (sport fishing, commercial fishing, personal use, subsistence, non-fishing on-the-water users)

   4:00 – 5:00 PM
   Visible Management Tools Guides and Clients will see on the River: Sonar, In River Chinook Netting, Coho Wheels and Creel Surveys

Wednesday

1. 8:00 - 8:30 AM
   Introduction to the Stream Watch Volunteer Program

   8:30 - 11:00 AM        
   History, culture, and geology of the Kenai River
                
   11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
   Boating Safety, Cold-Water Survival, Dealing with Weather and Water Conditions, Onboard Required Safety Items

   12:00 - 1:00 PM
   US Coast Guard requirements, license renewal, drug testing programs   

   1:00 – 2:00 PM
   Caring for Your Catch

   2:00 - 3:00 PM
   Catch & Release: handling, measuring and releasing “trophy” fish

   3:00 – 5:00 PM
   The Ethical Guide and Angler: Angling and Guide Ethics Observed on the Kenai River

Thursday

1. 8:00 – 10:00 AM        
   What Every Guide Should Know (questions almost every client will ask)

   10:00 - 11:45 AM      
   The “Goods and Bads” of Guiding and the Guide Industry

   11:45 AM – 12:45 PM           
   Borough Sales Tax Registration and Requirements

   12:45 – 4:00 PM         
   Stream Ecology and Fish Biology

   4:00 – 5:00 PM                       
   Test Review and study suggestions by KPC Director Turner

Friday

1. 8:00 - 8:10 AM

   • Test Rules, confidentiality

   8:10 - 10:30 AM

   • Written certification test
   • 100-question multiple-choice test graded upon completion. Those who do not pass are scheduled to retake the written exam.

   8:30 AM – 12:30 PM

   • Individual 20-minute oral examinations conducted by Kenai River guides and agency personnel. Those who do not pass the written exam will still participate in the oral exams. You are not to take the oral exam until you have received your written test score. Lunch on your own after you have completed the written and oral exams.

   11 AM – 12:00 PM

   • Written exam retakes (if necessary)

   1:00 – 1:30 PM

   • Certificates of Completion and KRGA-Certified boat stickers distributed to those who pass written and oral exams
   • Getting involved in the industry through the Kenai River Professional Guide Association presented by KRPGA President