We hire local Alaskans as our small, but dedicated staff and optional tours are guided by local Alaskans. The lodge offers walking tours of the neighbouring native villages where guests see alternative lifestyles and have an opportunity to shop for local crafts.
Alaskan and Arctic adventurers stop by the lodge from time to time to share stories of the wilderness and the frozen North with guests who are interested in participating. The lodge owners and staff keep the local environment in a pristine condition.
The lodge is run completely on alternative energy in the form of non-polluting hydroelectric and wind power. The lodge owners have installed a Pelton Wheel for the hydro system and it runs courtesy of the year-round stream that is on the lodge property. The Lodge serves as the home as well as the business of the owners and for the 37 years that they have lived there they have lived an eco-conscious lifestyle. Keith Iverson was fortunate enough to acquire the land in the 1970's just before Kachemak Bay State Park was declared and today the Iverson's are living in a vast wilderness together with but one year-round neighbour in the surrounding 10 miles.
Unlike so many Alaskan bush residents who eventually create a dump on or near their property for the convenience of getting trash out of the way, the Iversons have chosen, from the very beginning, to re-use whatever they can and recycle the remainder at the nearest landfill 15 boat miles away. Food scraps are fed to the local Bald Eagles and other wildlife on the beach in the morning. Plastics, glass, metals, and any hazardous wastes such as used fuel oils or batteries are all recycled at the Homer landfill in the appropriate containers. Eco-friendly cleaning supplies are used exclusively as well as recycled paper supplies.
The lodge maintains a policy of "leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photographs." This policy extends to the guests as well who come to the lodge with that ideal already a part of their lives. Due to the fact that the Internet has let advertisers show more of their personality through vast web sites rather than tiny, generic brochures, the lodge website attracts the Eco-conscious visitor with its photos and text.
The Iversons have been working with the Alaska Department of Fish and game to have the cove itself declared a wildlife sanctuary because of the proximity of the wild mountain goats to the shores of the cove. It is the best, and often the only accessible place, inside Kachemak Bay State Park to view these magnificent animals and well worth preserving for wildlife viewers.
Because of a strong desire to protect the natural beauty and privacy of their home, the Iversons have limited the number of guests they will host at the lodge at any one time. Private parties who take the entire lodge number no more than 12. Mixed groups are limited to 10 guests.
We invite every traveler who books a vacation via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the vacations they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same vacation can have different views!
