Kodiak College students will lead a pair of public forums this week about Kodiak’s Renewable energy plan and bear viewing around the O’Malley River

The renewable energy discussion begins today at 4 p.m. at Kodiak College. The discussion covers plans to power 95 percent of Kodiak with renewable energy by the year 2020. Kodiak currently receives about 80 percent of its annual energy from the Terror Lake hydroelectric plant and an additional 9 percent from the Pillar Mountain wind turbines. Kodiak Electric Association (KEA) president and CEO Darron Scott and board chairman Cliff Davidson will talk about how KEA plans to accomplish this goal.

The O’Malley bear-viewing forum takes place Wednesday at 4 p.m., also at Kodiak College. The forum addresses a proposed change to Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (KNWR) regulations that would allow limited groups of tourists to travel to the O’Malley River area on Southwestern Kodiak Island.

The area has been closed to public access during the summer months since 1995. Ranger Bryan Glaspell of KNWR, and Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Larry VanDaele representing the Brown Bear Trust, will speak at the forum. Public comment on the proposed policy change ends Dec. 7.

The discussions were organized as part of English professor Jared Griffen’s technical writing class. Both forums take place in Room 128 on the college’s Benny Benson Building.