OUR VISION
We believe the Copper River watershed can have a vibrant, healthy future.
Happy World Water Day!
Glacier Preservation is the focus of World Water Day 2025, and the Copper River watershed is home to a wealth of glaciers - for now. Glaciers are retreating and losing mass yearly right here in our "backyard." It`s incredibly evident with the glaciers in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, especially the Kennicott Glacier, since it`s easy to visit and, for some, to live next to. That ice will not come back in our lifetimes.
Our Partnership Administrator, Amy Scudder, felt it wholeheartedly when she recently rode her bike out from the McCarthy swimming hole across the frozen lake below Kennicott Glacier and explored some of the frozen icebergs, "That lake is getting SOOO big. The ice is a lot farther away…climate change saddens me." When you`re close to glaciers, it`s easy to feel - and see - the loss.
Glaciers are more than just frozen water – they are natural archives of Earth`s climate history. Each layer of snow and ice that builds up over time traps small bubbles of air, pollen, dust, and other particles, preserving valuable information about past climates. By studying these layers, scientists can learn about Earth`s temperature, atmosphere, and even volcanic eruptions going back thousands of years. Some ice cores from glaciers hold climate records as far back as 800,000 years! Glaciers are some of the most important sources of fresh water on Earth. If all the world`s glaciers melted, sea levels could rise by over 197 feet, which would drastically change coastlines." —United Nations/World Water Day 2025
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📷 #1 Michelle McAfee - Rohn Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. #2 Amy Scudder - Amy exploring icebergs below Kennicott Glacier with her daughter and pup. #3 Michelle McAfee - Melting ice on the Kennicott Glacier.
#WorldWaterDay #Glaciers #GlaciersRetreating #PreservingGlaciers
Get ready - Gakona Trifesta is on this summer!!
WHEN: Saturday, July 26th, 11am
WHERE: Gakona Lodge
This beloved triathlon event is located in the heart of the Copper River Basin. Participants bike to the infamous Gulkana River, then paddle downriver in whatever flotation device they like until the river crosses the Richardson Highway, where racers exit their watercraft and head back to the Gakona lodge on foot. The route intertwines with three scenic rivers and features views of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Race fees are donated back to the Copper River Watershed Project to support stewardship work in the region.
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Find more details and register by tapping our bio link and selecting the Gakona TRIfesta button!
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📷 Heidi Hatcher - 2024 Gakona Trifesta
#GakonaTrifesta #CopperBasin #copperriverwatershed #race #GakonaRiver
Applications for our 2025 Scholarships are open through April 4, 2025!
The Copper River Watershed Project awards two $1000 scholarships annually in the spring to one student from a school in the Copper Basin (Glennallen, Kenny Lake, or Slana High Schools) and one graduating student from Cordova High School. Homeschool students in the region are also eligible to apply, as well as students who have spent a significant portion of their schooling in the Copper River watershed or students who have significant ties to the region.
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Tap our bio link to find details and download the application packet.
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📷 # 1 - Mia Ranck, 2024 Copper Basin Scholarship winner. #2 - Floyd Witsoe, 2024 Cordova Scholarship winner.
#Scholarships #CordovaAlaska #CopperBasin #copperriverwatershed
With 2 weeks left to apply for your PFD, consider the Copper River Watershed Project when you Pick Click Give. Your gift creates opportunities for hands-on stewardship and gets youth and adults out into the field to study things that impact our region and way of life. With just a click, you can help sustain the Copper River watershed now and in the future for people and fish.
PFD applications are open until March 31st at: https://pfd.alaska.gov/
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#pfd #stewardship #copperriverwatershed
Happy St. Patrick`s Day!! We don`t have any green, only blue (pinch, pinch) from Amy Scudder`s ride last week on the frozen lake below Kennecott Glacier in McCarthy. The planet is warming, the glacier is retreating, and the lake is getting BIG. Change is the only certainty in this world....and St. Patrick`s Day. That`s pretty certain.
Our staff members work hard and play hard in the Copper River watershed. We wouldn`t have it any other way. ❤ #LoveWhereYouLive
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#copperriverwatershed #McCarthyAlaska
Applications for the Copper River Stewardship Program (CRSP) are open through March 31st for youth currently in 8-12th grade!!
Explore and learn about the watershed while boating, rafting, hiking, and camping with new friends. It`s a great opportunity to work with students from throughout the region as you learn about tributaries and how much they contribute to the health of our watershed.
Optional high-school credit is available through your local school district!
The cost is $400. Scholarships are available.
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Find more details and download the application by clicking our bio link and selecting the Copper River Stewardship Program button.
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📷 CRWP - Photo 1 KateTrudeau/PWSSC: CRSP youth wading into the watershed. Photo 2 KateTrudeau/PWSSC: Copper River Stewardship Program (CRSP) participants rafting the Klutina River. Photo 3-5 Kate Morse/CRWP: CRSP participants working together, learning about the watershed.
Consider the Copper River Watershed Project when you #PickClickGive this year!
Your gift makes hands-on stewardship possible, including salmon habitat restoration, by replacing damaged culverts in salmon-rearing streams, planting native species, and monitoring stream temperatures in salmon-rearing habitat.
With one click, you can help keep boots on the ground in the Copper River watershed, doing critical work to keep people and fish thriving.
PFD applications are open until March 31st at: https://pfd.alaska.gov/
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#pfd #stewardship #copperriverwatershed
To honor the memory of one of our most dedicated volunteers and friends, the annual CRWP Scholarship for Cordova high school students enrolling in post-secondary institutions will be named the “Ken Hodges Memorial Scholarship.” Ken spent 38 years dedicated to studying the abundance of aquatic resources in the Copper River Delta and sharing what he learned with Cordova’s youth.
If you know anyone graduating from Cordova Jr./Sr. High School with a passion for the Copper River Delta and its natural history, they can apply for this scholarship opportunity by contacting CRWP’s Kim Casavan at operations@copperriver.org.
Applications for the 2025 Scholarships are open now through April 4, 2025!
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Find out more about our scholarship program at https://copperriver.org/programs/watershed-education/scholarship-program/
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📷 Ashley Taylor/CRWP - Ken Hodges with 6th grade students at Alaganik on the Copper River Delta releasing salmon fry (2022, 2023).
#scholarshipdedication #youthscholarship #CordovaAlaska
Happy International Women`s Day!!
We`d like to take a moment and celebrate the resilient women on staff at CRWP who work hard to make our watershed - and the world - a better place. Cheers to the dream team and all the important work you do in the Copper River watershed!
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📷 CRWP / #1 - Kirsti Jurica with YETI youth at the Little Tonsina River. #2 - Kim Casavan and Alexis Cooper ice skating near Cordova. #3 - Kate Morse with 5th graders releasing salmon fry in local waters. #4 - Amy Scudder on a winter watershed bike ride. #5 - Colleen Merrick and Amanda Jackson in the field with Kenny Lake students releasing salmon fry. #6 - Ashley Taylor mapping spawning beds on Eyak Lake.
#InternationalWomensDay #IWD #copperriverwatershed
Save the Date for the Cordova Science Gathering! We are excited to be part of this event celebrating science, art, and culture, and promoting stewardship through collaboration and shared knowledge.
"This inclusive, community-centered event invites people of all ages and backgrounds to engage in meaningful dialogue, hands-on learning, and creative expression. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of ongoing research and monitoring efforts, exploring how science connects with everyday life in Cordova." — Native Village of Eyak
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nativevillageofeyak #CordovaAlaska #CordovaScienceGathering #CSG #CRRC #PWSSC #NVE #copperriverwatershed
There is still time to #PickClickGive! Consider choosing the Copper River Watershed Project when you apply for your PFD this year. It will take all of us working together to keep our watershed thriving for people and salmon now and in the future. Your gift helps restore salmon habitat, remove invasive plants from our waterways, and monitor temperatures in salmon-rearing streams.
That`s a lot of good with one click!
PFD applications are open until March 31st at: https://pfd.alaska.gov/
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CopperRiver.org
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#pfd #stewardship #copperriverwatershed
The Copper River Stewardship Program fundraiser was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who attended. The program stewards, our partners, and CRWP`s Kate Morse and Amanda Jackson were happy to see everyone showing their support. Our silent auction and taco feed helped raise necessary funds for our scholarship applicants this year. We are excited to continue planning for the 2025 program stewards!
Special thank you to our partners Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment (WISE) , Bureau of Land Management - Alaska, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve for cohosting and making this event possible!
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Find more details on this program by tapping our bio link and selecting the Copper River Stewardship Program button!
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📷 Amanda Jackson/CRWP - Partners, staff, volunteers and attendees participating in the Taco Fundraiser at the American Legion Hall in Glennallen.
#fundraiser #GlennallenAlaska #youthprogram #CopperBasin #copperriverwatershed
Have you heard?
Alaskans – when you apply for a PFD this year, consider choosing the Copper River Watershed Project!
Your gift creates opportunities for youth and adults to wade out into the watershed and study the things that impact our region and way of life. With just a click, you can help sustain the Copper River watershed now and in the future for people and fish.
Apply for your PFD here.
Applications for the Copper River Stewardship Program (CRSP) are open now through March 31, 2025 for youth currently in 8-12th grade!!
This is a fantastic opportunity to explore and learn about the watershed while boating, rafting, hiking, and camping with new friends. It’s a chance to work with students from throughout the region as you learn about tributaries and how much they contribute to the health of our watershed.
Optional high-school credit is available through your local school district! The cost is $400. Scholarships are available.
Click the button to apply!
We’d like to send a big shoutout to the Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment (WISE) and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve (WRST-NPS) for being our coho-st in the salmon tank program this year! We are able to deliver and engage with 6 classrooms across the Copper River watershed thanks to their assistance to the program! And a great big thank you to all of our Salmon in the Classroom Partners and Sponsors. We couldn’t do this without you!
(Click the button to view a full list of Salmon Tank Partners and Sponsors!)
Apply for the CRWP Scholarships now through April 4th!
The Copper River Watershed Project has awarded two $1000 scholarships annually in the spring to one student from a school in the Copper Basin (Glennallen, Kenny Lake or Slana High Schools) and one graduating student from Cordova High School. Homeschool students in the region are also eligible to apply, as well as students who have spent a significant portion of their schooling in the Copper River watershed or students who have significant ties to the region.
Click below to apply!
Our Programs Making a Difference
