OUR VISION
We believe the Copper River watershed can have a vibrant, healthy future.
Last weekend, our Copper Basin Interns Alvin and Rosel, hosted a CRWP booth at the Gulkana Airport Day event. They facilitated a "Draw your favorite native plant" chalk activity, and chatted with residents about invasive species management in the Copper Basin.
The event was hosted by Copper Valley Air Service and offered $10 flight-seeing tours above Glennallen. It was a great opportunity to let residents know more about invasive plants in the area and how to manage them.
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Find more on our Invasive Plant Management program at https://copperriver.org/programs/invasive-plant-management/
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π· Rachel/CRWP - CRWP Interns, Alvin and Rosel, hosting a CRWP booth at Gulkana Airport to share invasive plants information with event participants.
The Copper River Stewardship Program took off last Friday and they are having a blast! They had a gorgeous day to fly over the Copper Basin, then floated the Gulkana River and pulled invasive White sweetclover from gravel bars along the way.
The crew shared an update from the weed pull: "We collected over 300 lbs of weeds and had a great time rafting. We played pirates and tried to steal each otherβs weed bags and everyone was laughing till their sides hurt. They also had a great time swimming. The bugs are worse than Cordova but everyone is handling it well. The students are the kindest group and everyone is getting along well.β
You can track their progress via our online mapper: https://crwp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/9470c6963d924dd19c913570d73598b2
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Want to know more about the Copper River Stewardship Program? https://copperriver.org/programs/watershed-education/copper-river-stewardship-program/
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π· Amanda Jackson/CRWP - Copper River Stewardship Program students flying over the Copper Basin then floating the Gulkana River where they pulled and removed over 300 lbs of invasive plants.
#CRSP #CopperRiver #copperriverwatershed #alaskayouthprogram #stewardshipprogram
Well that was fun! Eyak Lake Appreciation Day last weekend brought all ages to the water for a friendly paddle competition and BBQ. Youth of all ages were big participants this year!
Our Executive Director, Kate Morse, shared some Eyak Lake history with the community, and Samantha from City of Cordova, Parks and Recreation Department gave a safety talk. Volunteers even offered to give a canoe flipping demo! AC donated food and more volunteers ran the grill. The Cordova Volunteer Fire Department was there looking out for everyone`s safety. It was a community effort to make this event happen, and a fun way to gather and celebrate this lake we love!
Thank you to the City of Cordova, Parks and Recreation Department for partnering with us to make Eyak Lake Appreciation Day so special!
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CopperRiver.org
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π· Kim Casavan/CRWP: Photo 1 - Kate Morse sharing Eyak Lake history. Photo 2 - Paddlers lining up for races. Photo 3 - Race Participants at the starting line. Photo 4 - And they`re off!! Cordova community members racing in the Eyak Lake Appreciation Day paddle races. Photo 5 - Not everyone paddled a boat. A participant races on a paddle board. Photo 6 - Shannon Lindow paddling a kayak. Photo 7 - Anita Smyke, winner of the .5-mile race. Photo 8 - Participants enjoying the BBQ.
#EyakLake #CordovaAlaska #communityevent
CORDOVA - This Sunday, June 22nd, come to the Eyak Lake Appreciation Day celebration!
Join the 1-mile or .5-mile paddle races and "We β€οΈ Eyak Lake" Flotilla to close the day. Offer your insights on the development of Skater`s Cabin and celebrate this place we love. This is a FREE event!
WHEN: Sunday, June 22nd, 3pm-5pm. Race starts at 4pm!
WHERE: Skater`s Cabin
Secure your spot in the races by pre-registering or sign up on the day of the event.
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CopperRiver.org
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π· Hamish Laird - 2023 Eyak Lake Paddle Races.
#EyakLake #CordovaAlaska #paddlerace
It`s high fishing season in the Copper River region! It is incredible that every year the salmon return and we get to experience the abundance of the Copper River and Prince William Sound. It will take all of us to keep this extraordinary place healthy and thriving for the next generations of fish who will swim up this river and spawn in the tributaries.
We are dedicated to this stewardship work, and invite you to get involved! You can volunteer at upcoming events in the watershed, sign up on our email list to stay informed, or you can donate to help us keep people in the field monitoring invasive species, stream temperatures, and damaged culverts.
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Donate to CRWP:https://copperriver.org/barrier-free-crwp/
Sign up on Email List: https://copperriver.org/email-signup/
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π· Michelle McAfee/CRWP - Salmon leaving Hartney Bay for the Copper River Delta (2023).
#salmonfishing #fishingseason #AlaskaFising #copperriverwatershed #CopperRiver
CORDOVA - Join us for a fun day in celebration of this place we love! Share your insights on the development of Skater`s Cabin, and join the 1-mile or .5-mile paddle races and "We β€οΈ Eyak Lake" Flotilla to close the day! This is a FREE event!
Eyak Lake Appreciation Day is Sunday, June 22nd, 3pm-5pm at Skater`s Cabin. Race starts at 4pm!
Secure your spot in the races by pre-registering or sign up on the day of the event.
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CopperRiver.org
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#EyakLake #CordovaAlaska #paddlerace
Congratulations to Jillian Gold for winning the Salmon Jam Artwork Contest!! Jillian submitted a fun design that will appear on the 2025 Salmon Jam t-shirts, hoodies, stickers, and whatever else we can print on!
"I got excited when I saw the flyer for this contest posted around town. Usually, when I apply myself to arts, whether visual or audio, I lean into abstract expression that looks like strange curvy lines (or what I call "worms") and sounds like chaotic noise (or what I call "music"). So, I think it was the element of personal challenge that most excited me about this contest. Creating a thing that looks like a real-world thing and that needs to meet specific parameters is way outside of my comfort zone. It was a lot of fun playing with balance and design, trying to sum up "summer in Cordova" with just a few visuals. I especially enjoyed imagining this happy-cartoony spawned-out salmon. I could almost picture his little word bubble, `Hooray! I`m dyin`.` Thanks so much to the Copper River Watershed Project for running this contest! And, as ever, big THANKS also to a community that supports the arts. Happy Salmon Jam!" βJillian Gold
Come to the Copper River Salmon Jam, July 18-19 in Cordova and get your 2025 hoodie with Jillian`s design!
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SalmonJam.org
CopperRiver.org
#SalmonJam #CordovaAlaska #MusicandArt #SummerFestival #festivaldesign #artworkcontest
It`s Alaska Invasive Species Awareness Week, and one stubborn invasive plant Cordova knows well is Orange hawkweed. It might look pretty on the outside, but it`s a tough adversary for native plants and for humans trying to eradicate it. How do you get rid of it? Pluck the flower heads and collect them in a trash sack instead of pulling the roots - breaking the plants roots/stems spreads the rhizomes further. Pluck it and bag it for best results.
Thank you to Alaska Invasive Species Partnership for getting this good information out about this invasive plant.
From AKISP:
Orange hawkweed was introduced to the U.S. as an ornamental gardening and medicinal plant in Vermont in 1875 and has since spread across the country and into Alaska. Orange hawkweed aggressively competes with surrounding plants for space, light, and soil nutrients. It forms dense mats and can produce a chemical that prevents other plants from growing. Report any sightings in the backcountry at 1-877-INVASIV (1-877-468-2748) or using the AK Weeds ID App.
You can identify orange hawkweed by looking for:
π± Single, mostly leafless stems growing up to 1 ft. tall
ππΌClusters of 5-30 orange-red flowers at the top of the plant when in bloom
πHairy, basal leaves up to 6 in. long
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CopperRiver.org
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π· Michelle McAfee/CRWP - Mia Siebenmorgen and Samaya Faber manually removing Orange hawkweed in a Cordova yard.
#invasiveplantmanagement #AKISAW #AKISP #CordovaAlaska
CORDOVA - We are hosting a Native Plant Garden event at Odiak Pond and the Cordova Hospital tomorrow - Friday, June 13, 9:00 am - 11:00 am! Drop by to celebrate Alaska Invasive Species Awareness Week, meet and welcome our new intern Maddie, learn how you can help controls invasive species without herbicide through our new Adopt-a-Pest program, and tend the native plant garden with us to help our native plants thrive!
πͺ Treats and drinks will be offered! βοΈ
WHEN: Tomorrow!! June 13, 9:00 am - 11:00 am
WHERE: Odiak Pond & Cordova Hospital Native Plant Gardens
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CopperRiver.org
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π· Kate Morse/CRWP - Odiak Pond Native Plant Garden.
#AKISAW #NativePlants #CordovaAlaska
June 8-14 is Alaska Invasive Species Awareness Week (AKISAW), spotlighting the impact of invasive species in the region.
We`d like to give a big shout-out to our amazing interns, Samaya and Liz who are monitoring for the highly invasive European Green Crabs (EGC) in Cordova this season. The Alaska Invasive Species Partnership (AKISP) shared some good information on this high priority invasive.
From AKISP:
EGC competes with other shellfish, disturbs the sediment, and destroys the eelgrass that is an important habitat for other crabs and salmon.
If you think you have found EGC, take pictures and note the location you found it. If you turn on location services on a smartphone, GPS coordinates will be associated with a photo. It`s helpful to take pictures of the top and bottom view of the crab, and also take close up photos of the crab shell that shows key characteristics to aid in identifying what you found. Then, share GPS coordinates or detailed information of the area and any landmarks. Crabs may not be collected, transported or destroyed, but you can call 1-877-INVASIV (877-468-2748) or use ADF&G`s online Invasive Species Reporter to report your finding to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
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CopperRiver.org
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π· Graphic by AKISP / Photo by Washington Department of Fish and Game.
#AKISP #AKISAW #InvasiveSpecies #EuropeanGreenCrab #CordovaAlaska
CORDOVA - On Friday, June 13, 9:00am-11:00am, meet us in the native plant gardens at Odiak Pond and Cordova Hospital to celebrate Alaska Invasive Species Week!
We`ll gather at the native plant gardens to highlight the importance of invasive plant species awareness, and how we can play in a part in the prevention, monitoring and management of these unwanted species!
Light treats and drinks will be offered along with education and activities.
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CopperRiver.org
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#AKISP #NativePlantGarden #CordovaAlaska
π Happy World Ocean Day!
π The mighty Copper River and its tributaries are a sanctuary for spawning and rearing salmon. But those salmon end up making their way to the sea where food is plentiful. When they return home they are full grown mature salmon fattened on the bounty of Prince William Sound and beyond. And they have been making this journey for.....ever.
π Prince William Sound supports 220 bird species, 30 land mammal species, and more than a dozen marine mammal species. And fish? Five species of Pacific Salmon, several species of groundfish (halibut, rockfish and lingcod), shrimp and clams, as well as cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden call these waters home, and the sound contains 150 glaciers including 17 tidewater glaciers, known for dramatically calving huge ice chunks into the sea (ADF&G).
π³ It takes a very healthy ocean to support all of this life - including people whose livelihoods depend on these abundant waters.
Today on World Ocean Day, we are SO grateful for the ocean and all it gives to the Copper River region.
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CopperRiver.org
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#WorldOceanDay2025 #PrinceWilliamSound #copperriverwatershed
Come to Cordova on July 18-19th for Salmon Jam!
Join us for live jammin’ music, road races, delicious food, live art, and artisans, all celebrating what sustains us: Salmon and Art!
This is a FUNtastic music and art festival you don’t want to miss!
WHEN: July 18-19, 2025
WHERE: Cordova, Alaska
Watch our Annual Meeting Presentation to get the full update on the progress and projects of the Copper River Watershed Project.
Explore the interactive Story Map!
Our Programs Making a Difference
