OUR VISION
We believe the Copper River watershed can have a vibrant, healthy future.
🌎 It`s World Environment Day, and this year focuses on solutions to beat plastic pollution. One of our solutions is fishing web and fishing gear recycling, which keeps nets and gear out of the ocean and landfills. The material is recycled and repurposed into useful things like ball caps and shoes. It`s a win-win for people and the environment.
♻ Today`s World Environment Challenge: If you see some plastic laying around on the land pick it up! If it can be recycled - YAY! And for extra credit: Can you use less plastic everyday? Bring utensils instead of grabbing plastic forks, or bring a go-dish instead of using styrofoam boxes for leftovers. The little things we do add up to big solutions.
🥫 And in Cordova don`t forget to recycle your aluminum cans! Receptacles are behind AC or you can bring them to the baler on Whitshed Road.
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📷 Photo 1: Milo Burcham - Prince William Sound. Photo 2: Michelle McAfee/CRWP - Fishing gear staged for recycling in Cordova.
#WorldEnvironmentDay2025 #Cordova #PrinceWilliamSound #copperriverwatershed #recyclingmatters
Our Watershed Stewardship Program Manager Amanda Jackson and our new Copper Basin Plant Technician Rachel Ryan, hosted outreach sessions during the Youth Environmental Summit (YES) last week in Kenny Lake.
During the summit, grades K-8 explored aquatic invertebrates, played an interactive mosquito game, learned how to identify plants, scat & tracks, played a severe weather event game, and learned how to clean up the land - all while having a blast!
Thank you to Native Village of Gakona for hosting the event, and to all the partners and people who helped make it all possible! This wonderful event helps inspire the future stewards of the watershed!
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📷 Amanda Jackson/CRWP - Youth Environmental Summit in Kenny Lake where youth participated in games learning about plants and insects, and how to clean up the land.
#YES #outdooryouthsummit #CopperBasin #copperriverwatershed
🗻 Fed by glaciers, from its birth at the Copper Glacier on the northeast side of Mt. Wrangell, it flows due north before turning west then southeast, braiding into river fingers with salmon-rich waters carving through the glacial silt deposits for 290 miles where it drains into the largest contiguous wetlands in North America before spilling into Prince William Sound. ‘Atna’tuu, "river of the Ahtnas" - the Copper River.
🐟 Millions of salmon migrate up these waters to spawn and rear the next generation of salmon in tributaries and cold water refuge throughout the watershed. Sixteen million shorebirds, including the entire population of Western Sandpipers, and Pacific dunlins use the Copper River Delta as they migrate north to nest.
🦅 The abundance and scale of this river, and the watershed it feeds, is nearly impossible to comprehend. Unless you live, nest, migrate, hunt, or fish along the river. Then you know.
💪🏼 Right now, this is one of the last remaining intact watersheds in North America and beyond. It is worthy of protection, care, and respect. It will take all of us remaining vigilant and doing everything we can to keep the Copper River thriving into the future.
🌱 How can you help? Volunteer for upcoming weed pull events, clean ups or just offer your time and skills when you can. You can also donate to CRWP to put people in the field to remove invasive plants, monitor stream temperatures, and restore habitat.
💧 We can keep this watershed strong and healthy — together.
Donate to CRWP: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/copperriverwatershed/
📷 Kirsti Jurica/CRWP - Confluence of the Chitina and Copper Rivers.
#ProtectTheWatershed #CopperRiverStrong #InvestInNature #CRWP
Thank you pwssc for creating Delta Sound Connections, an annual natural history and science news publication, "dedicated to the ecosystems of Prince William Sound, the Copper River watershed, and the northern Gulf of Alaska. Delta Sound Connections highlights various research and education programs currently taking place in our region." —Prince William Sound Science Center
We are excited to have an article published in this year`s issue themed, Renewal!
Check it out at https://bit.ly/delta-sound-connections-renewal
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#PWSSC #DeltaSoundConnections #PrinceWilliamSound #copperriverwatershed
Ahtna Elder Katie John took her case to the Supreme Court to fight for the right for her people to continue to access customary and traditional resources. In doing so, she established a subsistence priority for all rural Alaskans. This required navigating new and confusing legal systems and traveling far from the place she was fighting to protect. She was dedicated to her people and the land, stood her ground and won.
In her honor, we are committed to working with the Ahtna people, including Katie John`s home community of Mentasta Lake, to help ensure their voices and concerns are heard and that our interactions with the watershed reflect the traditions and respect they have held for these lands and resources for thousands of years.
On Katie John Day, we pause and remember — and honor — a true watershed champion.
📷 Photo 1: Michelle McAfee/CRWP - The braided upper Copper River, near Mentasta, 2023. Photo 2: Shae Bowman/CRWP - Mentasta Lake, 2023.
#KatieJohnDay
CRWP Staff members Kate Morse and Kirsti Jurica participated in a field trip this week for the Coastal Ecology for Teachers course hosted by the pwsc_cordova. The course emphasizes place-based education and are exploring Cordova for a week. Kate and Kirsti conducted a lesson on aquatic ecology, focusing on invertebrate monitoring, highlighting the significance of data collection and presented effective teaching strategies for educators.
And just for fun, Kate dressed the teachers up as invertebrates to learn about the anatomy and adaptations they have for feeding and breathing. 🐛
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📷 Kirsti Jurica/CRWP - Teachers in the field learning about invertebrates, and dressing up as an invertebrate.
#Cordova #teachertraining #CoastalEcology #PrinceWilliamSound #invertebrates pwsc_alaska
Slana School students had an entirely different experience with their salmon tank this year! Watershed Stewardship Program Manager, Amanda Jackson, takes you on the Slana Salmon Tank journey in this cute video. Just like in the wild, the salmon journey is full of challenges and obstacles. It’s why we work hard to remove as many barriers as possible.🐟
Find out more about Salmon in the Classroom at CopperRiver.org
#SalmonintheClassroom #salmonfry #copperriverwatershed
The Kenny Lake students had a beautiful day to release their salmon fry! Kids climbed into waders and out into the watershed to learn about the habitat their baby salmon are swimming in. 🐟🐟🐟
Thanks to teacher Jennifer Hodges for the fun photos!
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#SalmonintheClassroom #copperriverwatershed #KennyLake #youthprogram #salmonfry
🗻 CORDOVA - TOMORROW!! Bring your old fishing web and gear to the Baler on Whitshed Rd on May 28th-29th, 10am-3pm for recycling!
♻️ Keep your old fishing web out of the landfill and turn it into useful products like shoes, hats, knives, and other items.
🐟 Web has to be free of cork lines, weed lines, lead lines, purse lines, chafe gear and hangings - those can be recycled separately.
🥫 And you can recycle aluminum cans anytime! Aluminum cans are accepted for recycling behind AC and at the Baler on Whitshed Rd. The money raised from recycling aluminum cans goes towards making the net recycling program possible. It`s a win-win!!
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Find more information about our recycling program at https://copperriver.org/programs/recycling/
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#recyclingmatters #recycle #fishingwebrecycling #repurpose #CordovaAlaska
Students spent months raising baby salmon in their classroom tank. Some of them even named the salmon fry ❤️
Mt. Eccles 5th graders gave their baby fish a good send off when they released them into wild waters last week.🐟
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#salmonintheclassroom #cordovaalaska #salmonfry
Rachel Ryan, the new Copper Basin Plant Program Technician, Amanda Jackson, and Bryan Marquardt from Bureau of Land Management had a great time teaching the Upstream Learning homeschool community students how to wade in the water for macroinvertebrates and closely identify them!
The students also released the Coho salmon they raised in a classroom tank for the last three and a half months in the Upstream Learning tutoring facility. Some parents even got to join in on the fun on this warm afternoon at Junction Lake!
We love hosting and engaging all ages of youth and adults in stewardship activities and sharing the magic of the Salmon in the Classroom program.
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Find more details on the Salmon in the Classroom program at https://copperriver.org/programs/watershed-education/salmon-in-the-classroom-2/
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📷 Laurie Blair/CRSD - Upstream Learning students identifying macroinvertebrates and releasing Coho salmon they raised in a classroom tank.
#SalmonintheClassroom #CopperBasin #CopperRiver #copperriverwatershed #AlaskaYouth #SalmonFry
#macroinvertebrates mypubliclands
Tomorrow is a big day here in the Copper River watershed - it’s the first opener of fishing season! 🎣
Every year, the salmon come home.
Back to the Copper River and its wild, healthy waters — just like they’ve done for generations. 🐟 🐟 🐟
We’re here to keep it that way — protecting habitat, removing barriers, and honoring their ancient journey.
Over the past 5 years, CRWP and our fish passage partners have replaced 13 culverts on the Copper River Delta, built a bridge over the Little Tonsina River, and opened up 84.6 stream miles and 76.5 lake acres for juvenile and adult Coho, Sockeye, and Chinook Salmon to access key nursery and spawning habitat.
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#CopperRiver #SalmonRun #WildSalmon #copperriverwatershed #CopperRiverOpener #FishingSeason #FishMigration
If you missed our Annual Meeting, you can watch the presentation here!
Explore the interactive Story Map!
Delta Sound Connections: Renewal
Thank you Prince William Sound Science Center for creating Delta Sound Connections, an annual natural history and science news publication, “dedicated to the ecosystems of Prince William Sound, the Copper River watershed, and the northern Gulf of Alaska. Delta Sound Connections highlights various research and education programs currently taking place in our region.” —Prince William Sound Science Center
We are excited to have an article published in this year’s issue called Restoration and Renewal!
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
Bike, Paddle, Run in the Gakona TRIfesta!
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.
WHEN: Saturday, July 26, 2025, 10:00am registration/11:00am race start
WHERE: Gakona Lodge
Our Programs Making a Difference
