OUR VISION
We believe the Copper River watershed can have a vibrant, healthy future.
Happy GIS Day!
GIS (Geographical Information Systems) maps our watershed, identifies stream temperature monitoring sites, monitors salmon spawning beds, tracks culverts that need to be replaced, and identifies where in the watershed new culverts have been installed. There are endless applications for GIS in stewardship work!
We are lucky to have Ashley Taylor, our GIS Specialist, on staff to help give us a bird`s-eye view of the watershed and the stewardship work we are doing. Ashley has a Master’s degree in GIS and Web Map Programming and 9 years of environmental fieldwork experience. She works in the Fish Passage and Restoration Program as the GIS and Data Specialist.
To see how we are using GIS at CRWP, visit the Culvert Mapper:
https://copperriver.org/programs/fish-habitat-restoration/restoration/culverts-are-the-culprits/
Temperature Monitoring Network map:
https://copperriver.org/programs/fish-habitat-restoration/monitoring/temperature-monitoring-network/
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Map by Ashley Taylor - Communities in the Copper River watershed.
📷 Michelle McAfee/CRWP - Ashley Taylor mapping salmon spawning beds in Eyak Lake.
CRWP sent four staff members to the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference in New Mexico last week to learn and upgrade skills, discover fresh ideas, and meet new people who are doing great work in the nonprofit world. Professional development is an important part of growth as an organization, and a great way to learn what others are doing in this sector to thrive.
Kate Morse, Alexis Cooper, Kim Casavan, and Michelle McAfee came home fired up to implement new ideas and concepts that will help our organization succeed now and in a future full of change.
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Learn more about our staff at https://copperriver.org/about-us/staff/
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#NonprofitStorytellingConference #professionaldevelopment
Save-the-Date!! Thursday, December 5th, the Prince William Sound Science Center staff will host a watch party of the December 5th Science Night event for the Cordova community!
The event will be 5:30-8:00pm and feature the following four talks related to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) region:
► John Moran, a Research Fisheries Biologist from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center will give a presentation titled “Large Whale Entanglement Response in Alaska “a Team Effort.””
► Kristina Arsenault, a Marine Transportation System Specialist (Cyber) from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Unit in Valdez will be giving a talk on cybersecurity.
► Andy Schroeder, a co-founder of Ocean Plastics Recovery Project will be giving a talk on marine debris cleanup.
► Barbara Callahan, Senior Director of Response and Preparedness Services at the International Bird Rescue will give a presentation titled “Oiled Wildlife Response and Innovation since the Exxon Valdez.”
#CordovaAlaska #watchparty #sciencetalk
The Copper River drains a 24,000 square-mile area to the Copper River Delta, then into the Gulf of Alaska. The Delta is one of the largest wetlands where millions of migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway come to nest every spring. It is a sanctuary between the marine environment and the coastal rainforest of the North Gulf Coast and the only known nesting site for the dusky Canada goose.
This is critical habitat - for nesting birds and spawning salmon. For subsistence and commercial fishing. It is a top priority for our fish passage work and a place worthy of great respect and effort to keep it thriving.
Come see the Delta for yourself - and the millions of birds who nest here in the spring during the Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival, May 1-4, 2025.
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Find more information at https://www.coppershorebird.com
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📷 CRWP - The Copper River Delta.
CRWP is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from qualified organizations for invasive plant management and outreach projects across Alaska. Funds will be available for non-federal organizations for the 2025 field season.
Those eligible to propose projects and compete for available funds include all non-federal organizations. This includes but is not limited to, CWMAs, SWCDs, TCDs, non-profits, local communities, and Alaska Native organizations.
All eligible organizations must be able to identify terrestrial infestations not located on federal lands.
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Find more information at https://copperriver.org/programs/invasive-plant-management/ak-invasive-plant-mini-grant-program/
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📷 Amanda Jackson/CRWP - White sweet clover weed pull on the Gulkana River summer 2024.
Fall means fundraising at CRWP, and there are many ways to support stewardship work in the Copper River watershed.
-Become a CRWP Member!
-Donate any amount directly on our website.
-Volunteer for cleanups and programs.
-Participate in events.
-Share our posts and newsletters with your people - help get the word out!
Thank you to all of our partners, donors, and volunteers for helping CRWP create a barrier-free thriving watershed for fish and people.
🔹Donate to CRWP at https://copperriver.org/donate/
🔸Subscribe to our newsletter at https://copperriver.org/news-events/email-signup/
Salmon in the Classroom season is here!
What is Salmon in the Classroom? Watch the video for a day in the life of Cordova 5th Graders as they head into the watershed and locate where salmon are laying eggs in a stream near a recenctly replaced culvert. The kids learn how to harvest salmon eggs from volunteer biologist Ken Hodges, then they take the eggs back to the classroom where the eggs are fertilized and placed in the classroom tank.
Students will care for the salmon eggs and tank this winter, then release baby fish back into the stream in the spring.
🐟 You can support programs like this when you donate to CRWP!
https://copperriver.org/donate/ 🐟
Our partnerships are what help make stewardship in the Copper River watershed so successful, and this month we want to shout out The Eyak Corporation (TEC)!
As a major landowner on the Copper River Delta, they have invested time and energy and expanded their capacity to help take on the management of grant funds and important contracts that are working to keep the largest wetland on the Pacific Coast of North America intact and functioning.
The awesome team at TEC is actively stewarding funds through NOAA Restoration Center’s BIL funding to help improve fish passage by replacing culverts at multiple sites across the Copper River Delta. Local land manager for TEC, Tiffany Beedle, represented the partnership at the 154th gathering of the American Fisheries Society in Honolulu, HI, in September. The theme of this year’s gathering was “Conserving Fishes and Fishing Traditions through Knowledge Co-Production,” and we are so proud of Tiffany for showcasing our work in the Copper River Watershed to this national audience!
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CopperRiver.org
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📷 Kate (CRWP), Tiffany (TEC) and Erika (NOAA) take advantage of a beach-side location during the American Fisheries Society gathering in Honolulu to discuss future fish passage projects.
Today we celebrate Amanda Jackson, our Watershed Stewardship Program Manager and first full-time upriver team member! Amanda has been with CRWP for one year!!!
She has taken on invasive plant management in the Copper Basin, and helped motivate the native seed harvesting project. She loves working with youth, and inspires students in the Copper River watershed to learn about salmon habitat, the lifecycle of salmon, and how fish passage works through teaching workshops and facilitating our Salmon in the Classroom Program. She works with partners throughout the watershed to implement programs and workshops, and is an advocate for the people and lands of the watershed.
"We are so proud of all you`ve done in Year One, Amanda! Can`t wait to see what the next 10 hold :)" —Kate Morse, CRWP Executive Director
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https://copperriver.org/about-us/staff/
On September 24th, CRWP staff members Kirsti Jurica and Kate Morse hosted the PWSC - Prince William Sound College forestry students on a field trip to explore the interactions between waterways and forests that are so tangible on the Copper River Delta.
Students observed how improperly placed culverts can impact the forest in addition to the stream, and how glacial rivers run wild and can aggressively erode the Delta when constricted, as is the case for the Sheridan Glacier River. Super Volunteer and retired U.S. Forest Service Fisheries Biologist, Ken Hodges, joined us and shared his wealth of knowledge about fish habitat on the Copper River Delta. It was wet, but participants still had fun and learned a lot!
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Find more on our Education Programs at https://copperriver.org/programs/watershed-education/
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📷 Kate Morse/CRWP - Prince Williams Sound College Forestry Students exploring waterways and forests on the Copper River Delta.
#CopperRiverDelta #PrinceWilliamSoundCollegeForestry #watershededucation #CordovaAlaska
THANK YOU Melissa and Vince for donating $4800 to CRWP through the Colorado Climate Ride!! 😍
Melissa and Vince Valentin just finished an Independent Challenge bike ride through Summit County, Colordo, and raised money and awareness for the Copper River Watershed Project!
Melissa, a water resources engineer, spent the past two summers in Cordova working with the us on fish passage projects, and modeling how future climate change will impact glaciers and streamflow. This surprise donation is so appreciated!!
Read about their week-long bike ride in Colorado by clicking our bio link and selecting the Melissa & Vince`s Climate Ride button.
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📷 Courtesy Melissa Valentin - Melissa and Vince on the Climate Ride through Summit County, Colorado.
CORDOVA - Inspect your heating fuel tank and be eligible to win 50 gallons of home heating fuel — and prevent oil spills!
Homeowners are legally liable for costs associated with cleaning up contaminated soils and water that result from a home fuel tank spill. With proper care and maintenance, these costs can be avoided.
Did you know fuel spills can...
✅ contaminate local drinking water sources like Eyak Lake;
✅ reduce the value of your property;
✅ cause odor and health problems in
you and/or your neighbors’ homes;
✅ end up in Odiak Pond, Orca Inlet
or Eyak Lake, home to salmon, the backbone of our economy.
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Fill out and submit the questionaire by November 30, 2024 to enter, and find more information by clicking our bio link and selecting the Win 50 Gallons of Home Heating Fuel button.
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#oilspillprevention #CordovaAlaska #preventspills #homeheatingoil
nativevillageofeyak
Have you heard?
CRWP is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from qualified organizations for invasive plant management and outreach projects across Alaska. Funds will be available for non-federal organizations for the 2025 field season.
Those eligible to propose projects and compete for available funds include all non-federal organizations. This includes, but is not limited to, CWMAs, SWCDs, TCDs, non-profits, local communities, and Alaska Native organizations.
All eligible organizations must be able to identify terrestrial infestations not located on federal lands.
Proposal Submittal Deadline: All proposals are due Friday, December 20th, 2024 by 5:00pm Alaska Time Zone.
What a day in the outdoor watershed office!
On October 17th, we were thrilled to be joined by thirty-five 5th graders and their two teachers for salmon fun out the road in Cordova!
On a gorgeous sunny day, we worked with our partners at Prince William Sound Science Center and Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation and super volunteer Ken Hodges to guide students through a variety of activities that brought to life classroom lessons on watersheds and salmon spawning habitat and collected salmon eggs to place in their classroom tanks.
Our Programs Making a Difference
