OUR VISION
We believe the Copper River watershed can have a vibrant, healthy future.
The Copper River Delta is like a giant, living sponge.
It has a high capacity to store and hold water due to its immense size, its highly absorbent peat soils, and its complex network of aquatic habitats and vegetation. Organic peat soils and waterlogged sediment collect water, while sedges and grasses help retain it. Willows, alders, and sweetgale form dense stands that can create wet areas and further slow water movement. And its rolling muskeg meadows - waterlogged, spongy environments - hold large amounts of water.
But it isn`t just plants and soil that capture and hold water here. Beavers are important in the Delta. Their dams create and maintain ponds and extensive wetland areas, which hold large volumes of water.
The Copper River Delta is 700,000 acres of connected systems and habitats that work together to make this complex and critical oasis thrive for 16 million shorebirds that use the pacific flyway, 2 million salmon that migrate up the Copper River, and all of us humans who live and recreate near this living sponge of a Delta.
It`s a lot to absorb.
CopperRiver.org
📷 alexjosephhansen
#CopperRiverDelta #CordovaAlaska #PacificFlyway #CopperRiver
COPPER BASIN - We`d like to send out a big THANK YOU to everyone who came to our Wild Food Feast last week! It was fun to partake of all the delicious, creative food, including local honey! And thanks to currantridge in McCarthy who donated a 2-night stay in their lovely cabins, anyone who donated to CRWP during the Wild Food Feast had their name added to the bucket for a drawing. The winner of the was Bishop Bower who will enjoy a couple of cozy nights in a Currant Ridge cabin!
🫶🏽Thank you to everyone who donated, brought wildly delicious food, and good cheer to celebrate sustainable living and community in the Copper Basin.
CopperRiver.org
#WildFoodFeast #WildFoods #sustainableliving #copperriverwatershed #CopperBasin
🐟 Coho swimming through the new and improved COP 1 Culvert!
CopperRiver.org
#copperriverwatershed #cordovaalaska #fishpassage #coho
CORDOVA - The road resurfacing project at milepost 12.7 of the Copper River Highway was completed on Wednesday, October 8 and Friday, October 10. 100 willow stakes were planted around the inlet and outlet of the COP 1 culvert on October 9 and 10, thanks to our Hydrologist Kirsti Jurica!
Thank you for your patience during this road project!
CopperRiver.org
#CordovaAlaska #CopperRiverHighway #Cordova
We are grateful to live and work in partnership with the Eyak, Ahtna, Sugpiaq and Tlingit People who have lived here since the beginning of human time. `Awa’ahdah and Tsin’aen for stewarding this watershed with deep wisdom and knowledge.
📷 Kate Morse/CRWP - Early morning overlooking the Copper River, October 11, 2025.
#IndigenousPeoplesDay #Eyak #Ahtna #Sugpiaq #Tlingit #copperriverwatershed
COPPER BASIN - TOMORROW on Saturday, October 11, come to the Wild Food Feast at the Kenny Lake Hall!
This is a fun way to get a taste of the watershed, and enjoy dishes made with locally harvested ingredients. Get creative and make a dish with a wild something in it to share with the community, and taste other people`s delicious kitchen creations.
Gather with us and celebrate the heart of subsistence living, sharing food, stories, and the spirit of community. All are welcome! $10 per person. Kids under 5 are free. Free if you bring a dish to share.
WHEN: Saturday, October 11, 6:00pm - 8:00PM
WHERE: Kenny Lake Hall, Mile 5, Edgerton Hwy, Copper Center, AK 99573
WHAT: CRWP Wild Food Feast Community Potluck
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CopperRiver.org
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#wildfoodfeast #wildharvest #wildfoods #communitypotluck #KennyLake #copperriverwatershed #CopperBasin
🐟 The Salmon in the Classroom Program in action!
Students from My. Eccles Elementary had a blast learning about salmon in the field during Egg Take Day.
CopperRiver.org
#copperriverwatershed #cordovaalaska #salmonintheclassroom #salmonspawning #salmoneducation
CORDOVA - Road construction ahead on Wednesday, October 8 and Saturday, October 11 at milepost 12.7 of the Copper River Highway!
The Copper River Watershed Project will be implementing a road resurfacing project in the section of road where a culvert was replaced in 2023 (the first culvert east of the end of the pavement). During project implementation, one lane of the road will be closed periodically, but the passage of vehicles will not be impacted. We request that road users reduce their speed in the work zone for the safety of the equipment operators and other personnel who will be working on-site.
CopperRiver.org
#Cordova #CordovaAlaska #CopperRiverHighway
COPPER BASIN - This Saturday, October 11, join us in celebrating subsistence living and the spirit of community at our Wild Food Feast in Kenny Lake!
Bring a dish to share made with local wild harvested ingredients, and enjoy delicious offerings from other community members for a taste of this abundant watershed. The event is free of charge if you bring a dish to share!
All are welcome! $10 per person. Kids under 5 are free. Free if you bring a dish to share.
WHEN: Saturday, October 11, 6:00pm - 8:00PM
WHERE: Kenny Lake Hall, Mile 5, Edgerton Hwy, Copper Center, AK 99573
WHAT: CRWP Wild Food Feast Community Potluck
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CopperRiver.org
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#wildfoodfeast #wildharvest #wildfoods #communitypotluck #KennyLake #copperriverwatershed #CopperBasin
October 1st was a beautiful fall day in Cordova for the annual salmon egg take. The local 5th grade students explored the 18-mile recreating site where they witnessed Coho salmon reaching their spawning beds. The students participated in a salmon habitat lesson, learning about what makes a habitat and why it`s so important. The salmon eggs were transferred to a classroom tank where, during the 2025-2026 school year, students will monitor the water temperature for the salmon eggs, feed the fry, then eventually release them back into a local stream.
We couldn`t do this without the help of our partners, Prince William Sound Science Center, Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation, Mt. Eccles Elementary School, and volunteers from the Native Village of Eyak`s Natural Resources Department.
And of course, we couldn`t do it without the amazing support from all of our donors!
Thank you to all of our Salmon in the Classroom partners for making programs like this possible for Copper River region youth:
ahtnaintertribal
adfg.official
mypubliclands
coppervalleyelectric Association Community Foundation
Copper River School District
Cordova School District
Cordova Wireless Communications
cordovatelecom
nativevillageofeyak
pwssc
Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation
Valdez Fisheries Development Association
Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment (WISE)
.
Find out more about our Salmon in the Classroom programs at https://copperriver.org/programs/watershed-education/salmon-in-the-classroom-2/
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📷 PWSSC/CRWP - Cordova 5th graders in the field during egg-take, where they capture salmon eggs for the classroom tank, and learn about salmon and salmon habitat.
#SalmonintheClassroom #salmoneducation #CordovaAlaska #copperriverwatershed #kidsoutside
COPPER BASIN - You`re invited to join us next week, Saturday, October 11 at our community Wild Food Feast in Kenny Lake!
This fun community pot luck features dishes made with wild ingredients harvested in the watershed. The event is free of charge if you bring a dish to share!
Come celebrate subsistence living and the spirit of community with us at this fun event. All are welcome!
$25 per person. Kids under 5 are free. Free if you bring a dish to share.
WHEN: Saturday, October 11, 6:00pm - 8:00PM
WHERE: Kenny Lake Hall, Mile 5, Edgerton Hwy, Copper Center, AK 99573
WHAT: CRWP Wild Food Feast Community Potluck
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CopperRiver.org
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#wildfoodfeast #wildharvest #wildfoods #communitypotluck #KennyLake #copperriverwatershed #CopperBasin
THANK YOU to everyone who attended our Sip, Support, Sustain event in Anchorage last week! We had a full house and lots of great energy! And big thanks to everyone who donated, including Cory Lescher Photography who donated a beautiful 12 x 18 photo that Anna Senecal won in a drawing, and Jack Dalton who challenged the room to raise $500 from 5 people as a match 😍 — it was a super fun event!
CopperRiver.org
#funfundraiser #Anchorage #copperriverwatershedproject
Explore our Interactive Story Map!
Watch our Annual Meeting Presentation to get the full update on the progress and projects of the Copper River Watershed Project.
Our Programs Making a Difference
