As Described in Princess Tours Package
A 5 hour summer guided program through the scenic Copper River Valley. Walk through an undisturbed portion of the boreal forest. Experience the land much as it has been for 10,000 years. Visit our Website at www.copperrivertours.org
HC 60 Box 336E Copper Center, Alaska 99573 Phone: 907-822-3575 or 907-259-3575 (cell) or 907-822-3282 contact us
Wrangell Institute For Science and Environment
In 2011, WISE and BLM’s Glennallen Field Office Form a Partnership to
“Take it Outside”
WRANGELL INSTITUTE FOR SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT - COPPER CENTER, ALASKA PHONE: 907-822-3575
907-259-3575 (CELL) OR 907-822-3282 Contact Us
Summertime is the season when our young people should have thoughts of camping, hiking, fishing, sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows and getting outside. But increasingly these important times that we (the parents) took for granted in our youth, are lost on today’s youth. Recent trends reflect a decrease in outdoor activity in our youth in favor of indoor, sedentary activities. When our young people become disconnected from natural environments, they lose a basic understanding of the impacts we have on the environment, the air we breathe, and the water we drink.
When the Wrangell Institute of Science and Environment learned of a new BLM’s initiative called “Take It Outside” we contacted the local BLM Field Office and Marnie Graham. WISE’s mission is the same as the goals of BLM’s “Take It Outside’ program, so we explored how we could partner and develop opportunities for youth in the Copper Basin.
In 2010, BLM and WISE developed a cooperative Agreement to implement “Take it Outside” and other educational programs, including aquatic camps, and hiking/camping programs. BLM has pledged $20,000 in 2010 and $11,500 for the 2011 calendar year. WISE and BLM have partnered in the educational programs Earth Discovery Day and Changing Seasons for several years, but expanding opportunities for outdoor activities during the summer months is new. WISE’s Executive Director Bruce James and BLM’s Glennallen Public Affairs Director Marnie Graham have conducted seven summer programs this year. WISE sponsored two aquatic camps at Silver Lake, and participated in five hiking/camping trips on public lands. The latest trip was to Tangle Lakes where 12 hearty youth braved the wet weather to hike from the Delta River Wayside to Upper Tangle Lake.
While these programs are designed for fun, learning about the outdoors is also important.
BLM has provided their stream table to show youth how streams and rivers can change
our environment. 
Students learn how water carves river channels in our watershed
and why it is important to understand how flowing waters awsome power is important
when we locate our houses and roads.
Finally, BLM and WISE are cooperating to supply summer internship programs to encourage careers in natural resources, interpretation and resource management. BLM has hired four interns Hanna Rosenkrans, Luke Ringer, Rachel Stumpf, and Mathew Vos to help in these “Take It Outside” programs. WISE has hired Derrick Sinyon as a interpretive intern working on WISE’s Copper River Country Nature Tour Program.
If you want to learn more about BLM”s “Take it Outside” programs click here.
Recently WISE received feedback on our program from BLM:
“Thank you for your support of these programs this summer! I feel that they have fallen perfectly in line with both the WISE mission and the President's youth initiatives. We've had over 40 different youth out on the hikes alone so far this summer. Bruce and I have received tons of feedback from families on how beneficial this program has been. Bruce and I have also been very pleased with the diversity of kids this program has been reaching. We've had kids participate from all economic backgrounds, from all regions of the Copper Basin and even Hawaii and Oregon. We have had many different ethnic groups, both male and female participants, and we've had youth from 8 - 15 participate as well as some parents. Each hike has focused on some different programming. Everything from plant identification to knot tying. There's been a lot of growth this summer by all participants including myself. Also we have been able to mentor some high school and college bound youth to be outdoor leaders and interpreters. We truly are growing our own naturalists”
Marnie Graham, BLM Public Affairs Specialist
