Copper River Record August 2017
By Robin Mayo For ten days in July, high school students from the Copper Basin and Cordova participated in the Copper River Stewardship Program, an intensive exploration of the watershed which gives the students a chance to learn about the diverse communities and ecosystems that make up the region. The theme of the program this year was “Helping youth find their voices,” with daily writing and reflection projects. Alex VanWyhe was our guest educator, leading the humanities portion of the program. Ten years ago, Alex was a student in WISE’s Watershed Leadership Program, a precursor to the Copper River Stewardship Program. He now teaches English at Haines High School, and his participation in this year’s program brought it full circle. The ten students were chosen through a competitive process, and will earn high school credit for completing the program and doing final projects. This winter we will plan an evening for them to share their projects with the community. The students paddled canoes up and down Alaganik Slough to a US Forest Service camp on the Copper River Delta, where we helped maintain artificial nest islands for Dusky Canada Geese. We took a long ferry ride through Prince William Sound with a chance to learn more about the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Then we joined a BLM Glennallen Field Office river crew for a raft trip down the Gulkana River from Paxson Lake to Sourdough. Early in the trip, the students learned to write Haiku, a Japanese poetry form with a simple 5-7-5 syllable count. Alex encouraged the students to write throughout the trip, with the incentive of a poetry competition and prizes on the last day. Students and staff alike tapped out rhythms on canoe paddles, tent walls, and raft oars for the rest of the trip, and scribbled our words into “Rite in the Rain” notebooks. On the final evening, the stewards gathered around a fire and shared their best efforts. The Copper River Stewardship Program is organized by WISE, Prince William Sound Science Center, Copper River Watershed Project, US Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. This year’s program was made possible with funding from Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, and BLM. Patiently walking Throughout the day we slowly went Through Dusky Bay Joseph Hardy Cool liquid glistens In the morning sun as waves Spread like wildfires Kaleb Carillo Spa-loosh we tramp on Through the bogs squishy terrain And the sound of life Izaac Nelson Team Dusky works hard Viciously ripping Sweet Gale From Shrek’s musky swamp Jessie Hale Once used boats now tied Waters change behind our backs We wander onward Boots stomp natures path The scenic view is foreign We wander onward Artificial land We are tasked with maintenance We have met our task Will Hand Invisible from view Nestled between the shrubs Protect the nests Ethan Beckett We slide upon rocks Struggling from their heavy grasp Worn rafts now flow free Will Hand Hear the water’s rush A tintinnabulation Nature’s instrument Moses Korth Why does everyone forget, Summer isn’t over yet. Nine months of winter I did my school, Just like any other fool. And just as that’s all dead and gone, Just as winter’s finally done, I find school has followed me here, This is now my serious fear. Oh, why does everyone forget, Summer isn’t over yet. Moses Korth Golden rays cast down From the foggy sky above Warming the ocean Cassidy Austin-Merlino Mud clouds around you Disguising the underneath Who knows what’s below? Kelsie Friendshuh As the tide passes We sit, cold in the water Writing a haiku. Cassidy Austin-Merlino and Kelsie Friendshuh
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Who We AreWISEfriends are several writers connected with Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment, a nonprofit organization located in Alaska's Copper River Valley. Most of these articles originally appeared in our local newspaper, the Copper River Record. Archives
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