Copper River Watershed Project

Fish Habitat The Organization works to identify, monitor and restore salmon habitat throughout the Copper River drainage. By convening state and federal agency, community and Tribal partners, we form planning teams and partnerships to identify salmon habitat data gaps, and key salmon habitat locations in need of restoration. Watershed-scale planning enables maximizing restoration dollars to ensure the best outcomes for supporting salmon and other fish species, ensures healthy hydrology and buffers the surrounding landscape for inclement weather changes and flash flooding or changes in hydrology associated with climate change. By supporting and improving fish habitat, we support healthy salmon populations, culturally significant traditions, and all the salmon economies associated with this important natural resource.

Community Tourism: As part of The Organization's mission, they work with local government and business partners to attract small scale independent travelers to the region to help build a sustainable tourism economy. The Organization facilitates organizing the Salmon Jam Festival, a destination weekend event that draws visitors to Cordova from Anchorage and Fairbanks. With post-pandemic innovation, tourism in Cordova is being geared to environmentally-conscious approaches to having visitors engage in the community and wild spaces.

Invasive Plant Management The Organization is working to facilitate partnerships among public and private land managers and land owners in both the Copper River basin and the Copper River delta area to identify and treat invasive plants. Invasive plants are particularly aggressive and threaten fish and wildlife habitat by cording out native plants, reducing the foraging opportunities for native fish and wildlife. While many places in the North America are simply trying to mitigate damage associated with invasive plants, the Copper River watershed has a chance for eradication of some noxious weeds. By treating wetland invasive plants in the town of Cordova, for example, we have held back the spread to the Copper River delta, one of North Americas largest intact wetlands. The Organization works to engage partners and key stakeholders in reducing the introduction of invasive plants and treatment of known infestations through volunteer events and targeted education programs.