Series: Copper River Basin Symposium - Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve

February 2020: With a theme of Tradition, Science, and Stewardship, the two-day symposium included keynote speakers, 26 short presentations, and a poster session. A panel discussion delved into opportunities in working with indigenous communities. Ahtna elders provided wisdom in daily welcomes, and there was a presentation by Copper River Stewardship Youth. Topics ranged widely from fisheries to archaeology to geology. As well as sharing knowledge, participants shared meals, stories, and ideas.

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 1: Environmental Education in Rural Alaska: A Community Approach. Robin Mayo, WISE

  

  Environmental Education in Rural Alaska: A Community Approach. Robin Mayo, WISE Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 2: Results of Recent Archeological Investigations of Glacial Lake Atna Shorelines in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

  

  Results of Recent Archeological Investigations of Glacial Lake Atna Shorelines in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Lee Reininghaus, Wrangell-St. Elias NPP Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 3: Nic'anilen Na': A Partnership in Conservation, Stewardship, and Education.

  

  Nic anilen Na Partnerships WISE Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 4: Report on Willow Creek Research Project, a Ten Year Citizen Science Project.

  

  Report on Willow Creek Research Project, a Ten Year Citizen Science Project. Dave Wellman, Willow Creek Water Consortium, and Robin Mayo, WISE Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 5: Modern Changes in Kennicott Glacier: Implications for Residents, Visitors, and the Other 3,120 Glaciers in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

  

  Modern Changes in Kennicott Glacier: Implications for Residents, Visitors, and the Other 3,120 Glaciers in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Michael Loso, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, [e-mail] Chris Larsen, University of Alaska Fairbanks Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 6: Taan Fjord Landslide and Tsunami

  

  Read the abstract and get the link to several articles, including this one published in Scientific Reports: Higman, B., D. H. Shugar, […] M. Loso. 2018. The 2015 landslide and tsunami in Taan Fiord, Alaska. Scientific Reports 8: 12993. Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 7: Chisana Caribou Herd

  

  Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve hosts 3 of 32 recognized caribou herds in Alaska. Of these, one herd is unique. The Chisana Caribou herd, whose range crosses the border between Alaska and Canada, is the only woodland caribou in Alaska. Read more

• Article 8: Subsistence

  

  The study of subsistence resources in parks has been a mix of long-term work and projects instigated by issues facing the Federal Subsistence Board. Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 9: Mt Sulzer Debris Flow

  

  Over several years, there have been at least three large movements of earth on the north side of Mt. Sulzer. This article talks about those slides and the debris flow on the White River in Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve. Read more

• Article 10: Abandoned Mine Lands in Alaska National Parks—An Overview

  

  From the thousands of mining claims that existed at when Congress created most national parks in Alaska, around 750 still remain. These are mainly abandoned sites and features, in various stages of disrepair and failure. Since 1981, the NPS has worked to quantify the number and type of hazards posed by these sites and has pursued a variety of solutions to mitigate the issues, such as visitor safety hazards, presented by relic mining features. Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 11: NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska

  

  Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park. [Site Under Development] Read more

• Article 12: Monitoring Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in Alaska

  

  Check out this story map about monitoring glacial lake outbursts in Alaska. Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 13: Watershed-Scale Partnerships Resulting in On-the-Ground Action. Kate Morse and Kari Rogers, Copper River Watershed Project

  

  Watershed-Scale Partnerships Resulting in On-the-Ground Action. Kate Morse and Kari Rogers, Copper River Watershed Project Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 14: Continuous Climate Data Collection in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve: Lessons Learned and Emerging Trends.

  

  The National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) program has maintained five continuous automatic weather stations within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve for the past fifteen years. Observations include air temperature, summer rainfall, relative humidity, snow depth, wind speed, wind direction, and soil temperatures. Stations range in elevation from 1,880 feet to 5,240 feet and represent distinct climate regimes. Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 15: The Meteorology on the Debris-Covered Tongue of Kennicott Glacier, Wrangell Mountains -- from the Micro to the Macro Scale.

  

  Debris-covered glaciers are characterized by a continuous layer of rock material on their tongue and surface energy balance models are commonly used to estimate melt rates of these glaciers. This requires direct on-glacier measurements of energy fluxes that are rare in many mountain ranges globally and completely absent in Alaska. Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 16: Preliminary Results from the Excavation of NAB-533, a Multi-Component Prehistoric Archaeological Site in the Northern Copper River Basin.

  

  NAB-533 is a buried multi-component prehistoric site located in the northern Copper River Basin. In 2019 a team from the Center for the Study of the First Americans at Texas A&M University initiated test excavations to establish the stratigraphic context of the artifacts and cultural features, collect geoarchaeological samples, obtain additional radiocarbon dates, and increase the sample of artifacts. Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 17: Geolinguistic Evidence of Dene Presence at High-water Levels of Glacial Lake Atna.

  

  Kari (2019) introduces a theory of Na-Dene prehistory, "the Proto-Dene Lex Loci" that derives from Lexware dictionary files and cumulative place name for seven adjacent Alaska Dene languages. To investigate Dene prehistory in the Copper River and circum–Glacial Lake Atna (GLA) region, we discuss a selection of 67 Dene place names from seven Dene languages in four Alaska river basins. Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 18: Integrating Science-Based Research and Data Analyses into Sustainable Management of the Commercial, Personal Use, Sport, and Subsistence Fisheries of the Copper River Drainage, Alaska.

  

  Management of the Copper River drainage fisheries have generally accepted biological information and specific research findings from our region to inform adaptive management decisions and sustainable management objectives for the Copper River's diverse fishery resources. Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 19: The Gulkana Hatchery, Then and Now. Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation

  

  The Gulkana Hatchery was established in 1973 by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) to mitigate for lost spawning habitat, and by 1984 the hatchery was incubating the largest number of sockeye salmon eggs of any hatchery in Alaska. In 1993, ADF&G contracted the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation (PWSAC) to operate and manage the hatchery at no cost to the state and by 1999 Gulkana Hatchery sockeye salmon runs reached a peak of over 1 million fish. Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 20: Enhancement of Traditional Fish Passage Design on the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company

  

  There are hundreds of fish streams that cross the Trans Alaska Pipeline System; most go through a drainage structure called a Low Water Crossing (LWC) which is an equipment ford that allows vehicle access and fish passage. LWCs require on-going maintenance due to vehicle use and can become widened and flattened during normal usage. They also can develop a grade break that can lead to an impedance or blockage to fish passage which can cutoff miles of important fish habitat. Read more

• Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

  Article 21: Addressing Climate Change Uncertainty in Planning, Vulnerability Assessment and Natural Resource Management.

  

  Climate change affects the natural and built environment in many, often complexly related ways. Yet, incorporating future climate projections into management agency or community planning is a requirement for obtaining other resources such as grants. One definition of co-production is an iterative partnership between managers who use science as part of their decision making and the researchers who develop that science. Read more