Join us for a fun outdoor education opportunity and learn about a variety of environmental science and ecology topics right in our own big back yard! Adult education workshops will be lead by regional scientists and will provide in-depth, hands-on exploration of the topic at hand. Continuing education credit from the University of Alaska, Anchorage may be possible for some workshops.

Adult Education Opportunities

Dave Blanchet of AK River Expeditions is the lead instructor for this course. Click HERE to read Dave's bio.

This course is intended to provide participants with an array of tools and concepts to better understand the awe-inspiring landscape of the Copper River Watershed and unravel some of its mysteries. The course will focus most keenly on the effects of glaciers and the Copper River itself in sculpting the 24,000 square-mile Copper River Watershed.

Topics of study will include:

• episodes of mountain building within the watershed
• the origins of some of the rocks encountered
• volcanoes found within the watershed
• extent of glaciers during the last major glacial advance
• the formation of glacial Lake Ahtna within the Copper River Basin
• the formation of the Copper River Delta following glacial recession
• historic exploration and mining on the Copper River and its tributaries
• the rapidly changing channel characteristics on present day Copper River
• impacts of the 1964 earthquake on the watershed
• common plants and wildlife of the Copper River Watershed
• invasive species in the Watershed
• Copper River Delta ecology and research

Participants taking this course for credit will be expected to submit a proposal for a culminating project such as a reflective paper or a lesson plan. More information will be available closer to the course start date, and will be included in course materials.

Participants will spend their first two nights at the Orca Adventure Lodge, a historic cannery building meticulously restored yet still full of flavor of the early 20 th century. Meals are served in the authentic cannery cookhouse. The next four nights will be spent in deluxe tent camps on the Copper River as guests float from the mountains to the sea. Guides will prepare healthy, hearty Alaska gourmet meals, and work to make guests feel comfortable for the duration of the river trip. And finally, on the last night there will be a group dinner held at Orca Adventure lodge. Participants opting for the lodging package will spend the last night at Orca Adventure Lodge. Program staff will gladly provide transportation to the airport or ferry terminal for departure.

The cost of this trip includes all education materials, camping equipment (except a sleeping bag and sleeping pad), food and rafting equipment. It also includes transportation from Cordova , Alaska to Chitina , Alaska as well as transportation from the Million Dollar Bridge back to Cordova at the end of the raft trip. Continuing Education Credits will be available through the University of Alaska Anchorage . Credit fees ($89) are in addition to the program fee.

Education staff from the Prince William Sound Science Center have an intimate knowledge of these complex ecosystems, and the expertise to be able to share this knowledge in a fun and inspirational manner.

Alaska River Expeditions has guides with over 20 years experience in Alaska. Their trained and skilled staff will take guests on some stimulating and unique experiences to further facilitate the learning. Their staff is trained in Wilderness First Aid, Swift Water Rescue, Life Guard and Water Rescue. And they are friendly, knowledgeable and always eager to take beginners as well as seasoned outdoor enthusiasts into the wilds of Alaska.