Final Program

February 18-20, 2020

Events are in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve Theater, Mile 106.8 Richardson Highway, Copper

Center, Alaska, unless otherwise specified

Any weather delays or cancellations will be announced on KCAM Radio (AM 790 kHz), on the Wrangell-St. Elias NPP Facebook page, at 907-822-7256, and by email to registered participants.

Many thanks to the following sponsors for their support: • Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission • Alaska Geographic and Denali National Park and Preserve • Alyeska Pipeline Service Company • Bureau of Land Management • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation • Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve The following organizations partnered to organize the symposium: • Ahtna Heritage Foundation • Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission • Alaska Department of Fish and Game • Copper River Watershed Project • Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment • Wrangell Mountains Center • Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

Copper River Basin Symposium Final Program Page 1

Day 1 – February 18, 2020 8:00A Breakfast (pre-paid meal ticket required). Location: Wrangell-St.

Elias NPP Visitor Center

8:30 Symposium Opening: Lisa Docken, Executive Director, Copper River Watershed Project (CRWP)

8:40 Housekeeping Announcements

8:45 Elder Welcome

8:55 Welcome from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve: Ben Bobowski, Superintendent

9:05 Keynote 1: Kathryn Martin, Senior Vice President, Ahtna, Inc.

9:50 Session 1: Climate Research and Modeling. Chair: Odin Miller, Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission (AITRC)

Addressing Climate Change Uncertainty in Planning, Vulnerability Assessment and Natural Resource Management. Jeremy S. Littell, USGS

Fifteen Years of Continuous Climate Data Collection in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve: Lessons Learned and Emerging Trends. Ken Hill and Pam Sousanes, NPS

Current and Future Drought in the Forested Copper River Valley. Melissa McShea Valentin, 2100 Consulting

10:55 Break

11:15 Session 2: Glaciers. Chair: Mark Miller, Wrangell-St. Elias NPP

The Meteorology on the Debris-Covered Tongue of Kennicott Glacier, Wrangell Mountains – from the Micro to the Macro Scale. Pascal Buri, Martin Truffer, Javier Fochesatto, and Andy Aschwanden, UAF

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 NPP, and Chris Larsen, UAF

12:00P Lunch (courtesy of AITRC). Location: Wrangell-St. Elias NPP Visitor Center

1:00 Session 3: Hydrology and Aquatic Ecology. Chair: Tyler Boyes, Wrangell Mountains Center

The Past Shapes the Modern Lake Landscape of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Amy Larsen, NPS

Challenges to Operational Hydrology in the Copper River Basin. Jessica Cherry and Crane Johnson, NOAA Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center

Flow Regimes and Floods in Alaska: Understanding the Influence of Streamflow Drivers. Janet H. Curran, USGS, and Frances E. Biles, U.S. Forest Service

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2:05 Session 4: Research Topics on Glacial Lake Atna – Part 1. Chair: Greg Biddle, Wrangell-St. Elias NPP

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

Preliminary Results from the Excavation of NAB-533, a Multi-Component Prehistoric Archaeological Site in the Northern Copper River Basin. John T. White, Texas A&M University

Exploring the Possibility of 12,000 Years of Subsistence Fish Use at Archaeological Site NAB-00533, Copper Basin, Alaska. Allyson Pease, UAA

3:10 Break

3:30 Session 5: Research Topics on Glacial Lake Atna – Part 2. Chair: Greg Biddle, Wrangell-St. Elias NPP; Moderator: James Kari, UAF (See Symposium website for recommended readings.)

Spillways, Lake Levels, and the Implications for Human Occupation around Glacial Lake Atna. Richard VanderHoek, Alaska Office of History and Archaeology

Geolinguistic Evidence of Dene Presence at High-Water Levels of Glacial Lake Atna. James Kari, UAF

The Northern Archaic Tradition and Ahtna Origins. Gerad M. Smith, UAF

4:35 Break

4:45 Poster Session. Location: Ahtna Cultural Center

Federal Subsistence Fisheries Program Overview. Scott D. Ayers, USFWS The Road and the River: Channel Change on the Copper River Delta. Robin A. Beebee, USGS Monitoring, Forecasting, and Communicating Changing Snow and Ice Conditions in Alaska’s Operational Hydrology Mission. Jessica Cherry and Crane Johnson, NOAA Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center ADF&G Hunter Access Grant Program. Lisa Delaney, ADF&G Climate Trends and Future Projections for the Copper River Watershed: Tools and Considerations for Adaptation and Planning. Jeremy S. Littell, USGS 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 NPP, and Chris Larsen, UAF Salmon Blitz: Citizen Science Can Make a Difference! Kate Morse, CRWP Environmental Education in Rural Alaska: A Community Approach. Robin Mayo, WISE Nic'anilen Na': A Partnership in Conservation, Stewardship, and Education. Robin Mayo, WISE

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Integrated Study of Spawning Migration, Energetics, and Pathogens in Copper River Sockeye Salmon: Preliminary Results from 2019. Peter S. Rand, Prince William Sound Science Center (PWSSC), and Kristen B. Gorman, UAF Alphabet Hills Prescribed Burn for Moose Habitat Enhancement. Sue Rodman, ADF&G Earthquake Monitoring and Tectonics within the Copper River Basin and the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Natalia A. Ruppert, UAF Detection of the Invasive Aquatic Plant Elodea by Metabarcoding of Environmental DNA Using Multiple Genetic Markers. Trey Simmons, NPS; Damian Menning and Sandra Talbot, USGS A Review of Fisheries Research and Data Collection in the Copper River Drainage, Alaska 1950 – 2019. Mark Somerville, ADF&G Enhancement of Traditional Fish Passage Design on the Trans Alaska Pipeline. Jeff Streit, Anne Beesley, and Ken Wilson, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company; and Lee McKinley, ADF&G Enhancement of a Water Balance Model to Simulate Glaciers and Surface Hydrology in the Copper River Watershed from 1949 to 2099. Melissa McShea Valentin, 2100 Consulting Report on Willow Creek Research Project, a Ten Year Citizen Science Project. Dave Wellman, Willow Creek Water Consortium, and Robin Mayo, WISE

6:00 Dinner (pre-paid meal ticket required). Location: Tazlina Village Hall (Mile 110 Richardson Highway)

7:00 Invited Evening Presentation (open to the public): A Convergence of Knowledge? Scientific and Ahtna Knowledge of Salmon Diversity in the Copper River. William E. Simeone. Location: Tazlina Village Hall

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Day 2 – February 19, 2020 8:00A Breakfast (pre-paid meal ticket required). Location: Wrangell-St.

Elias NPP Visitor Center

8:30 Welcome Back and Housekeeping Announcements

8:40 Elder Welcome

8:50 Keynote 2: Linking Indigenous and Western Science to Adapt to Climate Change. F. Stuart (Terry) Chapin, Professor Emeritus of Ecology, Department of Biology and Wildlife, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks

9:35 Session 6: Panel Discussion: Working with Indigenous Communities in the Ahtna Region – Opportunities and Challenges – A Case Study. Organizer: Bruce Cain, Ahtna, Inc.

10:40 Break

11:00 Session 7: Wildlife Research and Management. Chair: Judy Putera, Wrangell-St. Elias NPP

Bear Density of the Tazlina River Drainage. Trenton Culp, Ahtna, Inc., and Dustin Carl, AITRC

Direct and Indirect Effects of Temperature and Prey Abundance on Bald Eagle Reproductive Dynamics. Joshua H. Schmidt, Judy Putera, and Tammy L. Wilson, NPS

11:45 Lunch (courtesy of AITRC). Location: Wrangell-St. Elias NPP Visitor Center

12:45P Session 8: Collaborative Conservation and Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management. Chair: Robin Mayo, WISE

Adventures in the Watershed Classroom. Copper River Stewardship Program participants

Managing Forest Carbon for the Next 100 Years. Scott DeBruyne, Ahtna, Inc.

Watershed-Scale Partnerships Resulting in On-the-Ground Action. Kate Morse and Kari Rogers, CRWP

1:50 Session 9: Copper River Fisheries – Part 1. Chair: Copper River Stewardship Program Youth

Copper River Sockeye Salmon Distribution and Run Timing. Matt Piche, Native Village of Eyak

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. Mark Somerville, ADF&G

Pathogen Presence and Load in Sockeye Salmon Spawning Populations in the Copper River during 2016. Kristen B. Gorman, UAF, and Peter S. Rand, PWSSC

2:55 Break

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3:15 Session 10: Copper River Fisheries – Part 2. Chair: Mark Somerville, ADF&G

Fisheries, Research and Management on the Copper River: Patterns and Trends in Public Engagement. Odin Miller and Nicole Farnham, AITRC

The Gulkana Hatchery, Then and Now. Steve Hilton and Tommy Sheridan, Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation

Run Timing and Spawning Distribution of Copper River Chinook Salmon. Corey Schwanke and Tracy Hansen, ADF&G

4:20 Symposium Wrap-up

6:00 Dinner (pre-paid meal ticket required). Location: Tazlina Village Hall

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Day 3 – February 20, 2020

Copper River Salmon Science Synthesis Workshop Location: Tazlina Village Hall

8:30 AM to 11:30 AM

The purposes of this workshop are to:

1. Identify key gaps in salmon habitat research in the Copper River Basin, and

2. Develop collaborative strategies for filling these gaps.

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About the Keynote Speakers: Kathryn Martin Kathryn Martin serves as Senior Vice President of Ahtna, Incorporated. An Ahtna shareholder and Mentasta Tribal Member, Kathryn is a member of the ‘Ałts’e’tnaey (One Way People) clan and the mother of six children. Kathryn began working for Ahtna in 2005 as Vice President of Land and Resources. She became Senior Vice President in 2013 and has previously served on Ahtna’s Board of Directors. Kathryn previously held the role of Tribal Administrator for the Mentasta Traditional Council.

Kathryn has an Associate of Arts degree in Tribal Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Rural Development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. With a demonstrated commitment to culture and tradition, Kathryn was named the Copper River Native Association Board Member of the Year in 1994. Additional accolades include the Alaska Legislator Award in 2004 as well as recognition in 2009 from the Bureau of Land Management for efforts in addressing complicated land management issues within the Ahtna Region. In 2010-2011, she received acknowledgment from the University of Alaska Fairbanks for outstanding scholastic achievement. Terry Chapin University of Alaska Fairbanks professor emeritus F. Stuart (Terry) Chapin, III is an ecosystem ecologist whose research explores ways that society can proactively shape changes toward a more sustainable future through actions that enhance ecosystem resilience and human well-being in the face of rapid climatic and social changes. His work emphasizes the impacts of climate change and wildfire on Alaskan ecology, subsistence resources, and rural communities, as a basis for developing climate-change adaptation plans. In 2019, he was a recipient of the Volvo Environment Prize, which annually recognizes one person worldwide for outstanding scientific discoveries in the areas of environmental science and sustainable development.