By Allison Sayer

The Greater Copper Valley Chamber of Commerce held a monthly meeting on April 29 over Zoom. Chamber business and announcements included the visitor center (VIC) opening on May 15, which will feature a variety of offerings including a car wash, free food, and a silent auction. 

The invited speaker was Sue Rodman, a forester for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and coordinator for the Alphabet Hills prescribed burn project. This project is a 53,000 acre burn intended to improve the quality of moose forage in the area. According to Rodman, many of the forage plants in the area have “broomed,” indicating overbrowsing by moose. These plants are not as nutritious as healthier plants. The amount of moose estimated in the area has also declined. 

The potential timeframe is between June 15 and September 30, provided that there is a window of weather ADF&G and partners from BLM and Alaska State Forestry deem appropriate. Rodman stated that if there is not a weather window in 2021 that the partners feel comfortable with, the project can be postponed.

The Gulkana River runs through this area, and Gulkana River activities will be affected during the burn itself. The burn is estimated to take a few days, with smoke occurring for between one and two weeks. 

Any questions regarding the burn can be directed to Rodman, at sue.rodman@alaska.gov or (907) 317-7236. The BLM has also opened a comment period which can be found here.

The next Chamber of Commerce Meeting will be on May 27. Chamber President John Becker said he is hopeful that the invited speakers will discuss a proposed “Alaska to Alberta” rail project, with a potential spur to Valdez, but that has not been finalized. 

Disclosure: Several members of the Chamber of Commerce are advertisers in the Copper River Record, including Chamber president John Becker.