What Does It Mean to Be a Steward?
Copper River Stewardship Program. Photo by Sal Sanders
By Maddy S. Hamby
What does it mean to be a steward of the Copper River Stewardship Program? Being a steward means you are learning about the environment, then doing what you can to help. The Copper River Watershed Project (CRWP), in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Wrangell Institute for Science and the Environment (WISE), Prince William Sound Community College (PWSSC), and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (WRST), offers a program called the Copper River Stewardship Program every year to teach kids to become stewards of their community and area on the Copper River.
Twelve stewards came together from Glennallen, Gakona, Copper Center, Kenny Lake, Cordova, and McCarthy for a trip that started in the Copper Valley and ended in Cordova.
This year the focus of the trip was on invasive species. The stewards learned about invasive plants, where they come from, how they can travel, and what they can do to the ecosystem they’ve taken root in.
Here in the Upper Copper River, we learned about sweet clover. Sweet clover is an invasive plant which takes root in disrupted areas like the pipeline access roads and along the pipeline itself. This invasive plant is spread around by trucks and other forms of transportation along those disrupted areas.
In Cordova, where we were camping, there was a large population of European black slugs. These slugs are invasive and hard to completely kill. Black slugs were all around, on tents, in boots in the morning, and just everywhere.
Invasive species can greatly hurt the ecosystem that they have made their new home. One thing they can do is take away the natural resources that the plants and animals native to that place need to survive. They can change the resources and the ecosystem itself as well. It is important to be aware of these invasive species so we can protect our natural ecosystems.
This program is a great opportunity for any teenager who likes being outdoors. You sleep in tents, float on rivers, and go on hikes. Not only the activities you participate in, but also where you go is fun and interesting. Going to a new place and seeing how different the ecosystems are is a good learning experience.
Each group of kids who participate have different experiences and destinations along their way. We had some great views from Willow Mountain, the Copper and Gulkana Rivers, along with Thompson Pass. As a steward who went on this trip just this year, I learned so much and had so many great experiences. Being on the sailboat from Valdez to Cordova was my favorite experience. Being out on the water and having such great weather was something I won’t forget easily. I would recommend that anyone who is a freshman through senior participate in this program and take the opportunity. You learn a lot, have great experiences, and meet new people.
