Wild Food Feast in Kenny Lake Celebrates the Watershed
Participants enjoy an array of wild foods. Photo by Caitlin McKinstry
Tenley Nelson - CRR Staff
On September 24, over 70 people gathered for a potluck celebration bringing 30 dishes made with ingredients from the Copper River watershed. From pickled beluga to moose soup, salmon chowder to zucchini cake, candied chanterelles to bull kelp pickles, dishes were organized into the four categories of Flying, Walking, Swimming and Growing.
After loading up from the laden tables and tasting as many dishes as one could possibly fit on a plate, eaters had the chance to vote for their favorite dish in each category.
The Copper River Watershed Project (CRWP) is a nonprofit with board members from up and down river. With a mission to ensure a “vibrant, healthy future” for the watershed that includes programs spanning from education in our local schools, to river clean up, gillnet recycling, and fundraising for fish passage culverts on rivers and streams, the CRWP is a vital resource advocating for preservation of the resources our subsistence communities rely on.
Delicious food was quickly consumed, and votes were cast amid the happy sounds of community chatter and the lively tones of local musicians Greg and Rebecca Parrish, Jim Baker, Bruce Rogers and friends.
Lisa and Nick Docken took first place in the flying category with BBQ snow goose. Kate Morse took first in the walking category with her Black Bear Chili. Jolene Nashlund took first place in the swimming category with her creamy “Annie’s Cod St Elias’’ dish. And Cynthia Blutz took first prize in the growing category with her cranberry lemon cookies.
There were so many delicious dishes that it was hard to choose just one. Congratulations to the winners!
Mid-dinner door prizes were awarded. Dave Cruz was named as the 2022 Watershed Hero for his donation of time and equipment to cleaning up the Kotsina River Delta at Chitina.
After over a two-year hiatus from hosting the Wild Food Feast, CRWP staff and board members were happy to be gathering again with the community and participating in a celebration of the foods our watershed offers us.
Thank you to all who came out Saturday night with their wonderful company and delicious dishes.
Disclosure: Tenley Nelson is on the Copper River Watershed Board of Directors
