Tributaries
Tidbits from the Headwaters
March in the Garden
The sun rose on the vernal equinox on Monday the 20th and dawned over a perfectly classic March day, a chilly 0° at 8 am. After last year’s gloomy and rainy end of summer months and then winter’s normal moody weather, the past few weeks of sunshine have been a balm to the soul.
McCarthy Classic Relay
On Thursday, March 16, the Kennecott McCarthy Recreation Alliance hosted the third McCarthy Classic Relay Race.
2023 Mac-Attack Blue Division Champions!
The Copper River 8U mites team outlasted 20 teams from all over the state to bring home an 8U State championship in the blue division at the annual Mac Attack Tournament in Eagle River.
March CRSD School Board Meeting
The Copper River School District Board of Education held a regular meeting on March 7.
Where have 40 Years Gone?
We found a place for the clinic at Florence Clayton’s, at the corner of the Glenn Highway and Co-op Road. Again, encouraged because this was the first place we had been able to find anywhere to live, let alone practice, we settled in for an evening of decision-making and rest, thinking that we would decide to go or stay in the morning.
Valdez Forms Child Care Task Force
At the February 21 Valdez City Council Meeting, council members approved the formation of a task force to address child care in the City of Valdez (COV).
Glennallen Nordic Team Goes to State Championships
The 2022-23 ASAA Nordic Ski State Championships held at Kincaid Park in Anchorage were a great experience for our young Glennallen Nordic ski team.
Copper River Youth Hockey: Dedication to the Game
Since mid-November, a dedicated group of Copper Valley kids has been hard at work improving individual and team hockey skills on the two rinks located at the Glennallen School campus.
Valdez Ice Climbing Festival
On February 17, 18, and 19, the nonprofit Valdez Adventure Alliance hosted the annual Valdez Ice Climbing Festival in Keystone Canyon. The event attracts participants and spectators from across the globe and is made possible largely by volunteers in the area.
Just When the Weather is Turning Good
On Saturday, February 25th, Glennallen’s junior high Nordic skiers Simon McMahan and Hunter Carlton participated in time trials with the Valdez junior high ski team.
Proposed Nuclear Project Update
On Feb. 15, Copper Valley Electric Association (CVEA) held their second round of public meetings in Valdez and Glennallen regarding the possibility of constructing a micro nuclear reactor (MMR) in the Copper River Basin or Valdez area.
Glennallen’s Brooklyn Allain Plays in Arctic Winter Games
Brooklyn Allain, a fifteen-year-old sophomore, was selected to play on the Women’s Hockey Team for Team Alaska in the 2023 Arctic Winter Games, hosted by Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Canada, January 29 – February 4, 2023.
Local Skiers Grow at Nordic Ski Regionals
The Glennallen Nordic ski team made a strong showing at the 2023 Region VI Championships held at Birch Hill Recreation Area in Fairbanks.
Valdez Elks Tournament
Valdez High School hosted their 45th Annual Elks Basketball Tournament this past weekend, February 9-11. Sixteen teams played eight games daily, culminating in the championship girls and boys games Saturday evening.
Valdez Eighth Graders Blast Off
During February 6-8, the 8th grade Gilson Middle School (GMS) students in Valdez finished their science unit on forces and gravity, culminating in each student building and launching a model rocket.
February 8 Valdez City Council Business
The Valdez City Council held a regular meeting on Wednesday, February 8. Mayor Scheidt and council member Wegner were absent.
Tolsona Lake Lodge Quilters Retreat
Michelle Heaton shed her role as hostess and owner of the Tolsona Lake Lodge to join her friends at her sewing machine for what has become an annual event. The fourth Tolsona Lake Lodge Quilters Retreat was held February 8 – 12.
Al Laudert Corners the Shrimp Art Niche
Al Laudert pulls shrimp pots from underwater and heaves them onto the deck of his boat, bobbing near the mouth of the Valdez Harbor. Most shrimpers dump their catch into buckets, then begin processing the shrimp for eating. But Laudert has a different routine with a particular goal in mind: he is auditioning shrimp to play the main characters in his live art photographs. Al Laudert is known as the “Shrimp Whisperer.”
The Open Air Outhouse
My husband has built and sold many outhouses to others in the past and builds them when he needs them for work, but for our own use, that is an entirely different story. For our outhouse, he put the hole in with a culvert and placed a seat on top. That was it.