2010 Summer Programs

May 29
Spring Migrations Morning Birding Walk
7 am at the Hardware Store in McCarthy
This Wrangell Mountains Nature Walk with Mark Vail will introduce participants to the bird identification by sight and sound. The walk will begin at the Old Hardware Store at 7 am and will circle back around for coffee and coffee cake.

 

May 29-30
Memorial Day Weekend Volunteer Work Party
The Wrangell Mountains Center invites neighbors, alumni and other volunteers to join us anytime during our two-day facility and garden workparty. Open to anyone and everyone looking for a good time at the Old Hardware Store. Swing by for a few minutes or a few hours... plenty of opportunities for some laughs, meals, and old fashioned manual labor directed toward a good cause.


June 4-6
Changing Landscapes Natural History Workshop
Glaciers, rivers, volcanoes, landslides and succession! Join us for two days of intensive and interactive field-based learning about these exciting and dynamic processes. This is a course for educators, guides, interpreters or anyone interested in local natural history. Optional continuing education credit available through Prince William Sound Community College. $170 with early bird discount if registered before April 23rd and $235 thereafter; 10% discount for WMC members; includes dinner on the first night. A variety of inexpensive lodging options are available in McCarthy, or participants can camp for free. Optional continuing education credit available through Prince William Sound Community College. write info@wrangells.org with questions or to register. Learn more here.


June 7-16
International Summer School in Glaciology, UAF Geophysical Institute
WMC is proud to host the UAF Geophysical Institute's graduate summer school in glaciology. Learn more about this program here. Attention: This program is full.


June 18
Third Annual John Denver Tribute Concert & Community Potluck
"Far Out in the Wrangells!" Locals and visitors will warm up for the summer solstice remembering John Denver, whose love of Kennecott, McCarthy, and the Wrangell Mountains inspired his "Wrangell Mountain Song". This Wrangell Mountains Center event will feature a community potluck and social; a silent auction and raffle; great live music cooked up by talented locals; and a special screening of part of John Denver's feature-length film, with footage from the Wrangells, Kennecott, and McCarthy. $5 suggested donation. Check out the poster to learn more.


June 22-August 10
28th annual Wildlands Studies Alaska Program
Designed for college students, this seven-week intensive, backcountry-based program studies the geology, ecology, and cultural history of the Wrangells as well as contemporary environmental and land management issues, including climate change. Students will camp on and traverse glaciers in the backcountry, eat from our organic garden in the frontcountry, and experience an inspiring landscape in the world's largest outdoor classroom. For more information and a preliminary application, please see our Wildlands Studies Program page.

 

July 17-24
Wrangell Mountains Writing Workshop, Creative Cross-pollinations
13th annual - Join writers Frank Soos, Nancy Cook, and Jonny Gray and artists Margo Klass and Maria Shell for this unique writing workshop. Details here.


July 26-28
Mosses and Liverworts Field Identification and Ecology Workshop
This workshop will focus on the identification of bryophytes (mosses, liverworts) in the field using a hand lens. We will visit a broad range of local habitats and become familiar with the dominant bryophyte genera and species characteristics of different ecological settings. Evening lectures will cover the classification and phylogeny of bryophytes, and overview of useful literature about bryophytes, ecology and reproductive biology, and morphological variation, in order to supplement field observations of mosses and liverworts in nature. arrive Sunday evening the 26th and adjourn 5 pm Wednesday, 28th. No prior experience required. Attention: This program is full. More info and registration forms. $175 includes meals.




August 28th
Tall Tales Storytelling Contest & Silent Auction - a WMC Fundraiser
Bring your best story (or most compelling lie) and join us for this entertaining evening showcasing the creativity and off-beat humor of local residents and visitors. This delightful and sometimes raucous annual summer fundraiser is co-sponsored by the McCarthy Lodge and features a silent and live auction. Winner receives a $500 cash prize, courtesy of the McCarthy Lodge. This tradition is not to be missed!

 

various dates
WMC Summer Arts & Lectures Series
Come celebrate life in the Wrangell Mountains through a series of arts and science special events held weekly in the Kennicott Valley. Most of our lectures and arts presentations are free to the public and highlight the incredible talent housed in or drawn to this small mountain community. This series is sponsored in part by the National Park Service and most of the events are held in the Kennecott Recreation Hall, though some occur at the Hardware Store or Lodge in McCarthy. Please check back for an expanding list of specific dates and times.


various dates
Mountain Arts for Youth
Youth (and enthusiastic parents) are invited to join artists and naturalists for a series of summer arts workshops for kids designed to connect them with the natural world around them. This program is fun for all ages. Check back for specific workshop details.



July 30, 5:30 pm
Wrangell Mountains Naturalist Walk -- Trees and Shrubs
Join David Black for a stroll into the woods around McCarthy to observe the trees and shrubs of the area. Learn about spruce, alder, birch, poplar, willow, and more. How many species of willow will we find as we walk a 1.5 to 2 mile loop? This kid-friendly walk begins at 5:30 pm at the Wrangell Mountains Center.



September 11, 2010
Nabesna Program - Twin Lakes Day Camp
Offered in partnership with WISE, at Twin Lakes Campground on the Nabesna Road.

 

 

 

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2009 Summer Programs

Our ever-evolving program schedule for Summer 2009 is listed below.
Please see individual listings for full information, or write info@wrangells.org

Birding By Ear with Mark Vail

May 23, 2009, 7 am

Free for existing and new members, $10 suggested donation otherwise. New members can join for the discounted rate of $12 at the time of the walk.

This WMC Wrangell Mountains Walk will be led by Wrangells homesteader and naturalist Mark Vail. Meet at the Hardware Store in McCarthy... we'll start out on this one-hour outing at 7 am to learn about the birds that have moved back into the area this spring and to practice identifying them by song. Members or those who'd like to join are encouraged to come early for free coffee and coffee cake, which will be served at 6:30 am.

 

Memorial Day Weekend Volunteer Work Party

May 23-25, 2009

The Wrangell Mountains Center invites community members, alumni and other volunteers to join us anytime during our three-day facility and garden workparty. Open to anyone and everyone looking for a good time at the Old Hardware Store. Swing by for a few minutes or a few days... plenty of opportunities for some laughs, meals, and old fashioned manual labor directed toward a good cause.

 

"FIRE in Alaska"

Learn about fire ecology and behavior and how to live safely with fire, as well as how to incorporate fire ecology into your curriculums.

June 5-7 (530 pm Friday through 12 noon Sunday)

Workshop fee is only $30, plus a refundable $50 deposit to hold your space. Optional and FREE continuing education credit is available thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Alaska Division of Forestry. Transferrable accreditation through Prince William Sound Community College.

During two action-packed days, workshop participants will learn about fire ecology and behavior, and how to make homes safe from wildfire. Join us for this exciting opportunity to learn activities and labs from the innovative and hands-of FIRE in Alaska curriculum. Participants will also be introduced to the fire trunk filled with materials and resources, available for use in classrooms.

This unique FIRE in Alaska workshop is not just for educators. Parts of the weekend activities are designed to include people who live and work in and around the Copper Basin and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve.

 

"Changing Landscapes" - A Natural History Course

June 7-9

$180. Optional college credits available

Glaciers, rivers, volcanoes, landslides and succession! Join us for two days of intensive and interactive field-based learning about these exciting and dynamic processes. This is a course for educators, guides, interpreters or anyone interested in local natural history.

 

Far Out in the Wrangells!

Second Annual John Denver Tribute & Potluck Social

June 19, 2009, 6 pm, Kennecott Rec Hall

Locals and visitors will warm up for the summer solstice remembering John Denver, whose love of Kennecott, McCarthy, and the Wrangell Mountains inspired his "Wrangell Mountain Song". This Wrangell Mountains Center fundraiser will feature a community potluck and social; a silent auction and raffle; great live music cooked up by talented locals; Special Guest of Honor Tony Oney, former owner of the Kennecott Mill Building and John Denver's personal friend and bush pilot for 15,000 miles of filming in Alaska; and a special screening of part of John Denver's feature-length film, with footage from the Wrangells, Kennecott, and McCarthy. Poster pdf

Wrangell Kids' Day Camps

Free Programs for Kids! Join Vicki Penwell and Suzi Drinen for outdoor fun and learning in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Wrangell-St. Elias is an outdoor classroom on a grand scale complete with stunning scenery, dynamic landscapes, and a long history of human tradition and culture. Previous camps in Nabesna have focused on the traditional uses of plants, the natural history of grayling and moose, little creatures of the boreal forest and mammal moms and babies. This summer, using experiential learning opportunities and the knowledge of Elders, we’ll explore birds in the first camp in each location, and revisit the many uses of wild plants in the second camp in each location. Camp activities include group learning, games and arts and crafts inspired by the natural world. We have found that kids between the ages of 7 and 12 get the most out of the program. Children older or younger will be considered on a case by case basis. Children should have shoes appropriate for an active day outdoors and a jacket.  If the weather is cool, hats and gloves make the day more comfortable. Camps will go rain or shine.

Twin Lakes Camps: June 24 and August 5
Rides from Gakona, Chistochina and Mentasta can be arranged. Participants will meet at the Slana Ranger Station at the junction of the Tok Cut-Off and Nabesna Road at 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the camp. The camp activities take place at the Twin Lakes Campground, Mile 27.8. Drive time from the Ranger Station to Twin Lakes is approximately 40 minutes. Snacks, lunch and beverages are provided.  Children will be back at the Ranger Station by 4:00 p.m.

McCarthy Camps: July 2 and July 30
Participants will meet at the Old Hardware Store in downtown McCarthy, Alaska at 1:00 p.m.  A snack is provided.

There is no charge for participation in these camps! Parents are welcome to attend with their children – we’ll probably put you to work! Space is limited so please reserve a space for your child soon.

To register or learn more, contact info@wrangells.org or call 907.554.4464

 

Wrangell Mountains Center Family Day Camp

July 3, 2009 1-6:30 pm

Join Vicki Penwell, Suzi Drinen, and WMC staff and volunteers for this fun-filled afternoon of outdoor learning. Part orienteering, part natural history, and entirely fun, we’ll learn about the natural world around McCarthy, Alaska and McCarthy Creek through orienteering, observation, and journaling activities for the entire family. This half day activity will offer opportunities for kids of all ages to increase their knowledge of the landscape around McCarthy and boost their wilderness survival skills.  Families will learn to use good, old fashioned compasses and work together to navigate an orienteering course with several caches. Participants will learn about the wild and wonderful things they might observe on the orienteering course, make a journal, and learn how to record observations in a fun and creative way that will be meaningful to all ages and interests. The day will conclude with a bonfire, sharing time and dinner at McCarthy Creek. Camp food and beverages will be provided at a campfire sing-a-long led by local musicians.

Advanced Registration Required – Limited to 25 participants

Who:               Families!  Children must be accompanied by a caregiver 18 or older
Where:           The Hardware Store
                        McCarthy, Alaska
When:             July 3, 2009 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Cost:               $75.00 for family of three, $10.00 for additional family members.
                        Wrangell Mountains Center Members receive 10% off registration.

For more Information or to register, email info@wrangells.org, or call 907.554.4464 or send registration fee with name of each participant to Wrangell Mountains Center, PO Box MXY #20, Glennallen AK, 99588.

 

Wrangell St.-Elias Natn'l Park Research Symposium

July 6-7, 2009

Wrangell Mountains Center is pleased to announce the first ever Wrangell-St. Elias Research Summit. The Summit will bring together academic researchers, NPS resource managers, students, and agency scientists conducting work in and around Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The entire summit is free and open to the public, and it will feature numerous sessions appropriate for interested educators, guides, residents, and visitors.... Presentations on research projects conducted within Wrangell-St. Elias and facilitated group discussions on the topics of funding science within the Park, conducting research to inform Park management decisions, and use of research results for educational and interpretive purposes.  A web page will be developed to make proceedings of the summit and future research conducted within the Park accessible and available to interpreters, educators, guides and the general public. Detailed schedule coming soon.

 

Alaska Wildlands Studies Program

June 22-August 9

$1995 academic fee, $75 application fee & $1425 expenses

18 quarter units/12 semester units of upper division college credit

Designed for college students, this seven-week intensive, backcountry-based program studies the geology, ecology, and cultural history of the Wrangells as well as contemporary environmental and land management issues, including climate change. Students will camp on and traverse glaciers in the backcountry, eat from our organic garden in the frontcountry, learn about and from an epic and inspiring landscape in the world's largest outdoor classroom. For more information and a preliminary application, please see our Wildlands Studies Program page.

Mountain Arts for Youth

Youth (and enthusiastic parents) are invited to join a National Park Service Ranger, local artists and naturalists for a series of summer workshops. Kids will explore a variety of cultural and bush arts, while learning about and connecting with the natural world around them. This program is fun for all ages.

June 20, Boreal Forest Ecology with Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment, at the Old Hardware Store in McCarthy

July 5, Circus Permance Art workshop w/ Meghan Holtan, Kennecott Rec Hall, 6 pm

July 31, Mountain Arts for Youth with Kris Gregory, Old Hardware Store, McCarthy

August 8, Knitting with Haley Runa

Other Dates and Times TBA

Workshop fees TBA

 

Wrangell Mountain Walks

Monthly, June - September, 1-2 hrs

May 23, 7 am. Birding by Ear with Mark Vail

July 6, 1:30 pm. Walk to the Glacier Edge, hosted by local scientists, Begins at the Hardware Store. Presented in conjunction with the Wrangell-St. Elias Research Summit. FREE to all.

other dates and times tba

Workshop fee is free for WMC members, $10 for non-members.
Membership fee is only $12 on a walk!

Care to learn more about the geology of the Kennicott Valley, its edible plants, and the lives of its animals and insects? Come learn more about our incredible Wrangell Mountains back yard on these specialty walks given by local expert scientists and naturalists. All knowledge and experience levels welcome. Walk schedule and topics for 2009 to be announced.

 

Wrangell Mountains Writing Workshop

August 12-18, 2009

Program fee $495/person with a $25 early bird discount.
2 college credits available

Writers will joing nationally acclaimed essayist Scott Russell Sanders to engage their creativity and attentiveness within the gorgeous mountain setting and ghostly historic remains of McCarthy, Alaska and Wrangell-St.Elias National Park & Preserve. Participants will explore a melting glacier, write beside a quiet beaver pond, and enjoy craft talks, seminar discussions and critique workshops led by visiting writer Scott Russell Sanders, along with field excursions and daily writing circles led by Workshop Director Nancy Cook. Craft work will focus on creative nonfiction. Other activities include individual staff conferences, staff and participant readings, an open mic reading with local McCarthy and Kennecott community members, and free time to explore the area. The workshop is limited to 16 participants, ensuring an intimate and supportive writing community in an idyllic and inspiring setting. Program fees are $495/person, with a $25 early bird discount. Price includes meals, and college credit is available.

 

Summer Arts & Lecture Series

Come celebrate life in the Wrangell Mountains through a series of arts and science special events held weekly in the Kennicott Valley. Most of our lectures and arts presentations are free to the public and highlight the incredible talent housed in or drawn to this small mountain community.

Please keep check in, as this list will continue to grow...

June 9, 2009 7 pm... Mike Murphy, Hardware Store, McCarthy
Mike Murphy of Alaska Wellness Guides will discuss re-discovering and tuning into The Wild Heart, identifying the heart as an organ of perception. Other topics include inter-species communication, instinct, and decision-making, as well as practical tips for regulating the influence of the analytical mind.

June 28, 2009 6 pm... Alex Rose lecture... The Importance of Day Length to Birds: Fun Facts about Tree Swallows Breeding in Alaska and California Kennecott Rec Hall. Have you ever thought about whether animals find it hard to go to sleep when it stays light out all night?  Alexandra Rose will be discussing her work on Tree swallows in California and at Long Lake, Alaska. Her research focuses on the importance of day length to breeding birds, in particular what birds that breed at high latitudes do with the very long days that they have during their breeding season as compared to their counterparts that breed at low latitudes with shorter days.  Her talk will take us on a tour of the natural history of Tree swallows and will explore one of the most striking patterns in ecology and evolution--the latitudinal gradient in clutch size (sounds exciting, doesn't it?). Alex is a newly minted PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she has worked on a variety of bird-related projects including Song sparrow nest predation in the Aleutian Islands, wintering Golden-crowned sparrow behavior, and raptor population biology.  Prior to graduate school she worked for the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.  She and her husband, Dan Doak, are summertime Kennicott residents.

July 6, 2009 7 pm... Lecture: "Bluebells and bumblebees: pollination studies in the Kennicott Valley" by Bill Morris, Duke University professor and Kennicott resident. Preceeded by a free community dinner (come one, come all) at 5:30 in McCarthy, Old Hardware Store.

July 26, 2009 6 pm... Riki Ott, author of Not One Drop: Betrayal and Courage in the Wake of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Kennecott Rec Hall

August 8, 2009 7 pm... "Why Are They Here? Formation and Growth of the Chugach-St. Elias Mountains". Field impressions and an introduction to geological processes by Deta Gasser, a Swiss geologist conducting her PhD research in the Chugach-St. Elias mountains. Kennecott Rec Hall

August 14, 2009 7 pm... Community Spoken Word Wrangells Wrangle & Potluck, Hardware Store, McCarthy

August 15, 2009 5:30 pm... Nancy Cook & Scott Russel Sanders reading, Kennecott

August 21, 2009... Eating Alaska screening and foodshed discussion with filmmaker Ellen Frankenstein. Grew, Brewed, Caught, or Shot Potluck at 5:30, film screening at 6:30, foodshed discussion at 7:30. Kennecott Recreation Hall.

August 29, 2009 7 pm... Tall Tales Storytelling Roundup and Auction, $500 grand prize, McCarthy Lodge

September 6, 2009 5:30 pm... Mark Vail: "Place-based Living" talk & potluck, Hardware Store, McCarthy

 

Tall Tales Storytelling Roundup and Auction

August 29th, Saturday

Bring your best story (or most compelling lies) and join us for this entertaining evening showcasing the creativity and off-beat humor of local residents and visitors. This delightful and sometimes raucous annual summer fundraiser is co-sponsored by the McCarthy Lodge and features a silent and live auction. Winner receives a $500 cash prize, courtesy of the McCarthy Lodge.