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By BRUCE JAMES
Executive Director
Wrangell Institute for Science & Environment

History is a mandatory part of high school curriculums to educate students how civilization has developed and to learn from past mistakes. As the often repeated phrase goes, "Failure to understand history will doom you to repeat it."

Over twenty years after the Exxon Valdez, we now have an entire generation of youths that did not live through the tragedy. As they finish their education, they will begin to take management positions that could have significant impact in a similar disaster. Educating this new generation is one of the keys to preventing another disaster.

Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment has taken on that challenge. Along with our partners, the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Prince William Sound Science Center and the Copper River Watershed Project, we have annually conducted the Copper River Stewardship Program. This educational event takes ten youths from the area on a ten day exploration of the watershed, discovering the unique environment we live in and the threats to it. Our hope is to encourage this new generation to become the stewards of this land in the future.

Each year our program has focused on different parts of the Copper River area. In 2011, the key places were McCarthy, Valdez and Cordova. While in McCarthy, we learned about the special geology that created the fabulous copper deposits of Kennecott and the misunderstood mosaic of land ownership in the basin. The multitude of different owners complicates the management of the one resource that transcends all the boundaries, our rich runs of Pacific salmon. In Cordova, the program looked at the commercial fishery and related research and then spent some time in the delta, hiking and canoeing in the Chugach National Forest.

The highlight in Valdez for the students (and chaperones!) was the Columbia Glacier cruise. Stan Stephens took us through Columbia Bay and the Sound, pointing out the incredibly rich ecosystem that was impacted by the Exxon Valdez disaster. Included in the tour was visual evidence of the damage and a discussion about the oil that still remains unaccounted for today. The students were impressed with the diversity of the wildlife and expressed concern for its protection from another catastrophe.

The next day we visited the Valdez salmon hatchery and learned about the incredible run of pink salmon that call the Sound home, then to Ship Escort Response Vessel System, or SERVS, to be introduced to the changes to tanker operations in the Sound since 1989. Then it was on to the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council to meet with their staff and learn some background of the disaster and the council's mission to help prevent reoccurrence. Our final stop on that busy June day was the Coast Guard station that monitors tanker traffic travelling through Valdez Arm and the Sound.

Overall, the 2011 edition of our Copper River Stewardship Program was a smashing success. The students were exposed to many issues in the area that threaten our fabulous resources and what is being done to minimize those hazards. We would like to thank our many sponsors and partners that have made this year's program possible. Specifically, the citizens' council's Youth Involvement program was instrumental in funding most of the Valdez portion of the trip to allow this important story to be told. It is our hope that through educational programs such as this trip, the next generation of leaders will take on the challenges our environment faces in the years to come.

For more information on the Copper River Stewardship Program and other Institute programs, visit Wrangell Institute For Science and Environment.

The National Park Service staff explain the history of the mines during the students' tour of Kennecott.

Participants found coho smolt, Dolly Varden and a sculpin in the minnow traps they set along the McCarthy Road.

Mark Swanson discusses the council's mission with the Copper River Stewardship team over lunch.