Adopt a Fry for Watershed Education!

The Adopt-a-Fry fundraiser to support our Watershed-themed Education Programs is back! And this Giving Tuesday, we are excited to launch with the backing of a generous donor who will match up to $5000 this holiday season to support our watershed-education programs!

We aim to reach all students in the Copper River watershed throughout their school years to help them connect with salmon, their watershed neighbors, and understand their role in helping sustain the health of the Copper River and its resources, including salmon, into the future!

In elementary school, we support Salmon Tanks at all school sites, giving students the opportunity to observe salmon developing from eggs to fry while helping feed the salmon and maintain the tank. By caring for the tank and feeding the fry as they grow and search for food, students learn responsibility and recognize their role in caring for salmon, in their tank and in their watershed.

Each spring students are literally immersed in the watershed, donning chest waders to study the water-ecosystems near their school, and learn how they are connected to the rest of the watershed. When possible, students help to release salmon raised in their tanks.

Every summer we work with partners to host the Copper River Stewardship Program, connecting teens from communities up and downriver and leading them on a watershed-wide expedition. Students get hands-on experience working with scientists, explore outdoor and resource-based career opportunities, and make life-long friendships and memories.

And in 2022 we hosted our first Stewardship Intern. A local high school student earned a small stipend helping to implement our gillnet recycling program. He helped with program outreach, volunteer recruitment, and recycling efforts, and made a tangible, positive impact on his community.

On top of this ladder of activities for students of the Copper River watershed, we have expanded our engagement with Prince William Sound College, helping support their Natural Resource Technician courses with on-the-ground experiences using GIS and conducting surveys of culverts. We also have participated in their summer teacher professional development workshops, where the goal is to provide teachers with ideas and confidence to lead their students on learning adventures outside the classroom.

You can help support this expansive range of program opportunities this holiday season by adopting a fry.

Your support will help us pay for the cost of maintaining tank and field trip supplies, travel, and staff time needed to provide these learning opportunities for students in the Copper River watershed.

For every $25 donated to the fundraiser, we will send you or your special someone a sustainably sourced wooden Coho Salmon fry ornament, a sticker, and a certificate to commemorate the fry adoption! Plus you will be added to our exclusive email list to receive updates on the fry's development over the school year, including live footage from our salmon tank cams.

Thank you for supporting education for the next generation of watershed stewards.