Greetings!

GREETINGS from the Copper River and Prince William Sound watersheds of Alaska.

Natural, coupled with unnatural disasters, are showing us that our commitment to preservation, restoration and sustainability must be stronger than ever. We send our heartfelt sympathy and empathy to the people, lands and waters of Japan.

Wild salmon are making their way to the Copper River Delta and will be the first salmon run to hit Alaska in early May.  

Thriving support equates to thriving wild Salmon, and is Needed More than Ever! Click on the bear paw to the right to  support our work! We, and future generations thank you!

The success of our work is wholly dependent on the funding we receive which directly equates into preservation. Your support helps make this work possible.  

At the heart of all our work are the wild salmon, their pristine habitat and the ecosystems that sustain us. We've successfully helped protect hundreds of thousands of acres of wild salmon habitat in Alaska. For over 16 years, we have been providing education and awareness through life-changing wilderness experiences, as well as sustainable and economic solutions for the future, indeed, for all of our futures. EPC will continue preserving wild salmon habitat in one of the most unique and precious bioregions on the planet.

EPC NEWS AND UPDATES

- EPC is ready to take orders for Copper River Wild Salmon

We will air cargo or FedX fresh frozen vacuum-sealed whole filets or filet portions of Sockeyes and Coho's, directly to you! We may have some king salmon too, depending on the strength of the run. Please get in touch with us via phone or email for details.

This is a golden opportunity to receive supreme quality salmon at an amazing price AND it helps EPC's work and mission! The amount of salmon we will have available is based on the amount we can catch and is therefore limited, so act quickly! 

Did you know that Alaska has the ONLY marketable wild salmon runs left in the United States?  

- Are you a "Facebooker" or a "Tweeter"? So are we!

EPC is very excited to announce that our facebook page, Eyak Preservation Council, is complete and ready to take on your "likes". Click on the links below to join us! 

Liking our page will connect you with us and keep you intimately informed on all our updates, activities, debates, picture sharing, and more! Our goal is to have a highly interactive facebook page with a large community of followers, so "like" us today and invite your friends to do the same! 

Those who have recently visited our website should have noticed that we now have an active Twitter profile, WildSalmon4Ever, which we use to share links to information and news items relevant to our work as well as updates as they role in. If you're a tweeter too, go ahead and "follow" us! 

- Our epic Copper River Wilderness Rafting Trips 

EPC has been guiding wonderful educational and inspirational  rafting excursions for environmental-, cultural-, and social-activists, journalists, writers, musicians and other spirited folk since 1997.  

Led by our Captain David Grimes (and musician extraordinaire), along with EPC-Founder and raft guide Dune Lankard, our trips are small-group, comfortable wilderness experiences for individuals and families with sincere interest in environmental and cultural preservation - and fun! Throughout the rafting trip you will explore the river and its Native and natural history through relaxed sightseeing from our rafts, conversation with our EPC team and fellow guests, photography, guided hikes and group discussion.

Read More...

- Dune attends Annual Seafood Summit 

In the beginning of February Dune was in Vancouver BC attending the 9th Annual Seafood Summit "Responsibility Without Borders." A program of SeaWeb, the Seafood Summit brings together global representatives from the seafood industry and conservation community for in-depth discussions, presentations and networking with the goal of making the seafood marketplace environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

Dune discussed in panels, workshops and meetings regarding conservation issues facing the Prince William Sound and Copper River watersheds, including hatchery and wild returns and policy, salmon wild habitat conservation and improvements to the commercial fishing industry. This included improvements for seafood handling and processing, lowering carbon footprint in the entire fishing, processing and shipping areas, how can we pay our fishermen more, and put more control back into the hands of fishermen. Dune has been named a finalist for a Seafood Champion award.

- AND! Dune wins a Seafood Champion Award from Seaweb  

Dune and Carol attended the International Boston Seafood Show where many of the biggest seafood and processing companies in the world show off their seafood products, and share their seafood handling, processing and traceability equipment. Dune was honored by receiving Seaweb's Seafood Champion award. The annual Seafood Champion Awards are presented to those who have made significant strides in improving practices and awareness of sustainable seafood.

- EPC attends public hearing on Chuitna Coal in Kenai

It's true what's being said...There oughtta' to be a law against mining through a salmon stream. On January 19th, the Department of Natural Resources held a public hearing addressing the Chuitna Citizens Coalition's, and the Cook Inletkeeper's petition to the DNR. If successful the petition would result in an "unsuitable" ruling for coal strip mining designation for the land immediately surrounding the salmon-filled Chuit River and its tributaries.

Pac-Rim Coal's massive project, if approved will affect more than 20,000 acres of wetlands, salmon streams, coastal area, and woodlands. Populated areas which stand at the epicenter of the mining are the villages of Beluga and Tyonek. The current plan will excavate the stream, and pump more than 7 million gallons of mine waste per day into the Chuit River, home to all five species of Alaska salmon. EPC Project manger Nils Boisen attended the meeting with a group of voices from Anchorage, who were among the 55 attendees adamantly speaking out against the mine. Read more about the bus trip and public hearing here. 

PROGRAM UPDATES

- We are moving forward with our conservation effort to purchase, retire and preserve the Bering River coal fields, so they will never be mined. Since our last newsletter/ appeal in December, things are progressing well and this will be a very exciting year!

- EPC has successfully worked with the community to hold off the proposed deep-water port at Shepard Point for almost 20 years, one that would open all of eastern Prince William Sound to roads, oil, gas and coal exploitation and industrial tourism...

Now we are on the crest of advocating for an environmentally feasible oil spill response site (other than Shepard Point) in Cordova. Follow along in this campaign over the summer!

- EPC is promoting and encouraging a council of Copper River tribes, to form an all indigenous watershed council to protect their ancestral lands, water and subsistence rights and wild salmon way of life.  

- We are entering the exciting phases of implementing two sustainable business models in the Cordova community consisting of the Copper River Wild Salmon Company and the Cordova Community Cold Storage. 

- EPC continues to work on the revitalization of the Eyak language with new exciting support from France and regional supporters.

- Our education and awareness wilderness adventures continue, with more Copper River rafting adventures in 2011, and participants and youth coming to our 5-Mile and Sea Otter homes in Cordova.

- Drafting of a collaborative Indigenous Biodiversity Conservation program, for implementation in 2012

Our watershed region is a microcosm for the continued threats affecting the planet at large... blind destructive development, climate change, biodiversity threats, and disregard of environmental justice.

Our solutions and successes here inspire the world. As spring and summer approach, bringing light and life back to our streams and landscapes, we'd like to hear from you and we welcome you to become an active participant in helping us preserve our wild salmon way of life.

Thank you.

TE'YA'WALAHYUU      ~  In Wild Salmon Spirit      

'AWA'AHDAH                 ~  Thank you      

Carol, Dune, Julie, Eileen, Nils and all of us at the
Eyak Preservation Council

www.redzone.org  ·  907.424.5890