Copper River (Alaska)

The Copper River rises out of the Copper Glacier, which lies on the northeast side of Mount Wrangell, in the Wrangell Mountains, within Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park.{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions|url=http://www.nps.gov/wrst/faqs.htm|publisher=NPS|access-date=14 December 2014}} It begins by flowing almost due north in a valley that lies on the east side of Mount Sanford, and then turns west, forming the northwest edge of the Wrangell Mountains and separating them from the Mentasta Mountains to the northeast.{{cite journal|last1=Keltie|first1=John Scott|title=Recent Explorations in Alaska|journal=The Geographical Journal|date=1902|volume=19 |issue=5 |pages=609–612 |doi=10.2307/1775630 |jstor=1775630 |bibcode=1902GeogJ..19..609. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FMMxAQAAMAAJ&q=Copper+River+Mount+Sanford+Mentasta+Mountains+northwest+northeast+east+west|access-date=14 December 2014}} It continues to turn southeast, through a wide marshy plain to Chitina, where it is joined from the southeast by the Chitina River (Ahtna Athabascan Tsedi Na' {{IPA|ath|tʃɛ.diː.näʔ|}} < tsedi "copper" + na’ "river").{{cite book|last1=Smelcer|first1=John|title=AHTNA NOUN DICTIONARY and Pronunciation Guide|date=2011|publisher=The Ahtna Heritage Foundation|location=Copper Center, Alaska|isbn=978-0-9656310-2-0|pages=28, 53 108|url=http://www.johnsmelcer.com/resources/Ahtna+Dictionary.pdf|access-date=13 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214134754/http://www.johnsmelcer.com/resources/Ahtna%2BDictionary.pdf|archive-date=14 December 2014|edition=2nd}}

File:Fisherman dip netting salmon from the Copper River, Alaska, nd (COBB 160).jpeg on the Copper River, undated photo by John Nathan Cobb (died 1930)]]

The Copper River is approximately {{convert|290|mi|km}} long.{{cite book|last1=Brabets|first1=Timothy P.|title=Geomorphology of the Lower Copper River, Alaska|date=1997|publisher=USGS|url=http://137.229.113.30/webpubs/usgs/p/text/p1581.pdf|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185528/http://137.229.113.30/webpubs/usgs/p/text/p1581.pdf|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=dead}} It drops an average of about {{convert|12|ft/mi}}, and drains more than {{convert|24000|sqmi}}—an area the size of West Virginia.{{cite book|last1=Mendenhall|first1=Walter Curran|title=Geology of the Central Copper River Region, Alaska Issue 41 of Geological Survey professional paper Geology of the Central Copper River Region, Alaska|date=1905|publisher=US Government Printing Office|location=Washington DC|page=20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f27nAAAAMAAJ&q=Cooper+River+12+feet+per+mile|access-date=14 December 2014}} The river runs at an average of {{convert|7|mph}}.

Downstream from its confluence with the Chitina it flows southwest, passing through a narrow glacier-lined gap in the Chugach Mountains within the Chugach National Forest east of Cordova Peak.{{cite web|title=Copper River Float|url=http://www.nps.gov/wrst/planyourvisit/upload/Copper%20River%20Float.pdf|publisher=NPS|access-date=14 December 2014}} There is an extensive area of linear sand dunes up to {{convert|250|ft|m}} in height radiating from the mouth of the Copper River.{{cite book|last1=Mohlenbrock|first1=Robert H.|title=This Land: A Guide to Western National Forests|date=2006|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=0520930517|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B72MSIvxN-IC&q=It+is+a+mile++wide+at+the+Copper+River+Delta,+near+Cordova.|access-date=14 December 2014}}{{cite web|title=Cordova Peak, Alaska|url=http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=44168|website=Peakbagger.com|access-date=14 December 2014}} Both Miles Glacier and Childs Glacier calve directly into the river.{{cite web|title=Chugach Visitors Guide Summer 2014|url=http://www.alaskageographic.org/uploads/pdf/chugach-vg2014-web.pdf|publisher=Alaska Geographic|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214220337/http://www.alaskageographic.org/uploads/pdf/chugach-vg2014-web.pdf|archive-date=14 December 2014|url-status=dead}} The Copper enters the Gulf of Alaska southeast of Cordova where it creates a delta nearly {{convert|50|miles}} wide.

The name of the river comes from the abundant copper deposits along the upper river that were used by Alaska Native population and then later by settlers from the Russian Empire and the United States. Extraction of the copper resources was problematic due to navigation difficulties at the river's mouth.{{cite web|title=Human History|url=http://www.nps.gov/wrst/historyculture/human-history.htm|publisher=NPS|access-date=14 December 2014}} The construction of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway from Cordova through the upper river valley from 1908 to 1911 allowed widespread extraction of the mineral resources, in particular from the Kennecott Mine, discovered in 1898.{{cite web|title=An Alaskan Regional Railroad - 1930's Copper River & Northwestern Railway|url=http://www.r2parks.net/CR&NW.html|access-date=14 December 2014}} The mine was abandoned in 1938 and is now a ghost town tourist attraction and historic district maintained by the National Park Service.

Copper River Highway (Alaska Route 10) runs from Cordova to the lower Copper River near Childs Glacier, following the old railroad route and ending at the reconstructed Million Dollar Bridge across the river.{{cite web|author=Staff|publisher=The Milepost|url=http://www.milepost.com/highway_info/copper_river_highway|title=The Copper River Highway|access-date=April 23, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404233839/http://www.milepost.com/highway_info/copper_river_highway|archive-date=April 4, 2012|url-status=dead}}{{Google Maps|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=New+England+Cannery+Rd&daddr=NF-S-851&geocode=FTADnAMd5vVP9w%3BFVrDnQMdKFlf9w&abauth=4fc6efa3X656j7WLP2epr0kYwWuJPRD_x6I&vps=3&ei=8O_GT7rAAZ7GMoP1sfgI&jsv=417c&sll=60.590002,-144.757919&sspn=0.20096,0.441513&vpsrc=6&hl=en&mra=ls&num=10&mid=1338437629|title=Overview Map of Copper River Highway|accessdate=May 31, 2012}} The Tok Cut-Off (Alaska Route 1) follows the Copper River Valley on the north side of the Chugach Mountains.{{cite web|title=Glenn Highway-Tok Cutoff|url=http://www.milepost.com/highway_info/glenn_highway|website=The Milepost|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916063927/http://www.milepost.com/highway_info/glenn_highway|archive-date=16 September 2014|url-status=dead}}

File:Fish on board.jpg

The river's famous salmon runs arise from the use of the river watershed by over 2 million salmon each year for spawning. The extensive runs result in many unique varieties, prized for their fat content.{{cite web|last1=Lange|first1=Lori|title=corodva, alaska: copper river salmon fishing|url=http://www.recipegirl.com/2014/08/22/cordova-alaska-copper-river-salmon-fishing/|website=recipe girl|date=22 August 2014|access-date=14 December 2014}} The river's commercial salmon season is very brief, beginning in May for chinook salmon, and sockeye salmon for periods lasting mere hours or several days at a time.{{cite web|title=Copper River salmon opening today with first 12 hour fishing period|url=http://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/928709/Copper-River-salmon-opening-today-with-first-12-hour-fishing-period|website=seafoodnews.com|access-date=15 December 2014}} Sport fishing by contrast is open all year-long,{{cite web |title=Copper River Fish |url=https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=sonar.site_fish&site=10 |website=Alaska Department of Fish and Game fishing research |publisher=Alaska Department of Fish and Game |access-date=27 November 2023}} but peak season on the Copper River lasts from August to September, when the coho salmon runs.{{cite web|title=PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND FRESH WATERS|url=http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/fishregulations/PDFs/southcentral/2014SCPrinceWilliamSoundRegulations.pdf|access-date=15 December 2014}}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite book|last1=Van Vanasse|first1=Deb|title=Insiders' Guide® to Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska: Including the Kenai Peninsula, Prince William Sound, and Denali National Park|date=2009|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0762756063|pages=160|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TifhggVk0KoC&q=Alaska+fishing+peak+seasons|access-date=15 December 2014}} The fisheries are co-managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the Department of the Interior Federal Subsistence Board.{{cite web|title=Federal Subsistence Board News Release|url=http://www.doi.gov/subsistence/news/fishing/upload/NR-11-RS-05-14.pdf|access-date=15 December 2014|archive-date=15 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215015050/http://www.doi.gov/subsistence/news/fishing/upload/NR-11-RS-05-14.pdf|url-status=dead}} Management data is obtained primarily by ADF&G at the Miles Lake sonar station and via the native village of Eyak at the Baird Canyon and Canyon Creek research stations.{{cite web|title=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Subsistence Management Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program Estimating Chinook salmon escapement on the Copper River, 2004 annual report Annual Report No. FIS 04-503|url=http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/105210911.pdf|website=www.arlis.org/|publisher=LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc.|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215003534/http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/105210911.pdf|archive-date=15 December 2014|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Copper River Sonar Tools|url=http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=sonar.site_sonartools&site=10|publisher=ADF&G|access-date=14 December 2014}}

The Copper River Delta, which extends for 700,000 acres (2,800 km²), is the largest contiguous wetlands along the Pacific coast of North America. It is used annually by 16 million shorebirds, including the world's entire population of western sandpipers and the pacific flyway population of dunlins.{{cite web|last1=Hagner|first1=Chuck|title=Birdwatching at the Copper River Delta in Alaska|url=http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/featured-stories/copper-river-delta-alaska/|website=Birdwatchingdaily.com|access-date=14 December 2014}} It is also home to the world's largest population of nesting trumpeter swans and is the only known nesting site for the dusky Canada goose subspecies (Branta canadensis occidentalis).{{cite web|title=Species at Alaganik Slough|url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r10/specialplaces/?cid=fsbdev2_038375|publisher=US Forest Service}}{{cite web|title=Birds Field Trip: Dusky Canada Geese|url=http://www.ridgefieldfriends.org/adventure/ls_birds_geese.htm|publisher=Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Friends Association|access-date=14 December 2014}}

File:Miles Glacier Bridge, damage and kludge, 1984.jpg|Miles Glacier Bridge, showing earthquake damage and temporary repair, 1984

File:Copper River Alaska with river rafters.jpg|Rafters and Child's Glacier on the lower Copper River

File:Copper River fishwheels.jpg|Fishwheels on the Copper River

Image:Copper2.jpg|Sand dunes on the Copper River

File:Copper River near Chitina.jpg|Copper River near Chitina, looking south from the bridge

Image:Picea mariana taiga.jpg|Black spruce taiga along the Copper River

Image:Glacial Dust off Alaska.jpg|Wind picks up fine sediment from the riverbank and carries it over the ocean.

{{Portal |Alaska}}

• List of rivers of Alaska

{{reflist}}

• Brabets, Timothy P. (1997). [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185528/http://137.229.113.30/webpubs/usgs/p/text/p1581.pdf Geomorphology of the Lower Copper River, Alaska] [U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1581]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.

{{Commons category|Copper River}}

• [http://www.ecotrust.org/copperriver Ecotrust Copper River Program]
• [http://library.state.ak.us/asp/edocs/2007/04/ocn123246851.pdf Copper River salmon habitat management study] Prepared for Ecotrust by Marie E. Lowe of the Institute of Social and Economic Research, hosted by Alaska State Publications Program
• [http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/crhome.php Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Copper River Salmon]
• [http://www.redzone.org/ Eyak Preservation Council]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070306222115/http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/alaska/preserves/art11190.html Nature Conservancy: Copper River Delta]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20040609080605/http://www.copperriver.org/links.html The Copper River Watershed Project]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120209154157/http://www.eyakfish.com/ NVE Fisheries Research and Seasonal Employment on the Copper River]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070203070231/http://www.crsalmon.org/ Cordova District Fishermen United]
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090827090034/http://www.largestnationalpark.com/ Wrangell-St. Elias National Park information]}}
• [http://aksalmondipnetting.com/copper/index.htm Copper River {{!}} Chitina Dipnet Fishery Escapement Charts]

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Category:Ahtna

Category:Rivers of Alaska

Category:Rivers of Chugach Census Area, Alaska

Category:Rivers of Copper River Census Area, Alaska

Category:Rivers of Unorganized Borough, Alaska