You are looking at the Copper River Delta from the Haystack Trail Overlook. The Copper River Delta, situated between the coastal rainforest of the Chugach Mountains and the tidal flats of the northern Gulf of Alaska coast, is an area of diverse ecosystems and abundant wildlife. The largest contiguous wetland on the Pacific Coast of North America, the Delta is comprised of intertidal and freshwater wetlands, sedge meadows, and barrier islands. The Delta is a crucial stopover point on the flyway of migrating shorebirds, the primary nesting habitat of Dusky Canada Geese, and is critical spawning habitat for multiple species of wild salmon, as well as home to many other species of wildlife. 

Haystack Trail Overlook

The Prince William Sound Science Center  would like to welcome you to one of the last best places, home of the world’s richest waters. There’s no place in the world quite like ours. If you put a pin in the ground, we challenge you to find another place with more within 100 miles: glaciers, temperate rainforest, 12 distinct ecosystems, a pristine river delta the size of some East Coast states, and waters full of world-famous Copper River salmon. We believe that research here is a rare opportunity to study something pure vs. something that’s been lost.

We look at the big picture and pull it all together. That’s what sets us apart. We’re committed to understanding how one place on earth can maintain a reliable economy and natural environment for the long term. We endeavor to consider science, economy, climate and people with nearly every step, and we use collaboration and systems-thinking to address the global nature of today’s challenges.

We are excited to work with two of our local partners on these timeseries installations, The Eyak Corporation and the United States Forest Service. 

The Eyak Corporation  was formed in 1973 as a for-profit corporation under Alaska law pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) enacted by Congress on December 18, 1971. ANCSA authorized the formation of twelve regional corporations in the State of Alaska as well as a number of village corporations within each region. Eyak is the village corporation for Cordova and is one of five village corporations located within the Chugach region. Our mission is to return financial benefits to present and future shareholders through the development of economic opportunities and growth of our assets while protecting the ownership of our ANCSA lands and Native cultural heritage.

U.S. Forest Service - Cordova Ranger District  is a unique ranger district on a very unique forest. Its 2.6 million acres includes the Copper River Delta and Prince William Sound, the Chugach Mountains and its spectacular glaciers, over 40 miles of developed hiking trails, 16 public use cabins, and a variety of fish and wildlife resources. It’s the largest district on the second largest national forest in the United States. Unlike most, the management emphasis of the Chugach National Forest is fish, wildlife, recreation, and information/education – providing 5.9 million acres of public land for generations to enjoy.

<span data-offset-key="2j0vi-0-0" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: &quot;Libre Franklin&quot;, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, sans-serif, &quot;Apple Color Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Symbol&quot;; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 14px;"><span data-text="true" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: &quot;Libre Franklin&quot;, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, sans-serif, &quot;Apple Color Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Symbol&quot;;">The Eyak Corporation</span></span>