thumb|500px|Southern portion of the Copper River

The Copper River or Ahtna River (; , "river of the Ahtnas"; ), "river of copper", is a 290-mile (470 km) river in south-central Alaska in the United States. It drains a large region of the Wrangell Mountains and Chugach Mountains into the Gulf of Alaska. It is known for its extensive delta ecosystem, as well as for its prolific runs of wild salmon, which are among the most highly prized stocks in the world. The river is the tenth largest in the United States, as ranked by average discharge volume at its mouth.

Description

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. 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. 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' < tsedi "copper" + na’ "river").

thumb|A man [[dip netting on the Copper River, undated photo by John Nathan Cobb (died 1930)]]

The Copper River is approximately long. It drops an average of about , and drains more than —an area the size of West Virginia. The river runs at an average of . There is an extensive area of linear sand dunes up to in height radiating from the mouth of the Copper River. Both Miles Glacier and Childs Glacier calve directly into the river. The Copper enters the Gulf of Alaska southeast of Cordova where it creates a delta nearly wide. 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. The mine was abandoned in 1938 and is now a ghost town tourist attraction and historic district maintained by the National Park Service. The Tok Cut-Off (Alaska Route 1) follows the Copper River Valley on the north side of the Chugach Mountains.

Fisheries

thumb|Copper River sockeyes, 2007

The river's famous salmon runs arise from the use of the river watershed by over 2 million salmon each year for spawning. 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. Sport fishing by contrast is open all year-long, but peak season on the Copper River lasts from August to September, when the coho salmon runs. The fisheries are co-managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the Department of the Interior Federal Subsistence Board. 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.

Birding

The Copper River Delta, which extends for 700,000 acres (2,800&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), is the largest contiguous wetlands along the Pacific coast of North America. 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).

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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.

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See also

  • List of rivers of Alaska

References

Further reading

  • Brabets, Timothy P. (1997). 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.
  • Ecotrust Copper River Program
  • 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
  • Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Copper River Salmon
  • Eyak Preservation Council
  • Nature Conservancy: Copper River Delta
  • The Copper River Watershed Project
  • NVE Fisheries Research and Seasonal Employment on the Copper River
  • Cordova District Fishermen United
  • Copper River Chitina Dipnet Fishery Escapement Charts