the BREAKWATER 
A newsletter from the Prince William Sound Science Center
January 2020
WELCOME RICH ROGERS

Rich Rogers has been hired as Owner's Project Manager for the Science Center's new facilities construction.  Rich first moved to Cordova to assist with the completion of Phase II of the Cordova Center as the City of Cordova Public Works Director. After a brief hiatus, he has returned to Cordova full-time and will manage our campus construction project.
 
A graduate of West Point, Rich is a professional engineer and has deep experience with complex construction and logistics projects, including overseeing large projects in places like Afghanistan and Fort Greely for the US Department of Defense.

Read an article on our new facilities by The Cordova Times .
HATCHERY-WILD PROJECT EXTENDED
Pink Salmon. Photo: Pete Rand

December 2019 brought news that the Alaska Hatchery Research Program (AHRP) Science Panel decided to extend the hatchery-wild field project for another year.
 
The field work began in 2013. During  last year's  unusually dry field season, crews surveyed three streams: Stockdale, Gilmour, and Hogan. 

Dr. Pete Rand, the lead researcher for the AHRP field component, says crews will focus on Paddy and Erb Creeks, located off Dangerous Passage, during the upcoming 2020 field season. 

Read more about the upcoming field season here.
6TH GRADE OVERNIGHT - WINTER ADVENTURES IN ASTRONOMY
Fourteen sixth grade boys made the hike on January 15. Photo: Lauren Bien.

Earlier this month, despite single digit temperatures and brisk winds, sixth grade students at Mt. Eccles Elementary embarked on two overnight winter adventures. The girls (on January 14)  and the boys
(on January 15) , snowshoed up to Meals Reservoir, used tripods and long-exposure photography to capture the stars, and camped overnight in the PWSSC office. Read our article on the adventure here. 

These activities were a new expansion to PWSSC's Discovery Room programming and were partially supported by a grant from the Teacher Innovator Institute.
RESEARCHERS PRESENT AT AMSS
A sea butterfly (Limacina helicina) swims past the zooplankton camera attached to Dr. Rob Campbell's autonomous moored profiler.

For over 20 years, AMSS (Alaska Marine Science Symposium) has brought together the science community to share the latest marine research happening right here in Alaska. The four-day conference showcases vital ecosystems, such as the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, the Aleutian Islands, and the Arctic. All week long there are researchers speaking about their projects every 15 minutes as well as workshops and other opportunities for researchers to mingle and exchange ideas.

During the poster session that took place on January 27 and 28 at the Egan Center three different researchers represented the Prince William Sound Science Center. Links to their abstracts are published on our website here.

2020 SUMMER CAMP DATES ARE LIVE!
Campers explore the ice and glacial mud at Sheridan Glacier.

Looking for a fun and adventurous educational opportunity? Our summer camps offer that and much more for kids entering 3rd-12th grade! Click here for dates and registration.

We want everyone to experience camp, so be sure to check out our  scholarship opportunities.

The Science Center's environmental science camps are an opportunity for campers to experience the amazing landscape that surrounds us in an educational and exciting way. Through camp experiences, we'll hike in the rainforest, observe glaciers up close, canoe through the wetlands, and explore the tide pools and ocean. We are dedicated to helping campers develop their understanding of the world around them through scientific inquiry, positive outdoor experiences, leadership skills and ecosystem stewardship.
The Science Center is committed to understanding how one place on earth can maintain a reliable economy and natural environment for the long term. 
 
We invite you-- donors, researchers, partners, funders, elected officials, citizens--to join us in better understanding one of the world's last, great natural regions, home of the world's richest waters.

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