Chugach Children’s Forest Blog

Summer 2017 is in full swing for the Chugach Children’s Forest! Despite the frenzied pace, there is finally time to take a step back and reflect on all that’s happening through another summer season of new experiences for Alaskan youth on the Chugach National Forest. Since the beginning of June, nearly 30 young Alaskans have had immersive educational experiences on the Chugach National Forest … [Read more...]

Chugach Children's Forest and Alaska Geographic ProgramAssistant Reth Duir was able to join the now annual sixthgrade camping trip in Cordova. Check out his report from his first visit to Cordova! Cordova was such an amazing experience! I was able to combine two things I enjoy: outdoor education and working with children. I was asked to be apart of Mt. Eccles sixth grade camp-out, joining … [Read more...]

The Alaska Bird Conference is a gathering of researchers and managers that come together to share information and report on all aspects of bird biology, management, and conservation in Alaska. Christine Smith, a Chugach Children’s Forest intern, attended and presented at the conference’s 17th biennial event from December 6th to the 8th in Cordova, Alaska. Here are some highlights: Chugach … [Read more...]

This year we awarded three Chugach Children's Forest participants with Leadership Awards for their extraordinary dedication to stewardship of the Chugach National Forest and other public lands in Alaska. Ka Yang (pictured on the right) first participated in a Chugach Children’s Forest Habitat Restoration Kayak expedition in 2014. Before that trip he had little experience camping, hiking, … [Read more...]

In July, Chugach Children's Forest Outdoor Club participants had the opportunity to ice climb on Matanuska Glacier! This marks the third year that NOLS Alaska has provided this amazing opportunity to the Chugach Children's Forest youth. Many of the students who participated had never had the opportunity to visit Matanuska Glacier (about a two hour drive north of Anchorage), much less climb it! The … [Read more...]

Despite the abundance of wild places in Alaska, many young Alaskans have never had the opportunity to explore Alaska’s vast expanse of public lands. The Chugach Children’s Forest – a partnership between Alaska Geographic and the Chugach National Forest - addresses this disparity by bringing underrepresented youth into their wild backyard, organizing outdoor adventures and introducing youth to … [Read more...]

In February the Chugach Children's Forest hosted an event where representatives from USFS, Student Conservation Association, National Outdoor Leadership School, and Youth Employment in Parks came to the Alaska Geographic office to tell teens about the exciting outdoor opportunities they’re offering this summer – from internships to jobs to outdoor expeditions. We were overwhelmed by the crowd … [Read more...]

In February the Chugach Children's Forest Outdoor Club hit the slopes at Hilltop Ski Area! Nine teens from Anchorage tried snowboarding for the very first time. Our excursion was made possible by Hilltop Ski Area, which provided discounted lift tickets and free gear rentals, and by a grant from KEEN, which covered our discounted lift tickets. Aaron Hershberger of Alaska Geographic joined us for … [Read more...]