Hey y'all, my name is Evan Ward and I am working up in Cordova, Alaska as the new Ducks Unlimited Intern. I will be working with the Forest Service on the Dusky Canada Goose project, so this blog will be to inform you of everything that takes place with the project as well as my personal adventures up here. This is an amazing opportunity for me and I hope this blog can make you feel like you're living up here too!
So, here’s a little more background about the project. Dusky Canada geese are a subspecies of Canada geese that primarily breed on the Copper River Delta in Alaska. In 1964, an earthquake elevated regions of the copper river delta which effectively altered the habitat, allowing more shrubs and trees to grow in the marsh making the dusky geese and their nests more susceptible to depredation. The higher rates of depredation lead to the decrease in the dusky Canada geese population which at one point was fewer than 10,000 individuals. The nest island program was started to provide the geese with safer nesting sites and I will be helping to maintain and monitor over 300 of these structures this summer.
This is my first time in Alaska and so far I am just blown away with how beautiful Cordova is. I grew up in Texas and have worked in Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota the past few years. I have always wanted to work in Alaska and now I get to look at mountains everyday, which is definitely something that I don't see back home! The people here are amazing as well and I am looking forward to all of the adventures we will go on this summer!