Celebrating a Transformative Summer at the Wrangell Mountains Center

Honoring a Season of Community and Connection to Place

Dear Friends of the Wrangell Mountains Center, 

As snow envelops the Wrangells, we find ourselves entering a season of reflection—a time to honor and share this summer’s achievements, to rest and recover from its joyful rush, and to acknowledge all that grew and flourished.

Field Studies, The WMC’s Flagship Program

If the Old Hardware Store had a heartbeat, it would surely quicken each June when the WMC Field Studies students arrive. Since the WMC’s founding in 1971, Field Studies has remained at the core of our mission, grounding and inspiring all that we do. This past summer, in collaboration with the University of Maine, we welcomed a cohort of students from across the country and abroad, who quickly bonded and stepped into the rhythm of McCarthy life. Whether they were taking measurements on the ice, sharing meals, sketching in their field journals, breaking out into a spontaneous guitar circle, or having a late-night study session, these students wholeheartedly embraced every aspect of this interdisciplinary program. 

While the transformative nature of Field Studies is apparent throughout the season, the life-changing force of this seven-week program truly came to light during the Field Studies Symposium in August. After spending three weeks in the backcountry collecting data and learning to read the landscape, students showcased projects in glaciology, geomorphology, and alpine plant ecology. Students also shared personal reflections on their time in the Wrangells, offering their thoughts on how the unique landscape and community shaped their learning. The symposium was truly a remarkable event, serving as a powerful testament to the program’s ability to challenge and inspire young people to connect with the land, science, and art through place-based, experiential learning. 

We are excited for Field Studies 2026, where we will be joined by researchers, artists, and community leaders for another summer of exploration and reflection in the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve. Learn more about the program here.

With your tax-deductible donation to the Field Studies scholarship fund, you can help our team to educate and guide future scientists, community leaders, teachers, and policy makers.

Saghani Ggaay and Community Potlatch

Spearheaded by the Raven Moonlight nonprofit organization and Hereditary Clan Leader Wilson Justin, and with the support of the WMC, we hosted Saghani Ggaay, a week-long program empowering Alaska Native youth through cultural connection. Led by Indigenous Elders and Educators, students took part in plant walks, salve making, traditional arts, and hands-on educational workshops focused on intergenerational connection, knowledge sharing, and the Ahtna language.

This enriching week culminated in McCarthy’s first modern-day Community Potlatch. A Potlatch is an Indigenous ceremonial feast traditionally organized as a celebration of life. Throughout the week, Saghani Ggaay students prepared gifts and food offerings, as Tribal Villages from the Copper River Basin and the McCarthy-Kennicott community were invited to share a meal, exchange gifts, dance, and celebrate themes of reciprocity.

Salve making and local plant identification in preparation for the Potlatch.

The WMC was honored to host Saghani Ggaay. A special shoutout to Sabrina Simon for all of her hard work in the planning and execution of this meaningful program. Continuing this work is important as we continue to connect people with wildlands through art, science, and education—recognizing that this connection becomes stronger when it includes all communities with cultural and historic ties to the land. 

Understanding Place and Discussing Community

Our Origin Stories Event Series, facilitated by board member Cynthia Shidner and the WMC staff, shared the personal origin stories of various locals, creating a space for broader conversations about identity, belonging, and place. In June, we welcomed long-time local, Steve Edwards, who shared his father, Jim Edward’s, original slideshow, providing a window into his life as a homesteader, surveyor, and father from the 1950s to 2000s. In August, we hosted an event honoring ice scientist and off-grid technology guru Ed LaChapelle, inviting the community to share stories and memories of Ed in his Porphyry Place cabin. 

In July, we continued our annual tradition of hosting Stories of Our Landscape. This year, the event spanned two evenings, beginning with a community-led panel discussion about the changes unfolding across the McCarthy-Kennicott landscape. Panelists and audience members considered how environmental changes, as well as the evolving impacts of tourism and business, shape our experiences of place and identity. On the second evening, we screened the UNEARTH documentary, which discusses the community activism and physical implications of the Pebble Mine. Following the screening, we heard from panelists Tica Drury, Colleen Merrick, and Amy Scudder—representing Trout Unlimited, the Copper River Native Association and The Copper River Watershed Project—as we explored how the film’s themes of land stewardship and community-based responsibility extend to the McCarthy-Kennicott landscape. 

By hosting these events, the WMC continues to provide a space for the community to come together, reflect on our shared and deeply personal connections, consider our responsibilities to one another as stewards of the land, and honor the people and stories that have shaped this place. 

A special thank you to our Stories of Our Landscape panelists: Stephens Harper, Mark Vail, Robin Mayo, Danny Rosenkrans, Joey Boots-Ebenfield, Colleen Merrick, Amy Scudder, and Tica Drury. Thank you to Wendy Pollock for your involvement in planning.

Summer in Art: Listening to the Land

In June, we hosted two artists—Allen Braden and Perri Lynch Howard—as a part of our beloved Meg Hunt Artist in Residence program. Allen, an author, professor, and poet; and Perri, a visual sound artist, brought their distinct, yet complementary mediums together to lead a sound-and-writing workshop for the community. The workshop began with a silent sound walk, where Perri guided us in listening more closely to the sounds of place with curiosity and nonjudgement. Afterwards, Allen led a poetry session in which we created postcards inspired by this attentive, place-based listening. 

We loved hosting Allen and Perri—their art reminded us of the many ways we can connect with the landscape of the Wrangells and how much creativity can emerge when you allow your senses to fully surrender to the land. We look forward to hosting two more artists in residence in 2026. 

Seasonal Rhythms and Celebrated Traditions

Whether you find yourself at one of our monthly open-mic–style word jams, a weekly bluegrass jam hosted by the Allgood Family Band, or a yoga class with Stephanie Sever, Katy Etterman, or Meg Seifert, the WMC continues to be a welcoming beacon in the community where anyone can show up, be heard, and tap into a spirit of thoughtful creativity and mind-body connection.

Of course, no summer would be complete without our annual traditions: the Spring Bird Walk with local naturalist Mark Vail; our Interdependence Day Pancake Fundraiser in collaboration with the McCarthy-Kennicott Historical Museum; our half-marathon and five-mile race with the Kennicott-McCarthy Recreation Alliance; and, of course, our renowned Storytelling Festival. We were also thrilled to once again welcome the Youth Geology Camp with WISE (Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment) onto our campus—each year it’s a joy to host this unique, immersive experience for local youth. We’re grateful for every one of these events and programs, and for the community partners who make them possible. 

For the curious: this year’s Storytelling Festival included a fish-meets-flora fable. The WMC staff dressed up as Alpine Plants of the Wrangells and performed a skit in which our host, Joey Boots-Ebenfield—playing a mischievous salmon—stole each plant’s unique adaptations, making the plants work together to reconcile with salmon and get their ‘powers’ back. The theme perfectly showcased our staff’s creativity and humor. The Old Hardware Store was packed, and our kitchen manager Anna Turysheva served a delicious meal of salmon chowder and other treats. Jasper Sheehan won the prize for his funny, heartfelt story, which he graciously donated to the WMC. A special thank-you to the Copper Nugget and Currant Ridge for sponsoring this event.

Celebrating Staff and Volunteers

Our busy summer could not have been possible without our wonderful staff and volunteers. A huge shoutout to our resident volunteers: Lisa Munniksma, Via Ruiz, and Andrew Dunmire. Lisa did an incredible job maintaining our gardens and facilities all summer with meticulous dedication, providing staff, students, and guests with fresh greens and vegetables. Via was an integral part of daily operations, bringing her humor and care to everything from chopping onions in the kitchen to helping build steps for her coworkers’ tent platforms. Andrew, joined by his trusty canine companion Cherise, added fun (and costumes!) to our summer while putting in steady work alongside our Facilities Specialist, Stephens Harper. 

Stephens tackled major facilities projects this season, installing a new greywater system with the help of Mike Truskowski and Tyler Boyes, rebuilding outhouses and tent platforms, and generally keeping things running smoothly with his level-headed, playful spirit. 

Our Programming Staff, Sabrina Simon and Audrey Brown, did an outstanding job planning events and managing daily operational logistics, ensuring that no details fell through the cracks and that everyone who stepped through our doors felt at home. 

In the kitchen, successive Kitchen Managers Tamara Murray and Anna Turysheva kept the heart of the WMC beating with delicious meals, homemade breads, and rhubarb treats from the garden. Anna’s kindness and generosity shone through in everything she did—from baking pies for the Field Studies Symposium and supporting the Potlatch, to preparing our annual salmon chowder fundraiser. 

Field studies crew Joey Boots-Ebenfield and George Wening, along with Kristin Link and Ben Shaine, supported events, facilities, and everything in between.

We are also deeply grateful for our local volunteers. Whether you joined a fun-filled workday party or stopped by for a few hours to lend a hand, your support means the world to us. A special shoutout goes to all-star Summer 2026 volunteer, Danny Rosenkrans.  

Our campus looked fantastic, our gardens thrived (thank you again, Lisa!), and despite being a small team, we had an incredible summer thanks to everyone’s passion, teamwork, and dedication to the WMC’s mission.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended our events, engaged with our programs, volunteered, and donated needed funds. Watch for our year-end fundraising drive and board match challenge to support our mission of connecting people with wildlands through art, science, and education.  

Thank you,

Wrangell Mountains Center 

Photo credits to: Andrew Dunmire, Lisa Munniksma, Joey Boots-Ebenfield, Sally Gibert, Audrey Brown, Sabrina Simon.

Thank you for supporting the Wrangell Mountains Center