AITRC in Education!

Education is at the heart of the Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission’s work and is guided by a long-term goal of growing our own—supporting Ahtna youth and community members in becoming the next generation of natural resource professionals, leaders, and stewards.

Through hands-on learning, culturally grounded programming, and strong community partnerships, AITRC connects traditional knowledge with Western science to teach about fish, wildlife, land, and water stewardship across Ahtna Territory. Our education efforts emphasize local relevance, real-world experience, and career pathways in natural resource management.

Community Events

Tribal Gov

Salmon in the Classroom

Elementary School!

K–5 Weekly Science Lessons.

AITRC partnered with Glennallen Elementary School to provide hands-on science lessons that connected students to the land, water, and wildlife of the Ahtna Territory. Through interactive activities and age-appropriate lessons, students learned about salmon life cycles, wildlife habitats, watersheds, and seasonal changes. These experiences helped build early curiosity, environmental awareness, and respect for subsistence resources, laying the foundation for lifelong stewardship.

Students extracted DNA from a strawberry as part of a DNA, Cell, and characteristics of life lesson!

Teaching kids about scientific method and chemical changes!

Students learned the different types of salmon and had to guess which type was on their backs by "yes" or "no" questions!

Middle School!

Fish Dissection.

AITRC staff facilitated a fetal moose dissection in collaboration with the Copper River School District. The moose was salvaged after a vehicle collision, and the fetal moose was donated for educational and scientific purposes. Glennallen High School Biology teacher Jake Willamon led the lab, which included students from the school’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) club, Biology class, and Agriculture class. Students identified parts of the rumen stomach, examined key organs, and collected samples for AITRC’s ongoing Moose Health Study. This hands-on learning experience connected classroom lessons to real-world wildlife research and local subsistence knowledge.

Learning external anatomty

Hanging salmon to smoke

Learning how to jar your salmon in a pressure cooker

High School!

Salmon Smoking and Canning Workshops.

AITRC teamed up with Glennallen High School’s Agriculture class for a three-day salmon canning course led by AITRC’s Education & Outreach Coordinator Bailey Roberts, Tribal Stewardship Coordinator David Miller, and Ecologist Kelsey Stanbro.

Over the three days, students brined and smoked salmon, then cut, jarred, and pressure-cooked it—learning how traditional preservation methods connect with modern food safety practices.

A big thank-you to Starr and Dusty Knighten for leading the brining session and to Bruce Cain for sharing his smokehouse for the class. We’re proud to see youth learning the skills that keep our communities strong, connected, and self-reliant. This course was made possible through funding from NPS.

Learning how to cut and jar your salmon

Starr and Dusty Knighten teaching how to do a dry brine

Learning how to jar your salmon in a pressure cooker

Fish & Wildlife Techniques Course.

AITRC hosted a 1-credit Fish and Wildlife Techniques course for Copper River School District biology students, providing hands-on training in fish and wildlife research. Over two months, students participated in field activities, guest lectures, and applied science lessons designed to grow local technicians and connect classroom learning to real-world work.

During the Monitoring Wildlife Populations unit, students learned non-invasive research methods, including bear hair snare techniques led by Wildlife Biologist Sterling Spilinek and Ecologist Kelsey Stanbro. Students built snares, collected samples, and practiced accurate data recording.

Students also gained experience with radio telemetry and navigation tools, using receivers, GPS devices, and written directions to locate field targets and strengthen problem-solving skills.

In addition, students conducted stream and water quality assessments, measuring factors such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and turbidity to understand how healthy waters support fish and wildlife.

Through this course, AITRC strengthened pathways to careers in natural resource management by combining science, field experience, and community stewardship.

Learning how to strip your salmon to hang

Hanging salmon to smoke

Learning how to jar your salmon in a pressure cooker

Fetal Moose Necropsy.

Learning how to strip your salmon to hang

Hanging salmon to smoke

Learning how to jar your salmon in a pressure cooker

Dual-Enrollment Biology.

Kelsey Stanbro, AITRC’s Ecologist, is taught a dual-enrollment biology course for Copper River School District students. This 1-credit class is embedded in their General Biology course, giving students the chance to earn college credit while building hands-on skills in fish and wildlife biology.

The class traveled to Valdez for a day of field learning. Their visit began at the Solomon Gulch Hatchery, where staff shared operations, guided a tour of the facility, and pointed out sea lions gathered at the weir—an up-close look at marine mammals interacting with a hatchery.

Next, students visited Prince William Sound College, where Kelsey led a salmon dissection and introduced AITRC’s sampling protocols. Students explored salmon anatomy, learned about parasites that can impact fish health, and saw how ecological data collection connects with sustaining wild salmon populations.

Special thanks to Rob Unger and the Solomon Gulch Hatchery team for welcoming the class and providing the salmon that made this unique experience possible!

Learning how to strip your salmon to hang

Hanging salmon to smoke

Learning how to jar your salmon in a pressure cooker

College!

PWSC Conservation Class.

AITRC staff joined Prince William Sound College’s Conservation of Natural Resources class to share hands-on research and field techniques used in fish and wildlife management.

Ecologist Kelsey Stanbro led students through a salmon dissection, introducing AITRC’s sampling protocols used to monitor parasites in Copper River salmon. Through this activity, students learned about fish anatomy, ecosystem health, and the importance of scientific sampling in sustainable resource management.

Wildlife Biologist Sterling Spilinek also worked with students to demonstrate non-invasive wildlife monitoring methods, including hair traps and mark–recapture techniques used in AITRC’s GMU 13 bear study. Students gained practical experience with tools used to study wildlife populations and habitat use.

These hands-on lessons connected classroom learning to real-world conservation work and helped students build skills for future careers in natural resource management. Thank you to Rob Unger and the Solomon Gulch Hatchery staff for providing the salmon that made this experience possible.

Learning how to strip your salmon to hang

Hanging salmon to smoke

Learning how to jar your salmon in a pressure cooker

PWSC Occupational Endorsement Certificate.

Wildlife Biologist, Sterling Spilinek, teaches hair trap and mark recapture techniques, that were used during AITRC’s GMU13 bear hair snare study, to students in Prince William Sound College's (PWSC) Occupational Endorsement Certificate (OEC) in Natural Resource Technician program

Learning how to strip your salmon to hang

Hanging salmon to smoke

Learning how to jar your salmon in a pressure cooker

Wolf Necropsy.

As part of our Wolf Capture and Collar Project, Sterling (Wildlife Biologist), Kelsey (Ecologist), and Trevor and Ethan (Wildlife Technicians) traveled to Fairbanks this past week to complete a wolf necropsy. This partnership between UAF Vet Medicine and AITRC gave the vet students and AITRC staff valuable experience observing a necropsy and talking through the findings. The wolf, which had been monitored via GPS collar, was found after its location data indicated no movement.