Wrangell's Spring Festival showcases wildlife viewing: migrating birds converge at Stikine River Delta.

• Author: Pounds, Nancy
• Position: Alaska This Month

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Near Wrangell, the Stikine River Garnet Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Each spring the fiver delta surges with thousands of shorebirds, eagles, snow geese and sandhill cranes, most stopping as part of their northbound migration.

This year's event runs Wednesday through Sunday, April 23-27, and features guest speakers, wildlife viewing and jet boat tours.

SMALL-TOWN GUMPTION

But the festival chiefly reflects a small town's spirit of unity and revival.

Founder Wilma Leslie recently recalled the festival's origins. In the mid-1990s, the sawmill closed and the Wrangell economy faltered, she said. Leslie remembered being inspired by Sharon Gaiptman, who worked for the state Division of Tourism. Gaiptman visited Wrangell to encourage economic growth and diversity from tourism in an era when the town couldn't rely on timber.

Leslie chose to honor the area's garnet-mining history, but the true longtime stars have been the animals. Each April, at the Stikine River Delta, up to 2,000 eagles feed on incoming hooligan, according to the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce Web site. Sea lions and harbor seals also follow the hooligan run--and orcas chase the sea lions and seals. The region also draws roughly 200,000 shorebirds, 15,000 snow geese and 10,000 sandhill cranes. More than 120 species of birds visit the delta every spring.

"The festival was founded on wildlife viewing," Leslie said. The first year Leslie tan the festival from her downtown gift shop.

In the early days, Leslie recognized that community members had little extra money to spend on events during hard economic times.

"I tried really hard to create free events," she said.

Leslie's favorite event provided Wrangell schoolchildren the opportunity to board jet boats for the 10-mile journey to the Stikine River Delta to view the wildlife. She cherishes memories of her daughter's elementary school field trips, especially since Brooke is now in college.

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The festival also honors the history of Garnet Ledge, also located on the river delta. In the early 1900s, the mine was operated by an all-woman crew, known as the Alaska Garnet Mining & Manufacturing Co. In 1962 the area was purchased and deeded to the Southeast Alaska Area Council to be used for Boy Scout adventures and children's garnet mining expeditions.

CHANGE IN THE AIR

The festival has grown from three days in 1997 to the current five-day...