Stewardship in the Prince William Sound | Ellen Ray, Barbara Lydon, and Charla Hughes

Ellen Ray, Barbara Lydon, and Charla Hughes discuss stewardship projects completed and planned by Chugach National Forest and Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation, including marine debris, trail work, invasive species mitigation, and the Voices of the Wilderness artist residency program. Ellen Ray works for the Chugach National Forest Wilderness Program. She first arrived on the Chugach in 2019 as a Wilderness Fellow with the Society for Wilderness Stewardship. During this time, she developed a deep appreciation for public lands management, especially in Prince William Sound. She moved into her current Forest Service position as Wilderness Specialist on the Glacier Ranger District in 2022, where she works as the program’s data steward and helps lead fieldwork projects. She is grateful to help manage such a special region. Barbara Lydon has worked as a U.S. Forest Service Wilderness Specialist since 2007, beginning her career on the Tongass National Forest and transferring to the Chugach National Forest in 2011. She works out of the Girdwood Glacier Ranger District office supporting stewardship projects and providing education to recreationists and users in the Nellie Juan-College Fiord Wilderness Study Area. Barbara also coordinates the Voices of the Wilderness artist residency program, a statewide program that hosts artists in a wilderness capacity and engages them in projects that support wild, public lands. Charla Hughes is the Executive Director of the Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation. She joined PWSSF in 2021 after a decade in academia. Charla has a Ph.D. in English from Louisiana State University, and her writing, on everything from mid-century American poetry to backpacker fashion, has appeared in various popular and academic publications. _____________________________________________________________ Watch a playlist of the whole 2026 Natural History Symposium at:    • 2026 Natural History Symposium - FULL EVEN...   Find out more about Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation: https://www.princewilliamsound.org/do... Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation is an Alaska-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that came together around a shared love of Prince William Sound. We coordinate and support projects such as beach clean-ups, invasive species control, site restoration, public education, and much more. We accomplish our work through fundraising, partnership development, and our growing volunteer network, and we work closely with the Chugach National Forest and other Prince William Sound stakeholders.