ALASKA—Clouds parted in Cordova, Alaska, for a day of celebration and the culmination of the town’s annual Iceworm Festival on Saturday, Feb. 5.

Cordova Ranger District staff, Chugach National Forest, joined a line of 15 floats parading down the road highlighting the festivals 2022 theme, “Ahoy!” The pirate-themed float joined the fleet with Smokey Bear sitting in the “crow’s nest” of the district’s 16-foot airboat. He was joined by his first mate Ruby Red Salmon. Smokey gazed through an over-sized telescope looking at the crowd gathered along main street.

Cordova’s Iceworm Festival has been a local tradition since 1961. It was created by a few Cordovans to lift the spirits of those experiencing the winter blues. Its mission is “to bring together friends, old and new, through rich and diverse community events, that celebrate our strength, history, and creativity.” The district always enjoys the challenge of connecting the forest to each year’s theme.

Towing Smokey’s airboat ship and crew was a flatbed truck decked out as a national forest, complete with a 12-foot hemlock, deer and ducks. This little haven of “public land’ was embellished with every manner of recreational equipment available—including a boat, a bike, snowshoes, skis, a few fishing rods and a dip net. Smokey’s banner, reminding people to help prevent wildfires, waved boldly from ship’s mast in the gentle wind blowing between storms.

As the forest likeness passed midpoint of the parade, an announcer exclaimed over the sound system, “The Chugach National Forest says, ‘Public Land, Ho!’ Covering 5.4 million acres and 500 trail miles of public land, landlubbers and scallywags alike can enjoy the Chugach National Forest for days upon end. For swashbucklers who crave the briny deep, Prince William Sound is the place to set sail. Your sea legs will come in handy exploring remote islands, deep fjords, and the Copper River Delta. It’s Captain Smokey Bear in the crow’s nest watching all ye fine hearties, along with First Mate Ruby Red Salmon, urging ye adventurous sorts that Chugach National Forest is the place to go!”

For years, the district has played a key role in facilitating activities for the event. From survival suit races and public programs to informational displays and iceworm-themed challenges along Haystack Trail’s Agents of Discovery Mission, the district employees always go all out to celebrate their connection with the community of Cordova. The Chugach National Forest is a place to recreate, explore, and build new friendships—and where nature, people, and tradition come together.