Submitted by j.weis on Sat, 2015-06-06 13:41 Conservation West of The Rockies TU Teens Trout Magazine Southeast Alaska Vote Up Down +11 + 007_BB-RvrAcdmy_2015_0092.jpg Kulik Lodge from the air. Katmai National Park, Alaska. Photo by Rich Johnson By: Jenny Lynes [Day 1] As the instructors finish up lesson plans, students are en route to the Academy. Before we get started, here's an overview of a few Academy stats and figures. 1 Lodge. We're lucky enough to be at the lodge that pioneered Bristol Bay sportfishing - Kulik Lodge in Katmai National Park. It's set on a strip of land between Kulik and Nonvianuk Lakes and is beautiful as they come. We'll report back on the fishing soon! 2 Brown Bears sighted. It's only day one, folks! 3 Items Donated (per student) by Echo Fly Rods. First-time students will all learn to operate a new rod, reel, and line, and take them home at the end of the week! 4 Advanced Students. These dedicated students are back for their second year, and ready to complete the final steps leading to employment in the lodge industry. 5 Fish Species. Students will be looking to hook into (and safely release!) rainbows, lake trout, grayling, dolly varden and northern pike. 6 Plane Trips. Katmai Air is picking up students and instructors from around Bristol Bay, which requires six separate trips, and three planes! 006_BB-RvrAcdmy_2015_0089.jpg Flying over Nonvianuk Lake in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Photo by Rich Johnson 7 years. The Bristol Bay River & Guide Academy is now in its seventh season. During that time, we've had 66 graduates! 8 Instructors. Our instruction and support team comes from broad backgrounds and organizations including Trout Unlimited, Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust, Alaska Sportsman's Bear Trail Lodge, Alaska Fly Fishers, Alaska Trophy Fishing Safaris, Alaska Department of Fish & Game and the Conservation Fund. 9 Employed Students. Nine of our prior Academy graduates have gone on to work in sport fishing lodges in Bristol Bay. We hope to grow this number in 2015! 10 flies. By the end of the week, students are expected to prepare 10 hand-tied flies for their clients to use on Client Day. Plus any they want to fish with before then! 11 Students. This year's class comes from Ekowk, Dillingham, Illiamna, Nondalton, Togiak, King Salmon, Anchorage and Iguigig. They all have different backgrounds, skill levels and ages (14-26), but they are all ready to learn to become a sport fishing guide in Bristol Bay! (Pictures to come!) 12 Wonderful Supporters and Sponsors. Academy help in 2015 came from: Echo Fly Rods, Orvis, Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation, The Southcentral Alaska Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Alaska Fly Fishers, Bristol Bay Native Corporation, Trout Unlimited, Bureau of Land Management, Mossy's Fly Shop, University of Alaska Fairbanks - Bristol Bay Campus, Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust and the individual donations from a number of generous individuals and families. Thank you all for making this program possible for our 11 students! (Click here to see more about our sponsors.) Stay tuned on this blog and our facebook page throughout the week for updates from the students! ### Bristol Bay River & Guide Academy is a place-based river education course that fosters sustainable outdoor employment opportunities for Bristol Bay young people. Learn more at www.bristolbayriveracademy.org Jenny Lynes is the Communications & Online Advocacy Coordinator for Trout Unlimited's Alaska Program.