Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
July 2026
Potter Marsh Discovery Day
When my co-worker, Marian Snively, armed me with a digital camera and asked me to patrol Potter Marsh Discovery Day to search for the best shots to showcase, I had no idea what to expect.
But I was ready and willing, and I accepted the mission.
Potter Marsh Discovery Day is an annual early June event that draws hundreds of families to this popular Anchorage wetlands, part of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge. Snively, a Wildlife Educator with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, has helped organize the event for several years. Initially, I thought it might just be a few booths where ADF&G would highlight information on bird watching, local furbearers, and maybe some information on fish species in the marsh. My first hint to the contrary came via email from Snively herself—an internal department memo that mentioned event highlights such as a live porcupine, fish in a tank, and a falcon! I didn’t think any of our staff had those on hand, so I realized I might be walking into a bigger scene than I had imagined. And then, before I consciously realized it, I had in mind a secondary mission to find and photograph those representatives of Alaska's wildlife.
I arrived at the mission locale (Potter Marsh) a couple hours ahead of opening with my primary objective in mind. I left my implement of choice (the camera) in my car and went ahead to lend a hand to my colleagues as they began setting up their booths and activities. The day’s biggest obstacle was apparent immediately: high winds kept blasting across the parking lot, ruining haircuts, wardrobes, and any attempt we made at setting up signs. It wasn’t bad enough to consider canceling, but it was enough to necessitate some changes in plans. Any attempt to set up tents for shade against the sun was abandoned and all booths that were originally planned for the boardwalk were promptly relocated to a woodsy clearing adjacent to the marsh. Everyone buckled their boots, armed their belts with tape, and set up in their new locations with fresh determination!
Finally, noon rolled around and I went to grab my own equipment from my car, ready for my original mission to scour the scene for stills. It was only then, as I returned from my car and took in the number and variety of booths that were finally presentable, that I realized how much was going on at this event! Close to 30 booths were there: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Bureau of Land Management, the Alaska Zoo, the National Parks Association, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, and many others. Slowly, I pulled my camera out of its sheath (okay, it was just a backpack) and embarked on my mission!
I was able to ascertain a greater lay of the land as I re-approached the scene. While the wind never let up, the sun was shining full force (was it warm out? Cold? No one could seem to decide), and sounds varying between families chattering and educational interpretations from event staff drifted about my ears. There were no food vendors and nothing for sale that I could see, but this did nothing to lessen the crowds, as people were focused on the free curios being handed out by many booths and by the plethora of animal encounters and outdoor experiences being offered.
As I made my way down the wooded path and into the opening where most of the booths were set up, the first of my subconscious objectives came to light. There, shrouded among a group of curious families and investigative children, guarded and carefully watched over by an attentive and informative spokesperson, was about the spikiest bundle with legs and eyes that I had ever seen. It was also remarkably cute. The booth in question belonged to the Alaska Zoo, which made sense as the most appropriate organization to offer a porcupine for general public viewing. As I gazed upon the lazy little animal, which shuffled around its spacious, comfortable enclosure of plastic walls to drink some water, I realized to myself that I absolutely needed to find that fish tank and, most importantly, the rumored falcon as well.
And so, I scoured the event booths from top to bottom. I went from the forested walkway, which featured the Bureau of Land Management showcasing inert bear spray demonstrations, to the far end of the main clearing, where ADF&G had set up an archery range with targets, bows, arrows and free lessons, and to the other side of the clearing, where the Alaska Trappers Association and Bird Treatment and Learning setups had spectacular arrays of animal bones and furs on display for people to touch, feel, and learn about species anatomy. But alas—no fish tank and no falcon. Had the email been erroneous? Was my personal mission in vain?
Then it occurred to me what had transpired when I first arrived: Heavy winds had forced the event to shift, moving nearly all booths off the Potter Marsh boardwalk and into the forested areas. What if not everything had, in fact, moved? With new inspiration, I sped away from the crowded booths and embarked up onto the boardwalk. It did not take long. The aquarium in question was situated snugly on one arm of the boardwalk, somewhat out of the way from the rest of the event. Maintained by ADF&G fisheries biologist Taylor Cubbage, it showcased a school of tiny fish representative of species habituating in the marsh, all no bigger than my finger, darting energetically around in the water. Cubbage informed me that the tank included several threespine sticklebacks, two Dolly Varden char, and one juvenile coho salmon.
My final prize came shortly thereafter. As I left the boardwalk back to the parking lot, I discovered that a new booth had been established: the Alaska Falconers Association. A young woman stood nearby, finger held up at shoulder level with a surprisingly small, fist-sized falcon perched atop. She drew a large crowd who were all excited about the exotic guest and she discussed her experiences, the practice of raising falcons, and how it helps with conservation efforts.
With all my goals accomplished, I felt proud of being part of such an event and amazed at the diversity of organizations present. It was such an opportunity to engage with real wildlife, learn about environmental conservation, and see so many partners involved in the same mission.
Learn more about Potter Marsh Discovery Day and the marsh it’s named after here.
Ben Henning is a publications specialist with the Division of Wildlife Conservation at ADF&G, where he edits and publishes technical reports on species conservation. In his free time, Ben works on various personal writing projects and loves spending time outdoors on mountain peaks so he can feel a little like a wizard!
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