The Bristol Bay Fly Fishing & Guide Academy hopes to educate, engage and inspire Bristol Bay young adults to become local leaders in river stewardship and prepare them for jobs based on healthy fish in their home rivers. The Academy launched in 2008 with a 4-day program attended by nine students from local villages and led by founders, Luki Akelkok and Tim Troll, and lead instructor and local lodge owner Nanci Morris Lyon. The academy has now hosted 10 classes of students, many of whom now work at lodges in the Bristol Bay region.
Young people interested in the academy can apply for the 2019 Class before April 15, 2019.
To learn more about the academy, visit their website at bristolbayriveracademy.org
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Video and Story by Valerie Kern
Music by Starship Amazing and FirstCom
Additional GoPro Footage provided by Lance Hankins
Special Thanks to Bear Trail Lodge and Trout Unlimited.
Originally from the Central Coast of California, Valerie joined Alaska Public Media in July 2017. She creates original video content for the station's TV and digital platforms while also overseeing the Production Department. Before moving to Alaska, Valerie worked as an ENG Editor at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also served in the U.S. Air Force as a TV and Radio Broadcast Journalist where she traveled around Europe, Africa, The Baltics, Australia, and the Southern United States reporting on military events, exercises, and missions. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, backcountry skiing, backpacking, yoga, and traveling.
