• FWS Retirees Association 2026 Reunion

    September 21-24, 2026, Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage, Alaska

  • Registration Form

    Get ready for your Alaska Reunion trip! The following sections will lead you through registration, sign-ups for all the extras, and nearly all the information you will need. An exciting and packed week is planned. The highlights…

    The program includes Jim Kurth who was in the thick of things in Alaska for many years, presentations on current work of the Service, and an evening program about the Iditarod National Historic Trail and Sled Dog Race – yes there is a Service connection.

    Field trips to Seward, Alaska (including visits to the Alaska Sea Life Center and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center), the Alaska Native Heritage Center, the Anchorage Museum, and Hatcher Pass/Independence Mine State Park.

    Fundraising silent auction during the banquet on Thursday evening – bring your donations.

    All Reunion attendees are expected to be members of the Association in good standing, which means being current with dues. The first year is free and you can also use this form to sign up and pay your current annual dues ($25). In that same area on the form, you may also make a donation to support the Association and address unanticipated costs related to the Reunion.

    The Registration Fee for the Reunion is $40. The deadline for submitting this registration form and payment is August 15, 2026.

    Opening Reception, Field trips, the Greenwalt Walk for Wildlife and the Thursday evening banquet will involve additional costs for participation. Details on these are provided below.

    Our host hotel is the Hotel Captain Cook, 939 W 5th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501. Here is the booking link: Booking Link and the group code is: FWS Retirees Reunion. If you want to stay longer, subject to availability, the group rate is available before or after the reunion. You can call the hotel at 907-276-6000. Be sure to ask for “FWS Retirees Reunion” when you talk to the hotel. The group room rate is $199 per night plus taxes and fees. If you have any problems making reservations, please contact Helen Clough at 907-321-4004 or hcloughak@gmail.com. Please make your reservations as soon as possible. Parking at the hotel is $40 per day. Less expensive parking is available at nearby lots.

    Opening Reception, Speakers, programs and banquet will all be at the hotel.

    Anchorage International Airport is located about 5 miles from the hotel. The hotel does not provide a shuttle. Taxis and Ubers should be readily available. Taxis are located right outside of baggage claim. If you rent a car, note that hotel parking is available but is expensive and you may not need a car during the reunion. As noted above, less expensive parking lots are nearby the hotel.

    Please complete the entire registration portions below. If you need to clear the form and start over, click the "Clear Form" button near the bottom of the form.

     

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  • Reunion Special Events Selection

    Indicate below the special reunion events you and your spouse/partner/guest are planning to participate in.

  • Greenwalt Walk for Wildlife ($20/person) - Monday, September 21.  This year's Retirees Association Walk for Wildlife is scheduled for the first day of the Reunion, September 21, and will begin at 3:00 PM at the Hotel Captain Cook. From there we will walk to Westchester Lagoon. Participants can either catch a ride back from the Lagoon or walk back to the hotel. Most of the walk is along the Coastal Trail. The donation for participants is $20, and all donations will be presented to the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges (the friends group for all 16 Alaska refuges). The Walk is planned to be about two hours. For questions, please contact Board Member Lew Gorman (lew.gorman@yahoo.com).

  • Opening Reception ($40/person) - Monday, September 21.  We know, we are hitting you up for money for everything, but costs are high in Alaska and the reception will have great snacks and a cash bar. Unless you are really a big eater, the snacks will probably feed you dinner.

  • Field Trips -  We are offering several field trips at the Reunion.  Each is listed below:

  • Wednesday, September 23 Field Trips. Three trips are offered on Wednesday – the all-day trip to Seward, or two half-day trips (you could sign up for both) in the immediate Anchorage area. The two half-day trips are also available on Thursday along with another trip.

  • Seward All-Day Field Trip ($110/person, lunch is extra - see below).  An all-day field trip (bus will load at 7:30 a.m. and return to the hotel around 7:30 p.m.) A motorcoach (with restroom) will transport participants to Seward, Alaska via a very scenic drive with wildlife viewing opportunities along the way to visit the Alaska Sea Life Center for a special behind-the scenes tour. On the way back we will visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center near Girdwood. Box lunches will be provided for an additional fee of $18 each based on orders placed below in this form, or you may bring your own lunch.

  • Menu and info on box lunch for Seward trip only. Box lunch $18.00

    Sandwich – indicate choices for filling and bread.


    Filling: Roast beef & Cheddar, Turkey & Swiss, Ham & Swiss or Chicken Salad
    Bread: Whole Wheat, White, Jumbo croissant, or Gluten free

    Lunch also includes lettuce and tomato, Potato Chips, Fresh Baked Cookies, Carrot Sticks w/Ranch Dip, Bottle Water, Napkin, Mint, Mustard & Mayo Packet.

    Additional beverages will be provided on the bus.

  • Alaska Native Heritage Center Field Trip (morning, $35/person).  At 8:45 a.m. a van will shuttle participants 6 miles to the Alaska Native Heritage Center and will depart to return to the hotel at noon. Just minutes from downtown Anchorage, the Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) is Alaska's premier cultural destination representing all Alaska Native peoples. More than a museum, ANHC is a vibrant living cultural center where you can discover the traditions, languages, and arts of Alaska Native cultures through live cultural programming and exhibitions. Explore life-sized Village Sites and learn from dynamic exhibits in the Hall of Cultures. Enjoy cultural demonstrations and performances on the Gathering Place stage. Watch short films and documentaries in the Theater, shop for authentic Alaska Native art in the Ch'k'iqadi Gallery or from Alaska Native artist vendors on-site.

  • Anchorage Museum (afternoon, $35/person).  At 1:30 p.m. a van will shuttle participants the short distance to the Anchorage Museum. Return transportation will be available at 4:30 p.m. Visit the permanent exhibits including the largest and longest loan made by the Smithsonian Institution. The Living Our Cultures exhibition has brought more than 600 Alaska Native cultural heritage pieces to their homelands and provides access for hands-on study by Alaska Native Elders, artists, educators and scholars. The Alaska exhibition tells the story of Alaska through multiple voices and perspectives reflecting the ingenuity, technology, ways of knowing and intimate understanding of the landscape that have allowed people to survive and thrive across the North. A special exhibit invites visitors aboard a recreated section of the University of Alaska Fairbanks research vessel Sikuliaq, highlighting the role of science and the people behind it in deepening our understanding of the Arctic marine ecosystem.

  • Thursday, September 24 Field Trips

  • Hatcher Pass/Independence Mine - approximately 6-7 hours ($75/person plus lunch).  Your van will leave from the hotel at 8:00 a.m. to travel to the Hatcher Pass area north of Anchorage. Along the way you will see magnificent scenery and climb up into the alpine seeing various habitats along the way. You will visit the Independence Mine State Park. We will either stop in Palmer to pick up lunch goodies at a local grocery or if it is open, have lunch at an on-site lodge. You will return via a very scenic drive through Willow (at one time was planned as capital city for Alaska) and be back at the hotel in plenty of time to get ready for the banquet.

  • Alaska Native Heritage Center Field Trip (morning, $35/person).  At 8:45 a.m. a van will shuttle participants 6 miles to the Alaska Native Heritage Center and will depart to return to the hotel at noon. Just minutes from downtown Anchorage, the Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) is Alaska's premier cultural destination representing all Alaska Native peoples. More than a museum, ANHC is a vibrant living cultural center where you can discover the traditions, languages, and arts of Alaska Native cultures through live cultural programming and exhibitions. Explore life-sized Village Sites and learn from dynamic exhibits in the Hall of Cultures. Enjoy cultural demonstrations and performances on the Gathering Place stage. Watch short films and documentaries in the Theater, shop for authentic Alaska Native art in the Ch'k'iqadi Gallery or from Alaska Native artist vendors on-site.

  • Anchorage Museum (afternoon, $35/person).  At 1:30 p.m. a van will shuttle participants the short distance to the Anchorage Museum. Return transportation will be available at 4:30 p.m. Visit the permanent exhibits including the largest and longest loan made by the Smithsonian Institution. The Living Our Cultures exhibition has brought more than 600 Alaska Native cultural heritage pieces to their homelands and provides access for hands-on study by Alaska Native Elders, artists, educators and scholars. The Alaska exhibition tells the story of Alaska through multiple voices and perspectives reflecting the ingenuity, technology, ways of knowing and intimate understanding of the landscape that have allowed people to survive and thrive across the North. A special exhibit invites visitors aboard a recreated section of the University of Alaska Fairbanks research vessel Sikuliaq, highlighting the role of science and the people behind it in deepening our understanding of the Arctic marine ecosystem.

  • Banquet - Thursday evening - Hotel Captain Cook ($85.00/person).  The banquet will be a buffet with salads, starches, vegetables, entrée, and a selection of desserts. There will also be a cash bar. The Banquet speaker will be Jim Kurth who will share information from his time in Alaska, including as manager of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 

  • Fees, Donations and Dues

    The section below is where you enter your payments for the choices you made in the sections above. In addition to entering your fees for one-time Reunion Registration, the Greenwalt Walk for Wildlife, Reception, Field Trips, and the Banquet, you may also choose to make an optional voluntary donation to the Association in any whole dollar amount. You may also join the Association or choose to renew your Sustaining Membership status if you are not yet a member or up to date with your dues. All Retiree conference attendees are expected to be Sustaining Members up to date with their dues.

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                                      • Oral History Opportunities at the Reunion

                                        Our reunions provide excellent opportunities to record oral histories of former FWS employees' careers. Some of our oral history interviewers will be attending the Reunion and could arrange to interview you and record (audio tape) the stories of your career. After your oral history is transcribed into a written narrative, these make excellent gifts for your children or grandchildren! If you want to reserve a date/time to provide your oral history (approximately one hour), please check YES below! Someone from the FWS's History Commitee will contact you to schedule an appointment at the Reunion.

                                      • Submit Form and Pay

                                        In this section of the registration form you can submit your form, and if you selected to pay your fees, donations or dues as chosen in the "Fees, Donations and Dues" section above, and you select to pay by credit card below, you will be taken to our PayPal secure service.  You can also print your registration form and mail a check if you prefer, instead of paying by credit card.  That is explained further below.  Please read through this entire section before completing your payment.

                                        You can click on the "Print Form" button at the bottom if you would like to print a copy of your completed form.  If you pay by credit card you will receive a receipt from PayPal. You should also receive an e-mail from Jotform summarizing your responses on the form with an attached invoice/receipt from the Retirees Association.  If you did not receive the e-mail containing your responses on the form and the invoice/receipt from the Retirees Association, and you would like to receive those, contact treasurer@fwsretirees.org.

                                        If you would like to submit your form online and make payments by credit card, click the "Submit" button below, and you will be taken to the PayPal website. If you have a PayPal account you may use it to make your payment. You should also see a choice to pay by credit or debit card instead of paying from a PayPal account, but you may need to scroll down a bit to see that choice.  If you click the "Submit" button by mistake or change your mind, you should be able to get back to this form by using the "back" button in your web browser before completing your payment.  You could also cancel the payment by closing the browser tab for the payment.  If you do either of those you will need to start over with filling out the registration form again. After you complete your payment in PayPal you should be taken to a "Thank You" page, and you will be done and you can close the browser tab or window.

                                        If you would like to pay by check, click the "Print Form" button below, then mail the printed form with your check to:

                                         

                                        FWS Retirees Association

                                        Patrick Martin, Treasurer

                                        5104 W 295th St

                                        Louisburg KS 66053

                                         

                                        If you mail a check we will send you a receipt by either e-mail or regular mail. Let us know your preference in the box below.

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                                      • For questions regarding:

                                        Registration form and payment by mail - Patrick Martin, Treasurer, ‭913-212-0725‬, treasurer@fwsretirees.org

                                        Greenwalt Walk for Wildlife - Lew Gorman, 856-952-6970, lew.gorman@yahoo.com

                                        General Reunion Information - Helen Clough, ‭hcloughak@gmail.com or 907-321-4004 or Robin West, robinnoteast@gmail.com or 541-787-0938.  Remember Alaska is 4 hours earlier than Eastern Time.

                                         

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