Five Reasons to Be at Confluence in Cordova

11th Annual Confluence Summit | September 22–24, 2026 | Cordova, Alaska

Confluence is coming to Cordova September 22–24, bringing together people working across outdoor recreation, tourism, economic and community development, conservation, health, transportation and public lands.

It’s intentionally a little different from a traditional conference. There will be plenty to learn, but the real value comes from getting people who don’t always work in the same circles together to compare notes, connect resources and work through challenges that rarely fit neatly within one agency, funding program or sector. If you’re still deciding whether to make the trip, here are five reasons to come.

1. Find resources—and new ways to pay for the things your community needs

Funding a good project is rarely as simple as finding the right grant. Trails, trailheads, marinas, boat launches, parks, active transportation and other community infrastructure often deliver benefits across multiple sectors while the funding to build them remains stubbornly siloed.

At Confluence, we’re bringing communities together with people who understand the programs and systems that can help turn projects into reality. Some of the resources we’ll be talking about include:

Resource	Programs & opportunities
Alaska State Parks & Outdoor Recreation	Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF); Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP)
Alaska DOT&PF	Multi-Use Trails/RTP; Active Transportation; how projects make their way into the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)
Alaska Department of Fish & Game	Pittman-Robertson Hunter Access; Dingell-Johnson/Boating & Angler Access; other opportunities to improve access to Alaska’s lands and waters
Health resources	State-administered federal health initiatives and opportunities to connect outdoor infrastructure with prevention, wellness and rural health
Alaska Legislature & Governor	CAPSIS and Alaska’s capital budget process
Congress	Congressionally Directed Spending and other federal funding opportunities

These aren't theoretical funding streams. For example, ADF&G uses Pittman-Robertson funding for access projects including trails, roads, parking, campgrounds, boat launches and bridges, while Dingell-Johnson funding supports recreational boating and sport-fishing access.

DOT&PF now administers the former Recreational Trails Program as the Multi-Use Trails Program, and its current grant round can reimburse up to 90 percent of eligible costs. (Alaska DOT&PF) And the timing matters: applications are currently open for both LWCF and Multi-Use Trails, making Confluence an opportunity to talk with people who understand these programs while applicants are actively developing projects.

But the bigger question isn't just:

“Which grant fits my project?”

It's:

“Which combination of resources could make this project possible?”

Alaska Municipal League will help lead a conversation about how we can better braid funding across transportation, health, recreation, economic development and other sectors—rather than asking communities to cobble projects together one silo at a time.

Come with a project, a problem or even an idea.

2. Make the case for outdoor infrastructure as health infrastructure

Here’s a number that caught our attention: 66 Alaska Rural Health Transformation proposals included recreation infrastructure. That suggests communities already understand something our funding systems don’t always recognize: trails, parks, recreation facilities and access to the outdoors can be part of the infrastructure that helps keep people and communities healthy. Confluence will dig into what that recognition could mean for future investment—and what becomes possible when we stop treating recreation, transportation, health and community development as completely separate conversations.

3. Get into conversations you probably won’t have anywhere else

We’ll livecast the Governor's Candidate Forum on Outdoors and Tourism, followed by conversation about what we heard and what it could mean for Alaska communities.

Alaska Conservation Foundation will host a listening session exploring blue ocean economy futures, connected to its Kelp Values work. State agencies and other resource partners will be there to talk directly with attendees about programs, projects and opportunities.

Confluence is deliberately small and interactive. Expect fewer long presentations and more chances to ask questions, exchange ideas and make connections that continue after everyone goes home.

4. Look at the outdoors through an economic-development lens

Outdoor recreation and tourism don’t exist in their own little corner of Alaska’s economy. They intersect with small business, workforce attraction and retention, transportation, community health, quality of life and economic diversification. That makes Confluence relevant well beyond the traditional outdoor recreation crowd. If you work for a chamber of commerce, tourism organization, municipality or economic development organization—or serve on a local commission—come explore how outdoor assets can do more for the communities around them, and learn from people across Alaska tackling many of the same questions.

5. Put the Regenerative Outdoors Vision Project Into Action.

More than 100 Alaskans from Nome to Ketchikan joined this year’s Regenerative Outdoors Visioning Project, tackling infrastructure, livelihoods, health, stewardship, governance, storytelling and better ways to measure success. At Confluence, we move from conversation to application: pressure-test what we heard, identify what’s missing and help build a practical framework and toolkit for Alaska communities, businesses and organizations.

Come help make it useful.

Early Bird registration ends August 31

If Confluence sounds like a place where your work, your community or your ideas belong, now is the time to register. Early Bird registration ends Aug. 31, and travel and lodging in Cordova are limited. Confluence runs from September 22 at 4 p.m. through the afternoon of September 24.

Join us in Cordova. Bring a project, a question or a challenge—and come ready to find out who and what might help move it forward.

Everything you Need to Book at a Glance:

Register online today and save!

Alaska Airlines discount code ECMQ383

Book lodging held for this event through this Cordova Chamber Lodging Matchmaker form. If you try to book on your own, it may seem like there's no lodging but there is! Just use this form.

Agenda

Looks Who's Coming LINK