In a world of shrinking glaciers, that yet another is melting hardly seems newsworthy. But the imminent retreat of the massive Taku Glacier near Juneau, Alaska, which until recently was still growing, is an exception. And while it does mark another unhappy milestone in the ongoing climate crisis, it also prompts thinking about how the glacier’s retreat will soon reshape the ecology of the Taku River valley. Paradoxical to its grim associations, the shrinking of the Taku Glacier will create new habitat for local wildlife, and bring fresh opportunities for recreation and science. The Taku Glacier, called T’aaḵú Ḵwáan Sít’i in the Tlingit language, lies within the traditional homeland of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. Winding 55 kilometers from the Juneau Icefield, the glacier forms a sprawling lobe beside the mouth of the Taku River, a biologically abundant waterway that cleaves its way to the Alaska coast from the mountains of British Columbia. Although the glacier has retreated in past centuries, it has been steadily advancing since the late 19th century.