Finn Newman (Summer 2023)
My time at KWF started with the ritual Costco trip and then the long ride from Anchorage to Soldotna. Though that memory is a blur for me at this point, I remember staring out the window in awe as the Chugach mountains and Kenai River flashed in the window of the Red Tacoma. My experience with the Stream Watch program and the Kenai Watershed Forum was extremely eye-opening and opened the door for many amazing adventures and career opportunities.
The most memorable day for me was our second day in Alaska, when Matt, Brandon, and I went to the Russian River campground and put up habitat fencing along the river. It was a beautiful day, with blue skies, snow still on the mountains, and the campground deserted. Meeting everyone in the Pink Salmon parking area, I knew that everyone had a deep, deep love for the river and the fish that call the river home, and I knew I was in good hands.
The rest of the summer has been an absolute blast. Every day at work was something new and exciting, from working with our amazing, dedicated volunteers, to restoring the bank of Soldotna Creek. I loved working with the summer camp, trapping baby salmon to discover unmapped salmon habitat, working with the Forest Service at the Russian River, and connecting with new, amazing people every day. Stream Watch gives you the opportunity to meet every kind of person who comes to enjoy the river, including anglers, hikers, bear researchers, photographers, hunters, and guides. The people I’ve met through this internship are some of the most inspiring I have ever met. This internship allowed me to get a fuller picture of Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula than I could have at any other organization. I engaged with all sorts of stakeholders and user groups to work out how to best manage the river, connected with people to let them know the regulations, and educated visitors on the importance of healthy rivers. Stream Watch provides an invaluable service, connecting people with the land and river through stewardship and volunteering for the good of the ecosystem. I’m extremely proud to have been part of Stream Watch and of the work we did for the peninsula! The difference that Stream Watch makes is truly inspiring. It is a perfect example of what can come from people who care for and are concerned about the health of a river, and I hope to see more like Stream Watch elsewhere in the future.
In my time off, I backpacked from Hope to Cooper Landing (40 miles!), hiked to an abandoned military fort on Resurrection Bay (Caines Head), crossed a glacial outflow on a hand tram (Grewingk Glacier), and caught sockeye salmon out of the Russian River, among many, many other hijinks. Everyone at KWF was happy to assist in planning trips, giving advice, and even lending equipment. I’ve been extremely lucky to work somewhere that cares so much for all of their employees and seasonal staff, and I would definitely love to come back to the peninsula and to KWF.
Matthew Maguire (Summer 2023)
The time I’ve spent with the Kenai Watershed Forum has been one of the most eye–opening experiences of my life. I came to Alaska to gain a better understanding of fisheries management while also trying to grow my professional network and resume. The Stream Watch program provided me with all of those opportunities.
KWF was full of surprises. I was able to spend some time helping with water quality sampling, fish trapping (and fishing at the sites), as well as spending time working with KWF’s summer camp. All of these experiences introduced me to many different career avenues that I hope will help me professionally.
The Kenai Peninsula has become one of my favorite places on the planet. My first day of work was spent on the Russian River and I immediately fell in love with the fiddlehead ferns and massive rainbow trout.
I regretfully have to go back to school but, to the future interns and visitors, prepared for one of the best summers of your life.
Katrina Danzinger (Summer 2023)
Since I’ve started at the Kenai Watershed Forum, I’ve met hard working coworkers, passionate volunteers, new friends, and created lasting memories. Living in Alaska has provided me with an experience that fuels my interests in conservation and restoration while actually presenting opportunities to make a difference. As an environmental science intern, my daily activities varied greatly from day to day. Hopping from one project to another – even in the same day – is part of the enjoyment of a workplace like this. One such instance is the field work I’ve done on the salmon habitat mapping project.
In the salmon habitat mapping project, we used minnow traps to capture, identify, and release the juvenile fish in local streams. Areas of interest can include culverts at ends of previously documented streams and lakes, as well as undocumented bodies of water. Enough salmonids caught can provide sufficient documentation of a stream or lake to be classified as salmon-bearing, or “anadromous”. During the time that I’ve been at the Watershed Forum, we’ve been able to gather evidence for over three miles of new anadromous waters on the Kenai Peninsula. This work is meaningful to me, because I know that I am providing for a community that is mindful of their impact towards salmon habitat.
Although days as a watershed intern were full, there were still weekends to get out and explore what Alaska has to offer. There were many places to traverse on the peninsula to fill a weekend – from pack rafting near Swan Lake, fishing in the Kasilof river, and hiking at Caines Head – I never had trouble finding something to do! Fair warning to those coming in the future – be prepared, you just might not want to leave.
Spring 2023 Kenai River Water Quality Sampling Results Available
Kenai Watershed Forum has received all laboratory results from it’s Spring 2023 Baseline Water Quality Monitoring. The results are currently being prepared for upload to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Quality Exchange, a pubic data repository for water quality data.
The results are preliminary have not yet been subject to QA/QC checks or analyzed against water quality standards; we expect to complete this by Winter 2024.
We worked with two laboratories in Spring 2023:
1.) Soldotna Wastewater Treatment Plant – SWWTP provided analyses of Total Suspended Solids and Fecal Coliform:
Download Spring 2023 Total Suspended Solids results
Download Spring 2023 Fecal Coliform results
2.) SGS Laboratories, Anchorage – SGS provided analyses of all other substances monitored in Spring 2023, including nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, and metals like zinc, copper, lead, and others:
Download Spring 2023 Metals and Nutrients results
For questions about 2023 water quality results, contact Benjamin Meyer, Water Quality Coordinator. Thank you again to all the participants and volunteers who made this event happen!
Volunteers Needed for Salmon Habitat Mapping Research
Kenai Peninsula Chapter of Trout Unlimited is partnering with Kenai Watershed Forum in summer 2023 to identify, map, and conserve undocumented salmon habitat in our area. We can use your help!
Join us for local fieldwork this summer. For dates and more information, contact Benjamin Meyer (Water Quality Coordinator) at ben@kenaiwatershed.org.
Quality Assurance Project Plan revisions completed
The foundation of a long-term water quality monitoring program like Kenai Watershed Forum’s Kenai River Baseline Monitoring is a good Quality Assurance Project Plan, or QAPP. The QAPP outlines technical details when it comes to who, what, when, and where of a water quality monitoring project. It is an instruction manual and checklist, an accountability document and a reference guide. Maintaining an up-to-date QAPP is important to ensure we are using the best-available science.
With support from the Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program, Kenai Watershed Forum recently completed an update of our QAPP, the document which guides our water quality monitoring work. Our thanks to staff at the Region 10 EPA office as well as the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation who provided feedback and comments.
Our current QAPP is linked below and available to download. Please contact us if you have questions about the QAPP, or about QAPP development in general.
Download Kenai Watershed Forum’s 2023 Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP)
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Bonus Content
- Download the “Work Group Notebook” from 1997 that records the efforts of local agencies, nonprofits, landowners, and academics coming together to design the Kenai River Baseline Monitoring program, which has been in operation from the year 2000 – present.
- Watch a 10-minute presentation on our YouTube channel about our Kenai River Baseline Monitoring program
Mapping Alaska’s Salmon Streams
Why map Alaska’s salmon streams?
Since 2012, Kenai Watershed Forum has worked to document Alaska’s salmon streams, lakes, and rivers. This work results in additional habitat registered in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Anadromous Waters Catalog (AWC), the state’s inventory of documented salmon habitat. A thorough inventory of these water bodies is important because it specifies which streams, rivers and lakes are important to anadromous fish species and therefore afforded protection under state and local law. Water bodies that are not “specified” within the catalog are not afforded that protection.
To read more on the why and how of mapping Alaska’s salmon streams, download The challenge of mapping Alaska’s salmon streams here.
Using better maps to make better maps
The work of documenting new salmon streams is little like prospecting for gems. We may have some idea where to look, but we don’t know for certain what we’ll find until we go there. To make best use of time and resources looking for undocumented salmon habitat, we can use sophisticated mapping techniques to help us choose where to go.
There is an evolving set of ideas on how best to use GIS-based mapping approaches to search for undocumented salmon habitat. To help make sense of these ideas and methods, I’ve written up a description some of the different ways that researchers in Alaska have tackled this topic over the last 15 years, and consider what are our best options moving forward. This essay is intended for a more technical audience.
To read more on current and future methods for using maps to help located Alaska’s undocumented salmon streams, download Using better maps to make better maps for Alaska’s salmon streams here.
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I’ve shared these two essays in particular because I hope to get feedback from all those of you who also work to seek out and document Alaska’s salmon streams. I’d like to hear your ideas, edits, and critiques. I am in the process of understanding the best way to advance this work for our region, and I look forward to doing the work with all of you. Please reach out at ben@kenaiwatershed.org .
– Benjamin Meyer
From Thermal Infrared Maps to Conservation Action
Example above of airborne thermal infrared imagery showing temperature contrast in a stream. A cold water inflow (purple and blue colors) enters the main channel (yellow color). Figure from NV5 Geospatial.
Cold water refugia, or areas within a stream that are persistently colder than surrounding areas, are critical features of wild salmon habitat throughout their range. Stream reaches with cold seeps and springs often result in much cooler water, which are increasingly important for wild salmon to keep cool as water temperatures in many streams have warmed. Some human activities can diminish or extinguish cold water refugia, such as groundwater withdrawal and construction of impervious surfaces. To conserve cold water refugia these sites must first be mapped and identified, and land owners and managers must understand best practices for their conservation.
Since 2020, three community-based organizations – Cook Inletkeeper, Kachemak Heritage Land Trust, and Kenai Watershed Forum – have worked together to identify where cold water refugia are found in the Kenai Peninsula lowlands, a region where productive wild salmon habitat intersects with a growing development footprint. We used cutting-edge methods to locate cold water refugia with thermal infrared imagery, a technology similar to night vision goggles that shows heat contrast. Our resulting “treasure map” of cold water refugia locations is a valuable tool for prioritizing conservation and outreach efforts.
Derrick Via (Summer 2022)
How do I sum up the Kenai Watershed Forum? A group of cooperative individuals who are motivated to work together amongst each other and with the community for the betterment of all the Kenai Peninsula. It is incredibly encouraging to see so many different agencies and members of the public all working together with KWF. I was often left with a feeling of hope and accomplishment after our days with the public, seeing the passion that our volunteers have. All were full of a drive to learn, make a difference and protect the rivers and lands they call home.
Kenai Watershed Forum was a welcoming and productive work environment, offering me a once in a lifetime intern experience. Most of the summer my coworkers and I would only see each other in passing as there is always much fieldwork to be done, but I always knew that if I ever needed advice or help it was there. There were many long days in the field as the invasive species intern, but I was always eager for the next. Surveying, spraying, cutting seed heads, and pulling invasives were all great times spent with passionate professionals and the public.
One memory that will stick with me forever is going to do an Elodea survey at King Lake. Elodea is a highly invasive aquatic plant likely to be spread to remote lakes primarily by float planes. My co-worker Nathan and I went out on a float plane with around 70lbs of gear each and were dropped off in a massive bog in the rain. Before the plane even left, we realized we were surrounded by bear scat and other signs of bear activity. We kept our bear-spray close as we began to hike to the highest ground we could find. Each step went deeper into the squishy, soaked vegetation more than it went forward. Finally finding a spot higher than the swamp surrounding us, we set up camp in the rain. All things said, once we made a fire it was rather cozy in the wilderness. We ate a hearty dinner in the field by the fire. That evening, we took advantage of the amazing location and went fishing. After cleaning trout slime from ourselves to prevent any bear issues, we warmed up once more by the fire before getting some much-needed sleep.
The next morning, we re-lit the fire and had a hot breakfast to knock the night’s cold from our bones. We packed up camp and once again began the most arduous ¾-mile hike of my life. We put all our gear in our pick-up location and began our survey. We spent hours paddling through nature so gorgeous it felt it shouldn’t be real. Identifying vegetation, thankfully all of which was native, and observing the wildlife made the survey not even feel like work. As we reached the point in which we had to begin our paddle back to the pick-up location, the wind had completely shifted, and the overcast sky opened with a torrential downpour. We paddled for nearly an hour before our plane, which arrived an hour early, made splashdown. The pilot picked us up and explained that two rainstorms were about to converge over us as we taxied to our gear. After grabbing our things and making the flight back to Kenai, we unloaded. We were soaked and tired but had smiles on our faces as we waited to be picked up by a coworker. My partner and I looked at each other and agreed we would do it all over again in a heartbeat!
I have to say thank you to KWF for the incredible memories and experiences I have gleaned from my time there!
Ana Maria Oliynyk (Summer 2022)
I have had the honor of coming to work with KWF this summer through a fully funded opportunity with the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship, and in doing so, have had the opportunity to live a wildly unimaginable version of my dreams.
Everything I do revolves around the desire to be in, work with, advocate for, and preserve Nature, and unite people in conservation efforts. In the past few years I have been diving deep into using visual storytelling as a tool to move these efforts forward. It was my greatest hope for this summer that I might be able to apply my work in multimedia to a meaningful internship experience with an environmental organization whose values would align with mine. Finding KWF purely by fate in my search for such a match was the best that could have happened. Not only did I get to immerse myself in the gift of an Alaskan summer, but I have been continuously fulfilled by the opportunity to contribute to KWF’s work with Stream Watch, Invasives, Water Quality, community outreach and more. It has been tremendously impactful to experience such a variety of environmental work; I have been able to go out into the field in the swamps with my camera, meet dedicated members of KWF volunteer community, design graphics for distribution and public education, and collect both written and visual stories to highlight KWF’s unfaltering efforts to preserve and protect the health of the waters of the Kenai Peninsula.
I am eternally grateful for my time at the Kenai Watershed Forum, and for KWF being such an incredible example of what working together for betterment of the environment should look like. Within KWF I have found a flourishing spirit of community, a true reverence for the landscape, wildlife, and people, and a persevering attitude of inclusion that strives to unite all with the common goal of protecting the health of the Kenai Peninsula’s waters and resources. The genuine appreciation of the natural landscape and its resources that Alaskans and the KWF hold is greatly inspiring, and I am excited to take that perspective with me and apply it to my future work. Thank you, KWF, for this once in a lifetime opportunity dream come true!
