Banking on the Kenai River
All of us who love the Kenai River do our best to not “love it to death.” By being good stewards of our rivers and riverbanks, we can help ensure that fish and wildlife habitat remains healthy.
Some bank erosion happens naturally as rivers meander over time, but erosion from human activities often happens at a pace that harms fish habitat.
On the Kenai River, one of the world’s most popular destinations for sport fisherman hoping to hook a salmon, some areas of shoreline are riddled with unofficial trails that cause banks to erode. Over time this leads to lost and degraded habitat, especially for juvenile salmon. It is all of our responsibility to do our best to keep this shoreline habitat intact.
In heavily trafficked shoreline areas, the best solution may be to install elevated light penetrating walkway (ELP). For less-trafficked areas, spruce tree cabling (sometimes called “revetment”) or other options may be the best solution. If you are interested in restoring or stabilizing shoreline on your own property, funding and technical assistance is available to assist you from the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game’s Cost Share Program; follow the link for more information.
Reference: Streambank Revegetation and Protection: A Guide for Alaska
In our own backyard …
Near Kenai Watershed Forum’s office in Soldotna, we have been working to address a shoreline erosion issue right out our back door. An eight-acre conservation easement property donated by one of Soldotna’s earliest homestead families, the Mullens, has been having issues with riparian vegetation trampling. To address this issue, Kenai Watershed Forum is using the dual-pronged approach of restoration and education. By installing shoreline spruce trees, replanting vegetation, installing new signs, and monitoring the area weekly in summer months, we aim to restore the natural qualities of this stretch of shorline.
We presented this project the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce in March 2024. Click the image below to download the presentation. And if you have an idea for another restoration project, please reach out to us.
See you out on the river!
Click the image below to download the presentation
Wetlands on the Kenai Peninsula
Wetlands are an important part our local “green infrastructure,” filtering water, providing wildlife habitat, and providing protection from floods. On the Kenai Peninsula, we are lucky to have the Cook Inlet Wetlands map, a highly detailed map covering the lowland areas outside of federally managed lands (Chugach National Forest and Kenai National Wildlife Refuge).
The Cook Inlet Wetlands map and information can be accessed on our website, as well as on the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s viewKPB map website under the “Landscape” layers menu. Check out the maps to learn more about wetlands near your neighborhood or other favorite areas.
I want to build something … Do I need a permit?
Our office regularly receives inquiries from property owners about what they can and can not do related to wetlands. While we are excited to provide education and resources on this topic, for inquiries related to construction and development please contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska Field Office (USACE), which is the relevant regulatory agency for wetlands.
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska Contacts
- Kenai Field Office Number: (907) 753-2689
- General Alaska Field Office Number: (907) 753-2712
- Send written inquiries at https://www.poa.usace.army.mil/Contact/
Where else can I learn more?
Two local resource guides, “On the River,” and “On the Coast,” are available for free online and highlight best practices for land management on waterfront property in the Kenai Borough. For free printed copies of these books, contact the Kenai River Center or stop by Kenai Watershed Forum’s office. The books both contain clear and concise information about how land owners can be responsible neighbors with fish and wildlife habitat, including wetlands. You can also read more about how Kenai Peninsula wetlands have changed since the 1950’s in this report (Gracz 2021).
We look forward to hearing from you!
What’s that salmon species?
Come pick up your free Identicard at our office (44129 Sterling Hwy) today!
Here at Kenai Watershed Forum it’s that time of the year again to prepare for teaching at the annual Kenai River Guide Academy (www.krga.org). The five-day academy is a required training for all new guides working on the Kenai River, and covers topics from boating regulations to caring for one’s catch and more.
For the last several years, KWF board member Dr. David Wartinbee and KWF Environmental Scientist Benjamin Meyer have co-taught a section on stream ecology and the salmon lifecycle. You can watch a series of recorded lectures form this training for free on our YouTube channel.
Before any Alaskan fisherman picks up a pole or net, they should be intimately familiar with how to ID all species of Pacific salmon. As a handy reference, we recommend downloading the printouts below to your phone. Or, stop by our office (44129 Sterling Hwy, by Soldotna Creek park) any time to pick up a free handy waterproof Ident-i-Card, which will help new fisherman quickly learn species ID.
See you out on the river!
Click to Download Salmon ID Images
Images courtesy Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
In Case You Missed It: The Many States of Alaska’s Salmon and People
How are Alaska’s salmon doing? There is no one single answer to this question, but rather many.
In April 2023, we were joined for an insightful lecture on the state of Alaska’s salmon and people from University of Alaska Fairbanks Fisheries Professor Dr. Peter Westley. In this video, Peter takes us on a compelling thirty minute tour of Alaska’s wild salmon and the people who rely on them today. Why are Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon runs setting all-time records while King Salmon runs around the state struggle? What opportunities and threats are on the horizon? What can people control about wild salmon, and what can’t we control?
Check out the video below to learn more!
Kenai Watershed Forum Works with Volunteers to Document 17.5 miles of Local Salmon Habitat
Sometimes the best treasures are already right under our feet, just waiting for us to notice them. Such is the story with the thousands of rivers, streams, and lakes that are home to Alaska’s wild salmon.
In summers 2021-2023, Kenai Watershed Forum (KWF) and Kenai Peninsula Chapter of Trout Unlimited (KPTU) worked together to find and document local salmon habitat in the Kenai Peninsula area. Working with over thirty volunteers who contributed over three hundred hours time, we nominated 17.5 miles of stream and 1152 lake acres to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Anadromous Waters Catalog. If all nominations are confirmed these waters will be subject to state habitat protections and permitting requirements under Alaska Statute 16.05.871, and may also be adopted by the Kenai Peninsula Borough under borough ordinance 21.18 (links for 21.18 maps, and 21.18 regulations), which specifies protections including a fifty-foot riparian buffer zone.
Remarkably, nearly all the habitat we identified laid only a thirty minute drive from Kenai Watershed Forum’s office in Soldotna. The habitats we documented are the humbler headwaters of well-known local watersheds such as Soldotna Creek, Beaver Creek, and Moose River. These are our “backyard” salmon habitats that have been here all along.
Most local salmon habitat remains undocumented, and much work remains to be accomplished. In summer 2024 KWF and KPTU will continue collaborating, and will apply innovative predictive habitat modeling to help us target fieldwork efforts with help from Romey Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
For more questions about this project and to hear about opportunities to be involved, contact Kenai Watershed Forum at hydrology@kenaiwatershed.org, or (907) 260-5449. Check out the two links below for a project map and project report, as well as a public lecture shared at Kenai Peninsula Brewing as part of Kenai Watershed Forum’s Fireside Chat series. We look forward to hearing from you!
Project Map & Report – Kenai Peninsula Area Salmon Habitat Mapping
KDLL Radio Kenai Conversation – Mapping Anadromous Waters (November 15, 2023)
Further reading on mapping Alaska’s Anadromous Waters
This work is funded by Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund project #54014, Trout Unlimited’s Embrace-a-Stream grant program, Kenai Peninsula Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and the Kenai Community Foundation. Thank you!
Summer 2023 Kenai River Water Quality Sampling Results Available
Kenai Watershed Forum has received all laboratory results from it’s Summer 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.
Once the data is prepared, it will be integrated into an in-progress comprehensive summary report, similar to our previous such report published in 2016.
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 Summer 2023 Total Suspended Solids results
Download Summer 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 Summer 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!
Victoria Eisenberg (Summer 2023)
Being part of an organization that enacts meaningful environmental change is something that I couldn’t be more proud of. At KWF, I’ve had the opportunity to work in various fields of environmental conservation. From teaching kids about salmon life cycles at summer camp to sampling the water that those salmon run through, I’ve been able to see each and every step that this organization takes to preserve the Kenai Watershed.
With the admirable goal of keeping the watershed healthy, it’s not hard to believe that the people at KWF are just as wonderful as the work we strive to achieve. From the very start of the hiring process, everyone here has been warm, welcoming, and understanding. Even on the (rare) days that we’re stuck inside, there’s always light and livelihood to be found in this office.
Since the beginning of my internship at KWF, I’d been told that the Kenai River Festival, a river conservation awareness festival that KWF hosts annually, would be an untamable beast of an event that would unapologetically hurl me into my time here. While I appreciated the dramatics, I didn’t necessarily believe that it would be all that crazy–obviously, I was wrong. It was a very chaotic weekend, indeed, and I ran around like a headless chicken for the majority of the time. I rarely stopped to take it all in but, when I did, I realized the incredible impact we were making. There were tents teaching about fishing safety, kids painting salmon, and adults learning about local invasive species. Not only did we bring our community together, but we also came together as a team; it was gratifying to say the least. By the end of the festival, every one of us was absolutely exhausted, but it was clear that each person felt proud and accomplished to have been a part of it all–it was certainly a job well done. As lawless as that weekend was, I can say with certainty that it was one of my favorites of the summer.
These past few months at KWF have been some of the best of my life. I’ve had the incredible opportunity to work towards something I’m passionate about with people who make it a pleasure to do so (plus having some pretty awesome weekends in the mountains). Coming to Alaska and working with the Kenai Watershed Forum has truly been a dream come true, and I’m beyond grateful to everyone here for making my experience one for the books.
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.