Due to heavy snowfall, the Mat-Su Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium was cancelled on November 13th, but resumed on November 14th. In 16 years of hosting this annual event, this was the first time we have had to cancel! Thanks to all, for your flexibility and understanding – and to the many who dug out and were able to join us on day 2! Find shared presentation slides at the bottom of this page, and check back soon to find video recordings of the many great presentations from our amazing partners – including keynote talk from Dr. Peter Westley!
Please find updated agenda for 11/14/23 proceedings here. Symposium Flyer here. The Symposium Booklet also includes presentation abstracts.
The Symposium is a forum to share information on Mat-Su Basin watersheds, salmon, and salmon habitat, promoting an exchange of ideas about salmon science and conservation.
This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. Peter Westley, an associate professor of Fisheries with the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences where he holds the Lowell A. Wakefield Chair in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. He received his BS and MS from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington and a PhD in Biology from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. His research seeks to understand how fishes respond and adapt to environmental change, including invasive predators, climate change, and hatcheries, with a particular focus on Alaskan salmon. In his presentation, Dr. Westley highlighted key lessons of salmon conservation science that have emerged during the past few decades. These lessons are some that every salmon manager and practitioner need to know.
Click the presentation title below to download the slide deck.
Some Modest Advice for Managers and Practitioners: Key Lessons from Salmon Conservation Science, Dr. Peter Wesley, Mat-Su Salmon Symposium Key Note Speaker 2023
Out of Sight, Out of Mind? The Unrealized Devastation from Invasive Northern Pike, Parker Bradley, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Mayday, Mayday… European Bird Cherry on the Move, Hannah Thompson, Anchorage Soil and Water Conservation District, and Joni Johnson, US Forest Service
Science to Conservation Outcomes: Data Transfer, Sue Mauger, Cook Inlet Keeper, and Mike Daigneault, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Mat-Su Cost Share Program Overview and Update, Amy LaBarre, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Salmon Habitat Rehabilitation at Wasilla Creek Trail Crossings in the Matanuska Valley State Moose Range Mike Campfield, Mat-Su Borough
Capacity Building Among Alaskan Tribal Entities: A New Approach to Fish Passage Restoration, Andrea James, Chickaloon Village Traditional Council
Free Flowing Streams and Cook Inlet Salmon: The Past, Present, and Future of Tyonek Tribal Conservation District’s Fish Passage Program, Jillian Jablonski, Tyonek Tribal Conservation District
Recent Changes to Clean Water Act Jurisdiction, Matt LaCroix, US Environmental Protection Agency
Implementing the Lake Lucile Management Plan through Alaska Clean Water Actions, Ashley Oleksiak, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Robert Walden and Erich Schaal, City of Wasilla
Waterbody Setbacks in the Mat-Su Borough, Matt LaCroix, US Environmental Protection Agency
Tyonek Tribal Conservation District: Anadromous Fish and Elodea Surveys in Remote Mat-Su, Andy Wizik, Tyonek Tribal Conservation District
Department of the Interior IIJA/BIL Funding Opportunities, Mike Daigneault, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Update on Office of Habitat Competitive Funding Opportunities: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, Erika Ammann, NOAA
Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, Monica Keim, NOAA
Opportunities to Improve Salmon Habitat, Troy Hildreth, US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
History and Trajectory of the West Susitna Access Corridor, Margaret Stern, Susitna River Coalition
Updates from the Mat-Su Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission, Andy Couch, Mat-Su Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission
AKTEMP: Presenting a Fully Functional Stream and Lake Temperature Database for Alaska, Marcus Geist, University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Conservation Science
Human Health Criteria and 6-PPD, Ashley Oleksiak, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Eklutna River Restoration: Coming Home Film and Mitigation of Eklutna Hydroelectric Project, Carrie Brophil, Native Village of Eklutna
