Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership

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Mat-Su Funding Opportunity!

The Mat-Su Salmon Partnership is pleased to announce our FY24 call for proposals for National Fish Habitat Partnership funding! Salmon habitat related projects must address the conservation activities and priorities identified in the Partnership’s 2019 Addendum to the Strategic Action Plan.

With the passage of the America’s Conservation (ACE) Act  through the National Fish Habitat Partnership, there are new requirements and modifications to the request for proposals (RFP), including a 1:1 non-federal match (cash or in-kind) requirement.  Please read the guidelines carefully and note that we are continuing to transition to the new law guiding the National Fish Habitat Partnership program.

Update! Deadline for proposal submission has been extended to Tuesday, February 21st, 2023.

Still have questions? Contact Jessica Speed, Partnership Coordinator,  email: jessica.speed@tu.org

Find a list of past funded projects here.

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Angler Conservation Funding Opportunity

The NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation and the Recreational Fisheries Initiative are seeking to identify and support projects within coastal Fish Habitat Partnerships (FHPs) that protect or restore habitat AND engage recreational fishing partners.

Read full request for proposals here.

Proposals are due by February 10th, 2023

DID YOU KNOW? The Mat-Su Salmon Habitat Partnership offers project advice and potential endorsement for Partners working on Mat-Su Basin projects that conserve or increase knowledge of salmon and their habitat.  Download the Project Endorsement Application to learn more.

*Photo Credit: Matthew Boline, Trout Unlimited Alaska

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Deshka River Named 2022 “Water to Watch”

This month the National Fish Habitat Partnership announces its “Waters to Watch” list for 2022. Of the ten waters listed, three are in Alaska, including the Deshka River and the Susitna River.

Many Partners have invested research into better understanding the Deshka River. Management actions to minimize the effects of warming on Deshka River salmon have been limited by a poor understanding of both their thermal requirements and the extent and distribution of thermally suitable habitats.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS), University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), and Cook Inletkeeper have been working to close those data gaps by monitoring water temperature, streamflow and the distribution of juvenile Chinook and Coho salmon throughout the Deshka watershed; conducting long-term stream temperature monitoring, coupled with remote sensing data to identify cold-water refugia in the Deshka River system which may be critical habitat for salmon in a warming climate; and modeling to estimate how the extent and distribution of thermally suitable habitat has changed over time and how it will change in the future.

Additional partner efforts on the Deshka include the USFWS, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, and U.S. Geological Survey collecting data necessary to secure water rights on Deshka River tributaries so that as the region grows and demand for water resources increases or climate conditions change, water will be reserved to remain in the stream for the benefit of fish and aquatic life.

Cook Inletkeeper has provided real-time temperature monitoring on the Deshka River since 2013.

ADF&G operates a weir at mile 7 on the Deshka River, providing daily counts of migrating adult salmon. These data will be used to overlap timing of warm events with habitat use of salmon by life state. Among other benefits, ADF&G is collecting tissue samples to provide genetic identification of migrating fish.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is conducting research on invasive Northern Pike in the Deshka River watershed, assessing how pike predation on juvenile salmon in the Deshka may change in response to warming water temperatures.

Given the significance of the Deshka River and the amount of resources partners have invested in research on the river, the MatSu Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership chose the Deshka River as the location for our 2022 Summer Site Tour. You can read a recap of that event in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

Susitna Spotlighted for Lamprey Significance

Pacific Lamprey is a species of conservation concern in North America and is of particular interest in Alaska because this region marks the northern extent of its range. While the Susitna River drainage, a 504-km glacial river that discharges into Cook Inlet and the Gulf of Alaska, is the northernmost river system that is known to support a spawning population of Pacific Lamprey (Mecklenburg et al. 2002), the status and distribution of Pacific Lamprey populations is poorly documented, including the lower Susitna River tributaries where Pacific Lamprey have been reported to spawn as adults and rear as larvae.

To address this data deficiency, with funding from Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative/National Fish Habitat Partnership and USFWS, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and partners (including the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Knik Tribe, and Susitna River Coalition) will assess the distribution and relative abundance of larval and adult Pacific Lamprey at multiple sites within the Susitna River Basin. This effort includes an examination of the rearing (larval) and spawning (adult) habitat use attributes of Pacific Lamprey, a determination of the size and age structure of larval and adult Pacific Lamprey, and use eDNA from collected water samples to detect the presence of Pacific Lamprey.

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2022 Summer Site Tour. Salmon Habitat in a Warming Climate: Spotlight on the Deshka River

The Deshka River hosts one of the most productive wild salmon fisheries in the Matanuska-Susitna Basin (Mat-Su) and has long been a place of cultural importance. It is also among the warmest salmon systems in the Mat-Su with summer water temperatures regularly exceeding thresholds considered stressful for both juvenile and adult salmon. This year’s summer site tour brought 33 people out on the Deshka River to share the collaborative scientific research happening there, and to provide community leaders with current information on stream temperature and potential impacts to salmon and their habitat in the Mat-Su – both today, and in the future.

Over the course of four stops, ten presenters shared background on the history of the Deshka as a significant Susitna drainage salmon producer, Dena’ina historical use, and a sportfishing perspective on salmon and stream temperature. Participants also received updates on ongoing stream temperature science from Cook Inletkeeper and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  These members of the Mat-Su Salmon Partnership have mapped summer and winter stream temperatures across the watershed and identified potential cold water refugia over the course of five years.  Presenters also highlighted efforts to better understand streamflow in the watershed to aid temperature models, conservation and further the understanding of hydrology on small Alaskan streams – all which is of significant importance for conserving cold water fish in a changing climate

The Deshka River is one of six rivers in the Susitna River basin designated as a “Recreational River” under the Recreational Rivers Act, which was passed by the Alaska State Legislature in 1988 to ensure recreational access and maintain cultural and ecological characteristics of these rivers. To close the presentation sessions, staff from Alaska Department of Natural Resources provided an update on the Susitna Basin Recreational Rivers Management Plan which is currently being revised and inviting public input.

Based on current available science, Mat-Su streams are among the warmest statewide with the Deshka River being one of the warmest in the Mat-Su – and predicted to continue warming. Fortunately, scientists have identified cold-water refugia in the Deshka River which may be critical habitat for salmon in these warming watersheds and an important tool to help retain the Deshka River as a salmon stronghold into a warming future. This is important information for community leaders to understand so they can help shape a prosperous future for fish – and the human communities that have and continue to depend on them.

Thank you to the generous supporters of this year’s site tour: Trident Seafoods, Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association, Cook Inletkeeper, Trout Unlimited, Susitna River Coalition, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, FishHound Expeditions and Chickaloon Village Traditional Council.

Special thanks to our presenters, as well as following boat operators: Drill Team 6 Fishing Excursions, Fishtale River Guides, Drifterz Paradise, Berg’s Frontier Fishing Guides, FishHound Expeditions and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Find an itinerary, map and presentation abstracts in the hand out

Read an article by Andy Couch about the tour in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

Learn more about the Deshka River temperature monitoring work in this fact sheet by Cook Inletkeeper and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Deshka River real time temperature monitoring site (located in between site tour stops #2 (river mile 4) and stop #3 (river mile 7/ADF&G weir).

Want to learn more about salmon habitat in a warming climate? Check back soon for more resources from the site tour and save-the-date for the Mat-Su Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium on November 14th and 15th, 2022. Registration and call for abstracts is open. Learn more here. Find updates on this website or sign up for our e-bulletins at bottom of www.matsusalmon.org.

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Register for the 2022 Salmon Science & Conservation Symposium

Registration is open for the 15th Annual Mat-Su Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium.

The Symposium will be held on November 14 and 15 at the Palmer Depot, 610 S. Valley Way, Palmer, AK. Find Agenda here, and booklet with presentation abstracts here

The call for presentations at this year’s Symposium has closed. Thank you to everyone who is sharing their work!  Click here for Symposium Presenter Guidelines. Presenters, please be sure to register as an attendee on Eventbrite in addition to the “Presenter Abstract Submission” ticket.

The Mat-Su Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium is an annual forum to share information about salmon and their habitat in the Mat-Su Basin. Anyone interested in conservation of Mat-Su Salmon and their habitat is welcome!

Registration is $25 dollars per day and will include lunch. Students and elders may register for free. If admission fees are prohibitive, contact jessica.speed@tu.org to discuss scholarships or a fee waiver.

Register now on Eventbrite.

Keynote Speaker

Johnathan Moore headshot

Jonathan Moore is a Professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, and holds the Liber Ero Research Chair of Coastal Science and Management. He received his PhD from University of Washington and has researched salmon and their watersheds, from Alaska to California to British Columbia. He studies freshwater biodiversity, watersheds, and global change.

In watersheds of western North America migratory salmon support ecosystems, economies, and cultures. However, these fish and their fisheries are threatened by climate change and multiple stressors. How do we steward salmon systems in this era of rapid change?

Here, Moore will share some stories of science and its application for salmon stewardship and climate resilience. The symptoms of climate change and other human pressures are challenging the resilience of salmon systems, ranging from sea level rise to warming river temperatures to glacier retreat.

While these are grave challenges, there are opportunities for forward-looking and collaborative science to help guide proactive conservation and management. Such proactive options can include restoring connectivity, reducing local stressors, and conservation of future habitats for the increased resilience of salmon. There is a need and opportunity for the proactive stewardship of rapidly changing salmon systems to help them cope and adapt to climate change.

Thank you to our Symposium supporters: Mat-Su Borough, National Fish Habitat Partnership, City of Palmer, The Alaska Center, Trout Unlimited Alaska, Great Land Trust, Knik Tribal Council, Palmer Soil and Water Conservation District and Simon Fraser University.

Would you like to help sponsor this important community event? The planning committee is still seeking sponsors. Contact jessica.speed@tu.org.

2022 Symposium Flyer PNG

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