Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership

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Mat-Su Salmon Symposium is Next Week!

Please join us for the 17th annual Mat-Su Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium from 9am to 4pm November 18th and 19th at the Palmer Community Depot (the Depot) in Palmer. 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.

Read the agenda here and see the Symposium booklet – hot off the press! The Partnership is also hosting an evening social and music jam at Feather & Flour in Palmer. Everyone welcome. Find more information on the 2024 Symposium webpage, and register here. Contact jessica.speed@tu.org with questions.

Photo credit: David Herasimtschuck/Freshwaters Illustrated.

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Plants for Salmon Community Planting Day on Montana Creek, Talkeetna

Susitna River Coalition, the Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership, Knik Tribal Council, Trout Unlimited, Mat-Su Borough, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are hosting the 2nd Annual Plants for Salmon community planting event on Montana Creek, Talkeetna. On Saturday, June 15, these partners will join with community members to restore a section of Montana Creek next to the Yoder Road bridge. This family friendly event will include informational booths, crafts, and a minnow trapping presentation. Volunteers can enjoy complimentary food and drinks, and everyone can bring home a small white spruce.

For the second year, partners and community volunteers will be planting 200+ native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants to improve habitat and water quality on Montana Creek after a successful event last year. Streamside vegetation plays an important role in maintaining the health of our fisheries by providing shelter, shade and nutrients for wild salmon. This is part of a multi-year project to revegetate 450 feet of rip rap armor that was applied following a significant flood event in 2012, to protect the downstream bridge.

Who: We want to give a big shout out to the partners who made it all happen: Susitna River Coalition, the Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership, Matanuska Susitna Borough, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Knik Tribal Council, and Trout Unlimited. Added thanks to additional event and greater project sponsors – Trout Unlimited Southcentral Alaska Chapter and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Montana Creek is one of four projects NOAA Fisheries is funding in 2023 to restore habitat through the coastal National Fish Habitat Partnerships.

What: A community planting day to restore the streambank along Montana Creek

When: Saturday, June 15 from 10am-2pm

Where: Montana Creek, next to Yoder Road bridge, Talkeetna, AK

Agenda: Opening remarks will begin at 10am. Lunch will be around noon, including a group photo. At 12:30, FWS Biologist Joe Lyon will show live juvenile salmon to participants and teach everyone some of the ways plants are important to those fish. Closing remarks will happen either during the group photo or at 1pm. Planting continues until about 2pm.

Event flyer below. Contact jessica.speed@tu.org or info@susitnarivercoalition.org with any questions.

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Want to be more involved in the Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership? Join the Steering Committee!

Three Upcoming Vacancies on the Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee is the guiding body for the Partnership which brings together over 65 organizations and individuals who share a vision of thriving salmon, healthy habitats, and vibrant communities in the Mat-Su. The 10 person Steering Committee ensures that the Partnership follows guidelines set forth by the National Fish Habitat Partnership and achieves goals set out in the Mat-Su Salmon Partnership 2019 Addendum to the Strategic Action Plan.

The Partnership is currently accepting applications for two at-large seats, and one local government seat. To learn more about the operations of the Partnership see Mat-Su Salmon Partnership Structure and Operations Framework, and contact the Partnership coordinator with questions or to be put in touch with a Steering Committee member.

If you are interested, send a letter explaining why you want to join the Steering Committee and what you can do to help the Partnership achieve its goals.  Send the letter to Jessica Speed (jessica.speed@tu.org) by May 1st, 2024.

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Registration is Open! 2024 Alaska Stream Crossing Virtual Workshop – March 18-21, 2024

(Katrina Liebich/USFWS)
(Katrina Liebich/USFWS)

Registration is now live for the 2024 Alaska Stream Crossing Virtual Workshop! This event is free and we are using the Whova event platform to enhance our opportunity to engage with meeting organizers, workshop presenters and attendees. You can access the Whova app and meeting details here: 2024 Alaska Stream Crossing Workshop – Increasing Ecological Function and Resiliency (whova.com) and register here: 2024 Alaska Stream Crossing Workshop – Increasing Ecological Function and Resiliency Registration (whova.com)The workshop will take place March 18-21, 2024 10:00am – 3:00pm daily.

We will also be hosting two book club opportunities to discuss and share thoughts about our keynote speaker, Ben Goldfarb’s book: Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. For those in Anchorage, please join us at the King Street Brewery Friday, March 8, 2024 from 3:00-5:00pm; and for everyone through a virtual gathering on Friday, March 15, 2024 from 3:00-5:00pm (Alaska Time).

Thanks so much for your efforts to increase ecological function and resiliency for our aquatic systems in Alaska. Looking forward to learning lots from all of you at the workshop.

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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 April 15th, 2024

Find summaries of FY23 funded projects – including one in the Mat-Su, here.

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