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 18th, 2025
Find summaries of FY23 funded projects – including one in the Mat-Su, here.
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.
Please join us Monday, November 13th and Tuesday, November 14th at the Palmer Community Depot in Palmer, AK!
The annual Mat-Su Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium shares information on Mat-Su Basin watersheds, salmon, and salmon habitat to promote an exchange of ideas about salmon science and conservation.
This event is hosted by the Mat-Su Basin Habitat Partnership, which convenes a diverse group of over 60 stakeholders who are invested in the health of local salmon, including federal and state agencies, landowners, Tribal entities, non-profits, businesses and more.
This year’s agenda includes a keynote address on key lessons of salmon conservation science that have emerged during the past few decades from Dr. Peter Westley of UAF. Additional topics covered include habitat restoration, invasive species, water quality and more.
Everyone welcome. Please join us! Note, this is an in-person event, with no virtual option. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope those who cannot attend in person will benefit from video recordings of talks posted on the Symposium webpage following the event. Find more information including Agenda, Symposium booklet with abstracts, registration and additional event details on the Symposium webpage.
Aquatic invasive species can have significant impacts on salmon and their habitat. Elodea, a freshwater plant, and Northern pike are two such species that immediately threaten salmon in the Mat-Su Basin. Local residents can do a lot to help minimize the spread and negative effectives of aquatic invasive species.
Come join the Mat-Su Elodea Task Force and partners for the Elodea Rodeo. Learn more about where Elodea is in Big Lake, why it’s a problem, how to identify Elodea, and what you can do to help prevent its spread. Noon to 6pm on July 21st at Big Lake North State Recreation Site.
For more information contact the Mat-Su Elodea Task Force at:
jjablonski@ttcd.org
(907)278-1024
Read flyer 
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.
Keynote Speaker
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.
