On Saturday, June 3rd we held the 2^nd annual planted native trees and improved salmon habitat along Montana Creek near the Yoder Road bridge. With the help of over 60 volunteers, we planted well over 200 native trees and shrubs, enjoyed fry bread from Knik Tribe and learned more about the needs of baby salmon living right along the section of creek we were planting!

This was phase 1 of a multipart project to restore 450 feet of habitat on Montana Creek. More to come!

We want to give a big thanks to all of the wonderful volunteers who came out, grabbed a shovel, and got to work! We couldn’t have done it without you!

We also want to give a big shout out to the partners who made it all happen: Susitna River Coalition, Mat-Su 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.

Join us Saturday, June 3rd from 10-2pm  for the Mat-Su Salmon Partnership’s 2nd annual Plants for Salmon community planting day. We’ll be planting native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants to improve habitat and water quality on Montana Creek at the Yoder Road Bridge.

There will be informational booths, minnow trapping presentations, free hot dogs and other goodies, salmon cornhole and games. This will  be a fun and beneficial event. Invite your friends and family and bring your shovels (we’ll have plenty if you don’t have one).

We are collaborating to host this year’s event with the Susitna River Coalition, the Mat-Su Borough, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Knik Tribal Council, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Trout Unlimited Alaska.

Read Flyer here . Contact jessica.speed@tu.org or info@susitnarivercoalition.org with any questions.

See the Facebook event page for updates. RSVP here

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.

• FY24 Funding Application and Guidelines
• FY24 Funding Application and Guidelines (Word version)
• FY24 Project Evaluation Criteria

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

Find a list of past funded projects here.

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

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.