The 9th annual Mat-Su Salmon Science & Conservation Symposium was November 17th & 18th in Palmer, Alaska!
An annual forum to exchange information and ideas about salmon and their habitat in the Mat-Su Basin, this year there were over 20 presentations, a panel on Alaska’s Fish Habitat Partnerships, time for sharing through Tidbits and the film “The Super Salmon”. Our Keynote speaker was Dr. Daniel Schindler from University of Washington’s School of Aquatic Fishery Scientists, who answered the question “What Makes Alaska’s Salmon Rivers Resilient?” Check back soon for a recording of Dr. Schindler’s evening talk for the general public, and Symposium presentations.
Click here to read a Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman article about the Symposium.
Keynote speaker: Dr. Daniel Schindler – the Harriet Bullitt Endowed Chair of Conservation in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. Most of his research focuses on understanding the functioning of watersheds that support Pacific salmon in western Alaska, and the dynamics of fisheries that operate in these ecosystems. He is a principal investigator of the UW-Alaska Salmon Program that has studied salmon ecosystems in Alaska since the 1940s, and he spends several months of the year in the field in the Bristol Bay region. Learn more here.
Watch Dr. Schindler’s presentation here:
Part 1
Part 2
Quick Links: Agenda, Symposium Booklet, Symposium Flyer, Evening Lecture Flyer
Presentations: Thursday, November 17, 2016 (For available audio recordings, click on blue session titles)
Keynote – Schindler, Dr. Daniel: What Makes Alaska’s Salmon Rivers Resilient?
Improving our Knowledge of Salmon and their Habitat:
- Woll, Christine: Salmon Habitat Mapping for Landscape-scale Planning in the Matanuska-Susitna Basin
- Eisenman, Mark: Cataloging Anadromous and Resident Fish in Previously Unmapped Steams Identified During Fish Passage Assessments in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- Delo, Howard and Couch, Andrew: Mat-Su Salmon Research Plan
Climate Change and Juvenile Salmon Habitat Use:
- Meyer, Benjamin: Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Growth and Consumption in Three Geomorphologically Distinct Sub-basins of the Kenai River
- Leba, Heather: Cold Water Habitat Use by Juvenile Coho Salmon in the Big Lake Basin
- Davis, Jeff: Juvenile Chinook and Coho Salmon Winter Habitat in the Middle Susitna River
- Gerken, Jonathan: In-stream Movements and Seasonal Habitat Use of Juvenile Chinook and Coho Salmon in the Montana Creek Watershed, Alaska
Invasive Species:
- Falke, Jeffrey: Towards an Understanding of Population Structure and Adaptation by Invasive Northern Pike: An Overview of an Emerging Research Program
- Lescanec, Heather A.M.S.: Elodea in Alexander Lake and Alaska: Learning Lessons and Eradication Successes
- O’Doherty, Gillian: 2016 Status Update on Fish Passage Barriers in the Mat-Su Borough
- Meiklejohn, Brad: Removing the Lower Eklutna River Dam: A Progress Report
Presentations: Friday, November 18, 2016
Conservation Strategies and Protection for Salmon:
- Adkison, Milo: Salmon and Society Workshop
- Benkert, Ron: An Introduction to the Division of Habitat, Who We Are and What We Do
- Cincotta, Christy: Tyonek Area Watershed Action Plan Updates
- Dekker, Franklin: Instream Flow Reservations in the Mat-Su Basin: Update on Progress
- Campfield P.E., Mike: Mat-Su Borough Stormwater Analysis Projects on Cottonwood Creek and Vine Creek
Community and Salmon Habitat Conservation:
- O’Conner, Amy: Salmon Advocacy in Alaska: Value Based Public Engagement
- Viola, Ryan: Salmon Conservation Ideas for the Classroom
- Snyder, Sam: Engaging Alaskan Anglers in Conservation and Science
- Smith, Tracy: Matanuska-Susitna Valley Streambank Rehabilitation and Habitat Protection Cost Share Program: Lending a Hand in the Community to Help Salmon Habitat
- Sollien, Kim: Landscape Scale Conservation: Caring for Salmon as a Shared Community Asset
Symposium proceedings will be posted on this site, Facebook, and sent to the Partnership email list. Contact Jessica Speed for more information or to get on the email list at jspeed@tnc.org
Thank you to our Symposium Supporters! (Click on logos to learn more about individual organizations!)
