Salmon in the Watershed

Connecting science and people to protect our salmon

Salmon are as much a part of the landscape as they are Alaska’s coastal waters. The Salmon Watershed Stewardship Initiative is dedicated to bringing the Cook Inlet region together to manage the landscape and protect our salmon. Will you join us?

Knowledge

Co-production

Accessible

Data

Ecosystem

Monitoring

Collaborative

Stewardship

Provide

input

PRODUCING KNOWLEDGE TOGETHER

By building on existing knowledge and information we can create opportunities for everyone in the Cook Inlet region to work for the health of our salmon. Creating a forum for all of us to share our knowledge and experiences leads to new ideas, research questions, and action that will benefit resilient salmon populations and communities of people.

The Kachemak Bay Research Reserve and its partners have a wealth of research and monitoring data focused on understanding the early life stages of juvenile salmon in the Cook Inlet watershed. This information has been synthesized into a visual narrative and timeline. The Reserve’s ongoing monitoring of peatlands, groundwater, and invasive species contribute to understanding how to support healthy salmon habitat.

Through collaborative community engagement, the Salmon Watershed Stewardship Initiative integrates diverse experiences and perspectives, seeks common ground on salmon stewardship, and builds a network of organizations and communities centered around watershed health. Link to flyer outlining KBNERRs support of salmon fisheries located HERE.

Want to find out how you can collaborate on monitoring and stewardship? Fill out the form at the bottom of the page to get involved.

Joint Mat-Su & Kenai Fish Habitat Partnership meeting

The two-day meeting was hosted in Anchorage, AK on April 21st & 22nd by the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Alaska Center for Conservation Science and Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The intent of the meeting was to support healthy fisheries, people, and economies on the Kenai Peninsula and in the Mat-Su by better connecting organizations working on salmon watershed stewardship in the region.

When finalized workshop proceedings will be located HERE.

Accessible Data

Understanding how our watershed is changing is essential to its stewardship. The Kachemak Bay Research Reserve and its partners conduct ongoing monitoring throughout the watershed, including in its peatlands, our groundwater, and invasive species.

As part of this initiative, we are coordinating our efforts to collect, share, and synthesize environmental monitoring data. This includes assembling a catalog of existing monitoring activities and findings, defining protocols for watershed relevant monitoring, synthesizing watershed-wide reports, and developing user-friendly data portals and decision-maker support tools.

Check out our report table to get more information on our different projects HERE. Please reach out via the form on this page, or research team members to gain access to our full watershed ecology project index.

LONG-TERM ECOSYSTEM MONITORING

The Reserve monitors the peat, carbon, vegetation, and groundwater in salmon-bearing watersheds to identify indicators of ecosystem health that reveal linkages between human and natural systems in the landscape. Check out our Peatland Monitoring Manual

We also monitor the coastlines of Kachemak Bay for invasive European Green Crab through standardized trapping protocols, a species that destroys nearshore juvenile fish habitat and preys upon juvenile fish and shellfish. Early detection and rapid response is the most cost-effective way to manage invasive species introductions. Check out our Alaska European Green Crab Community-based Early Detection Monitoring Manual

The Reserve maintains long-term weather and water quality monitoring stations throughout the Kachemak Bay region.

Community scientists are trained in locally relevant monitoring and protocols.

Student, teacher, and community learning opportunities are developed

KBNERR and partners work together to achieve these Salmon Watershed Stewardship outcomes:

Decision-making is informed through stewardship activities that raise the visibility and importance of salmon as an integral resource to communities and small-scale coastal fishing businesses.
Key topics of watershed health and concern are identified alongside information gaps and education needs.
Student opportunities are developed and a watershed health report card published for use by communities.

Check out the Fish Need Land Too video HERE.