What happens when fish can’t reach their nurseries?
The Kenai Watershed Forum’s restoration plan targets two priority areas: fish passage and invasive species. Unrestricted access though stream corridors to spawning, rearing or over-wintering habitat is essential to maintaining salmon production. When the Kenai Watershed Forum began, the strategic plan analyzed States with failing salmon populations to determine how Alaska could do things right the first time around. The main issues from these example states revolved around maintaining fish passage, so that salmon could freely migrate along the entire length of a stream.
Culverts & Culvert Assessments
Each place where a road or trail crosses a stream is a potential barrier to salmon passage. Inadequately designed, installed, or maintained culverts can block upstream access for salmonids, especially juveniles. Makeshift bridges on ATV trails or a lack of any structure can also damage salmon habitat and restrict access. Learn More about culverts
Invasive Species
Plant species that are not native to Alaska can pose a great threat to our ecosystem and our economy. As part of the Kenai Peninsula Cooperative Weed Management Area (KP-CWMA), the Watershed Forum is involved in the eradication and control of plant species that threaten salmon bearing streams and salmon habitat. The Kenai Watershed Forum is currently targeting several invasive species on the Kenai Peninsula. Learn about them on our Invasive Species page
