The symposium will bring together scientists, researchers and conservationists under the umbrella group Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership. The goal of the coalition is to facilitate cooperation between entities doing salmon habitat restoration and preservation work, Mat-Su Borough Environmental Planner Frankie Barker said.
“We discovered there is a lot of different groups doing various research and projects. We wanted to find out what everyone was doing,” Barker said.
 ROBERT DeBERRY/Frontiersman file photo An annual Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium begins tomorrow and continues Thursday in Wasilla. |
“For example, the Greatland Trust is doing salmon concentration mapping, especially in areas along the coast,” Barker said. “With that prioritization, they will be contacting land owners, seeing if they are interested in conservation easements.”
After hearing what type of research is being done, the steering committee of the partnership will identify what other areas need studying, she said.
The group focuses on identifying the threats to salmon, which include pressure from development, loss of wetlands, invasive pike and storm-water runoff from impervious surfaces. By identifying the threats, they can find the geographic areas of concern, Baker said.
“Though this partnership, we can coordinate for funding and resources ... between groups doing restoration and protection projects,” Barker said.
The members of the steering committee include the borough, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nature Conservancy, the Friends of Mat-Su and the Chickaloon Village. The group includes 30 or so other partner organizations, Barker said.
The symposium is open to the public and starts tomorrow at 9 a.m. The sessions run all day until 5:30 p.m. It continues with the same hours on Thursday. For the complete schedule, see www.frontiersman.com/outdoors.
Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.
November 18, 2009
8:30 Registration
9:00 Welcome & Overview
9:10 Salmon Conservation Planning and Prioritization
Moderator: John DeLapp (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Characterizing Salmon Watersheds for Conservation- Corinne Smith (The Nature Conservancy)
A Prioritization of Land Parcels for Conservation in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Near Knik Arm - Phil Shephard (Great Land Trust)
Revising the Susitna Forestry Guidelines: a Step Towards a Working Forest - Jim Schwarber (Alaska Department of Natural Resources)
Wetlands Management in the Mat-Su Borough - Frankie Barker (Mat-Su Borough)
Linking Landscapes and Communities: Green Infrastructure Planning in the Core Area of the Mat-Su - Kathy Wells (Friends of Mat-Su)
Conservation Assessments: A Strategy for Initiating Research and Setting Conservation Priorities - Amanda Rosenberger (University of Alaska Fairbanks)
10:40 Networking Break
11:00 Salmon Distribution
Moderator: Cecil Rich (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
Inventory of Fish Distribution in Matanuska-Susitna Basin Streams, Southcentral Alaska, 2009 - Justin Arnold (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Susitna River Chum and Coho Salmon Spawning Distribution and Northern Cook Inlet Chinook Salmon Genetic Stock Identification - Richard Merizon (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
Big Lake Spawning Distribution - Derek Hildreth (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Matanuska River Spawning Distribution, 2009 - Theresa Tanner (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Connecting Landscapes to Fish Diversity in Alaska - Michael Wiedmer (University of Washington)
12:15 LUNCH
1:00 Fish Passage Restoration
Moderator: Mary Price (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Status of Culvert Inventory and Assessment - Gillian O’Doherty (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
Overview of Fish Passage Improvement Efforts in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough - Bill Rice (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
What is Stream Simulation in Culvert Design? - Bill Rice (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Mat-Su Borough Public Works 2009 Mission: “Attack the perches” - Chuck Kaucic (Mat-Su Borough)
Setting Priorities for Restoring Fish Passage - Marcus Geist (The Nature Conservancy)
2:15 Poster Session
2:45 Water Quality and Salmon
Moderator: Matthew LaCroix, Environmental Protection Agency
Stream Temperature Monitoring Network for Mat-Su Salmon Streams - Sue Mauger (Cook Inletkeeper)
Mat-Su Stream Temperatures and Juvenile Fish Distribution - Jeff Davis (Aquatic Restoration and Research Institute)
Jim Creek Water Quality and Riparian Habitat Assessment - Scott Wolfe (The Wildlifers)
Knik River Watershed: Anadromous Fish Habitat Observations - Robert Howard (Knik River Watershed Group)
Little Susitna River Petroleum Hydrocarbon Pollution - Laura Eldred (Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation)
4:00 Adjourn
4:15 - 5:30 Mat-Su Salmon Partnership Annual Meeting
November 19, 2009
8:30 Registration
9:00 Geomorphology & Water in the Mat-Su
Moderator: Bill Rice (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Wasilla Stream Gaging - Becky McNeil (Palmer Soil and Water Conservation District)
Shallow groundwater in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley - Steve Frenzel (U.S. Geological Survey)
Hydrologic regimes of peatlands near Big Lake, Alaska - Chris Arp (U.S. Geological Survey)
Braid plains, Bedrock, and Boxcars – Assessing Bank Erosion Hazards along the Matanuska River, Alaska - Janet Curran (U.S. Geological Survey)
10:00 Networking Break
10:30 Salmon Studies
Moderator: Chris Zimmerman (U.S. Geological Survey)
Current Salmon Assessment Projects by ADF&G on the Deshka River and Fish Creek (Big Lake) - Suzanne Hayes (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
Susitna Sockeye Salmon Production and Yentna Sonar Investigations -Mark Willette (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
Susitna Sockeye Salmon Production and Escapement from Lakes in the Susitna River System, Paul Blanche (Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association)
Effects of Palmer’s WWTP Mixing Zone on Salmon Fry - Ralph Hulbert (AlaskChem Engineering)
Spawning Counts in Four Matanuska Side Channels, 2nd Year - Ruth Hulbert (AlaskChem Engineering)
Utilization of Estuarine Habitats by Anadromous Fish in Knik Arm - James Brady (HDR, Inc)
12:00 LUNCH
12:45 Restoration
Moderator: Jeanne Hanson (NOAA Marine Fisheries)
Mat-Su Basin Restoration Cost Share Program - Amber Bethe (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
Rain Garden at Cottonwood Creek Elementary - Catherine Inman (Wasilla Soil and Water Conservation District)
Certified Weed-free Gravel - Andrew Weaver (Alaska Department of Natural Resources)
Lessons Learned in Stream Restoration Planning and Implementation - Brian Winnestaffer (Chickaloon Village Traditional Council)
Monitoring Stream Restoration and Culvert Replacement Projects - Jessica Dryden (Chickaloon Village Traditional Council)
Control Netting of Northern Pike on Alexander Creek - Sam Ivey (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
2:15 Networking Break
2:45 Filling in the Data Gaps - Panel Discussion
Moderator: Lisa Rabbe (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Panelists: Doug McBride (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Cecil Rich (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
Steve Frenzel (U.S. Geological Survey)
Christy Miller (Tetra Tech)
Panelists will summarize the upcoming research and program goals for their agencies. Symposium attendees are requested to sign up over the lunch break to share their upcoming research. The discussion will focus on what do we still need to know about salmon and their habitats in the Mat-Su Basin and how can we fill in these gaps in our knowledge.
4:00 Adjourn
4:15 - 5:30 Informal Gathering of Alaska Fish Habitat Partnerships
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