Fish Passage Projects
After a comprehensive strategic planning effort, our restoration focus is entirely dedicated to reconnecting baby salmon nurseries to the ocean. While we don't have many hydroelectric dams on the Kenai Peninsula, we do have a large number of roads with poorly designed or maintained culverts that prevent adults and juvenile salmon from accessing the habitat they need. There are dozens of culverts that need our help and we are discovering more through our Culvert Assessment project. Other organizations are focusing their efforts on direct bank habitat and providing responsible access, and we believe it is important to provide the most amount of restored habitat per dollar spent - and that opportunity is found in restoring fish passage.
Steps taken to complete a fish passage project
- Identify priority sites and secure project funding
- Measure stream width, depth, and slope
- Analyze stream sediment
- Work with engineering firm to design plans that simulate the stream width, depth, and slope
- Get permits from multiple agencies
- Hire construction contractors and order pipe or other structure
- Divert stream around existing culvert
- Remove old culvert
- Replace with new culvert as per permits
- Fill ~20% of the new culvert with gravel/sand mixture similar to the natural stream
- Close diversion and return water to designed channel in new culvert
- Stabilize the road slope with rock and native vegetation
- Monitor the results over time
Featured Restorations
- Slikok Creek (Soldotna)
- Daniel's Creek (Nikiski)
- Bean Creek (Cooper Landing)
- Leif Creek (Nikiski)
- Hidden Creek (Cooper Landing)
Completed Restorations
- Pepper Road Crossing (Anchor Point)
- Mink Creek (Kenai National Wildlife Refuge north of Sterling)
- Doghouse Creek (Kenai National Wildlife Refuge north of Sterling)
- Swan Creek (Kenai National Wildlife Refuge north of Sterling)
- Merganser Creek (Kenai National Wildlife Refuge north of Sterling)
- Two Moose Creek (Anchor Point)
- Ruby Creek (Anchor Point)
- Mayflower Street (Kenai)
- Silver Salmon Creek (Ninilchik)
Restorations In Progress
- Crooked Creek (Kasilof)
- Tract 3 Road Ninilchik River tributary (Ninilchik)
- Two tributaries to Resurrection Creek (Seward)
- Anchor River tributary (Anchor Point)
- Two tributaries to Kenai River (Sterling)
- Coal Creek (Kasilof)