As of March 22, 2024, Kachemak Heritage Land Trust (KHLT) has protected another 46.393 acres of land, which is extremely valuable to people and salmon. This is the fifth and final mitigation project between KHLT and the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF).
In 2020, KHLT was selected to establish a mechanism to preserve, perpetually care for, and monitor wetland conservation properties for DOT&PF in response to the Sterling Highway MP 45-60 Reconstruction Project.
KHLT’s role has been finding, assessing, selecting, and securing specific lands to protect the Kenai Peninsula. With the addition of these 46.393 acres, KHLT has protected a total of 209.033 acres within the Kenai River watershed since the project’s inception in 2020.
In 35 years of protecting land, KHLT now has protected 3,944.479 acres in perpetuity.
Jonathan Tymick, Project Manager for the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, says that the KHLT’s rapid and efficient procurement of the needed credits has impressed the Department thoroughly.
“Originally aiming for a 2026 deadline, KHLT’s diligent efforts brought the final acquisition to completion nearly two years ahead of schedule. The Department looks forward to future partnerships with KHLT, enthusiastically supporting their mission to conserve critical habitats on the Kenai Peninsula.”
All of the land KHLT has acquired and will protect in perpetuity as part of this particular mitigation project has been comprised of critical wetlands and salmon habitat. Conserving important wetland habitat is just one way Alaskans can work to keep salmon populations healthy and thriving. Salmon lay their eggs in tiny inland streams and juvenile salmon can live in those streams for up the three years.
Salmon need land, not just water, to survive, thrive, and replenish their populations. Each acre conserved gives salmon a greater chance of surviving and gives people a greater chance of experiencing bountiful, healthy salmon fisheries.
According to Marie McCarty, Executive Director, Kachemak Heritage Land Trust, she calls this an exciting accomplishment.
“Protecting this special piece of land is a win-win-win – we are protecting habitat for wildlife, ensuring that salmon and trout fishing remain open to the public along this important fishing corridor, and giving our future generations of people, salmon, and everything in between a chance at a more secure future. We are so honored to be part of the solution to protecting really important wetlands here in our backyards.”
These newly protected 46.393 acres contain wetlands that support habitat for the Kenai River which nourishes runs of four Pacific salmon species: king, red, silver, and pink in addition to trophy sized rainbow trout and Dolly Varden. The property contains significant wetlands that are vital to the health of the adjacent world class anadromous Kenai River, Alaska’s most popular salmon fishing river. In addition to being a preservation project, this property contains wetlands which provide important functions and services to the area, including pollution filtration, sediment control, groundwater temperature modulation, flood management, and habitat for, moose, bears, and bald eagles.
Now that this land is under KHLT’s care, it will remain open — for wildlife, public fishing, and as natural habitat — forever. This is a major win for all those who live, recreate, visit, and rely on the Kenai River watershed.