Salmon Habitat Mapping in the Central Kenai Peninsula 2021-2023

From 2021-2023, Kenai Watershed Forum worked with local volunteers to discover and identify 17.5 stream miles and 1152 lake acres of previously undocumented anadromous habitat in the central Kenai Peninsula of southcentral Alaska. All habitats identified in this project were near developing core areas near the communities of Kenai and Soldotna, and thus were vulnerable to potential development impacts. We submitted these discoveries as nominations to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Anadromous Waters Catalog (AWC), where they were accepted. Catalogued waters are subject to anadromous-specific state and local habitat conservation laws, whereas uncatalogued waters are not, thus expanding the known extent of the AWC serves as an essential conservation tool. The project catalyzed future efforts to continue this work and develop cutting-edge predictive mapping tools, which will magnify the effectiveness of ongoing efforts to document and conserve freshwater habitat in Alaska. We anticipate that future efforts will continue to confirm large tracts of yet-undocumented anadromous habitat throughout Alaska.