ATVs threaten salmon habitat

WASILLA -- When Tracey and Doug Johnson moved to the Valley from Anchorage in 1996, they were drawn by the elbow room and lush vegetation around their home off Bogard Road. They also prized the fact that Cottonwood Creek ran adjacent to the property.

"It's definitely pristine," Tracey said. "We can see the ripples of fish going upstream."

But stream conditions have been degraded over the years by people riding four-wheelers through the water.

The machines' tires have cut ruts on both banks, and the Johnsons have even seen dead salmon that were run over in the shallow water at a popular crossing.

They've called various law enforcement agencies and state departments about the situation. The problem, the couple said, is that culprits generally flash through the water and are gone.

"We yelled at one guy when he was in the creek, and he turned and went up the creek," Doug said.

Cottonwood Creek qualifies as an anadromous stream, one in which salmon migrate from salt water to spawn in fresh water, said Matt LaCroix, habitat biologist with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. State law makes it illegal to pollute such streams, including adding rocks, earth or other debris into the water.

As banks erode from four-wheeler use and material falls into the stream, salmon have an increasingly difficult time getting upstream to spawn, LaCroix said.

"It's a situation where you have to catch the person in the act," he said. "Either ourselves or the troopers can respond, but you have to be witnessing the violation.

If it's a pickup going through the water and someone gets the license plate, we could go out and talk to them."

Officials from DNR and the Mat-Su Borough have been discussing ways to solve such problems throughout the Valley, LaCroix said.

Bridges could be built at some locations, although funds are scarce, while other options include placing huge boulders in the path of drivers.

"It's a serious issue and it's getting worse," LaCroix said. "A lot of people are aware of the law but just don't care."

Fish aren't the only creatures at risk from illegal activity.

The Johnsons say people frequently fire guns near their home, and have left several fire rings on the family's property within sight of the house.

The couple's car windows have been shot out, Tracey said, adding that partiers apparently are drawn by the creek as a setting for their night-time activities.

"One Saturday we counted 31 shots," Tracey said. "You can tell the difference between firecrackers and gunshots."

Still, it's the environmental damage that most angers the Johnsons. Tracey believes drivers licenses should be required for four-wheelers, especially among younger users.

"You should know the rules before you get the license," she said.

Then Tracey pointed to where a teen-ager recently droveqaa through a thick patch of ferns and into the water.

"This is a spawning ground that connects with Wolf Lake," she said. "If all these fish are getting killed, how many million aren't getting back to the ocean?"

The Johnsons' niece, Joy, has earned a reputation as family "sheriff." She'll confront scofflaws but admits there's little success.

"I get really angry because they won't stop," she said.