Numerous agencies to participate in upcoming salmon symposium

We’ll mention a couple of side notes before we tackle the main topic. First, I have received some comments questioning whether I supported or opposed the Copper Basin Community Subsistence Harvest (CSH) hunt as discussed in the recent two-part series of columns.

I apparently was not clear in my presentation of the issue. I wanted to portray points from both sides of the discussion and let you, the reader, decide for yourself about the hunt. Personally, I have never participated in this program and don’t plan to, so I have no ax to grind one way or the other.

Second, for those interested, Fish and Game has opened a resident-only registration permit hunt for mountain goat in the Twentymile area of GMU 14C beginning today. The reason for this opening is that only two units of the quota of nine goat units have been harvested to date. The hunt is scheduled to close Nov. 15, or when the quota of nine units is reached. Contact Fish and Game in Anchorage, Palmer or Soldotna for a permit and an explanation of the conditions of the hunt.

Now to my main topic of discussion. For the past five years, the Mat-Su Salmon Partnership has hosted a two-day science and conservation symposium here in the Valley. The sixth symposium is scheduled for Nov. 13-14 at the Palmer Depot and runs from about 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Quoting from the flyer I have, the symposium “is a forum to share information on Mat-Su Basin watersheds, salmon and salmon habitat, and to promote an exchange of ideas about salmon science and conservation in the Mat-Su Basin.”

This year’s theme is Healthy Salmon, Healthy Communities. The keynote speaker is David Batker of Earth Economics and co-author of “What’s the Economy for Anyway?” He has been working in the Mat-Su on a project that is attempting to frame the value of salmon habitat and open space in economic terms.

Several presentations will be made under each of the various session headings: Mat-Su Salmon and Habitat: Their Value and Management; Susitna River Salmon Studies; Salmon Habitat Conservation and Restoration; Potential Threats to Salmon: Climate Change and Invasive Pike; and Mapping Streams and Fish. There will also be a poster session and some discussion on where the Mat-Su Salmon Partnership has been and where it is going.

The Mat-Su Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission (MSBFWC) will be making a presentation under the Mat-Su Salmon and Habitat: Their Value and Management session scheduled for Nov. 13. Our presentation is just before the lunch break and is titled Where have All the Salmon Gone? I will be making the presentation, filling in for our main presenter, who is unavailable on this date.

This is a condensed version of an education presentation the MSBFWC put together for state legislators and has been broadcast on public television. I think it will be informative to those wondering why the Northern District has seen declining salmon returns over the last several years and includes proposed solutions the MSBFWC thinks will correct this downward trend.

There is no cost to attend the symposium and lunch is served both days. The registration deadline date to attend has already passed, but I suspect if you would like to attend as a formal participant, you could still contact MatSuSalmon@tnc.org and register. If you would prefer to just drop in for a while and listen to what’s happening, that shouldn’t be a problem, but don’t expect to get lunch if you haven’t registered.

I believe this will be my fifth symposium and I’ve learned something new every year. The first year I attended, I was amazed at how many different agencies and groups are working in the Valley. I was also surprised by the number of different research projects and the amount of salmon habitat restoration work that was being done. For instance, in recent years 81 road culverts blocking salmon access into usable habitat in the core area of the Valley have been upgraded at a cost of more than $6 million and the work is ongoing.

Some of the participating agencies in the symposium include: Mat-Su Salmon Partnership; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Mat-Su Borough; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; The Nature Conservancy; Athabascan Nation, Chickaloon village; Great Land Trust; U.S. Geological Survey; Wasilla Soil and Water Conservation District; ConocoPhillips; and several others.

See you there!

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.