Willow Creek banks get a facelift

Salmon anglers heading up the Parks Highway to Willow Creek will find some changes this summer -- the crumbling stream banks near Pioneer Lodge have been replaced with elevated walkways and improved fish habitat.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Pioneer Lodge owner Steve White, finished the nearly $160,000 project last summer and organized a ribbon cutting ceremony at the site this spring.

"This project has been going on for several years … it is a heavily trafficked area for fishing and recreational use," said Fish and Wildlife biologist Jeanne Walter.

About four years ago, Walter said, White told Fish and Wildlife that he was interested in restoring the area's natural habitat and preventing erosion. After years of eager anglers scrambling around on the banks of Willow Creek, the soil and rocks were falling into the water and much of the native plants had been trampled.

This type of damage, Walter explained, leads to widening and changing of the stream route, threatens water quality, allows the water to heat to higher than normal temperatures and, in the long run, can affect populations of fish and other species dependent on the creek. Streamside vegetation provides important habitat for aquatic insects and juvenile fish.

In order to halt the existing erosion and restore the banks to a more natural state, the partners in the project used trees, soil, native plants and mats of vegetation taken from the woods near the area to rebuild more than 400 feet of bank. White, for example, collected thousands of willows and stored them during the winter so they could be planted this spring.

"That's a lot of cutting. And after they were installed, he watered everything," Walter said of White. "He was a wonderful partner."

In addition to labor and equipment, White also helped fund additional contracting work. His contribution alone equaled nearly $80,000, matched by around $70,000 from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"It just looks beautiful. It's a huge difference," Walter said. "The willows are coming in well."

Fish and Wildlife predicts the restoration will mean better areas for fish spawning and rearing in the creek, which is home to kings, silvers, pink and chum salmon as well as Dolly Varden, rainbow trout and grayling. Other wildlife will also benefit from the improved habitat and food supplies, including ducks, bald eagles, osprey, moose and bears.

In addition to rebuilding the banks, the partners built several wooden walkways and fences that allow anglers and other visitors to access the creek without trampling the banks. The walkways are designed to let light through so the vegetation beneath can continue to thrive.

"It came out really great," White said from Pioneer Lodge. While the efforts were primarily designed to help the creek and its inhabitants, White said anglers appreciate the work as well.

"I think it's helpful to them. They're not having to crawl all over the banks," White said. "It's a good deal."

The Pioneer Lodge project is one of several along Willow Creek and throughout the Mat-Su Valley. Since 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners have spent more than $300,000 in efforts like this to restore habitat. Other work has been done in the Meadow Lakes area, Trapper Creek and throughout Wasilla.

"We're really hoping this will catch on," Walter said. "We're losing a lot of habitat from recreation use such as fishing and boat wakes."

At the same time, streamside homeowners can cause problems of their own by clearing all vegetation down to the water's edge. While this may mean a better view, Walter said the homeowners often end up calling Fish and Wildlife in search of help to stop erosion.

In the past, such problems were usually addressed with piles of rock or concrete bulkheads. Walter said the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program with projects like the one at Willow Creek is designed to show people that it can be done better, in a way that will benefit the stream, the plants and animals that live there and the people who enjoy it all.

The program works with landowners who want to restore, enhance or establish fish and wildlife habitats on their land. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other partnering agencies provide technical and financial assistance to the landowners.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the program can call Walter at (907) 271-2788 or program coordinator Anita Goetz at (907) 271-1798.