Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Initiative

For more information about projects in Alaska, see Where We Work: Alaska

With hundreds of pristine rivers, lakes and streams, the southwest Alaska region abounds with natural resources, diverse habitats, world-class recreation spots and a rich culture and history. Covering an area the size of Washington state, this 40 million acre region supports a wide variety of fish and wildlife including wild salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, Arctic char, grayling, lake trout and northern pike as well as brown bear, caribou, moose, and myriad of migratory birds.

"The wild salmon of Southwest Alaska have supported the Yupik culture for thousands of years. The fate of our local communities is closely connected to the vision we share fo rthe future of all Alaska."

- Hjalmar E. "Ofi"Olsen, Chairman, Bristol Bay Native Corporation

Summary

Southwest Alaska is perhaps best known as the world's greatest stronghold of wild salmon, with all five Pacific salmon species abundant and widespread. A key component of the ecosystem, salmon drive the region's ecology, economy and culture. The region routinely produces total salmon runs that average 70 million and exceed 100 million in some years. A top travel destination for outdoor enthusiasts, thousands of tourists travel here each year for the world-class fishing opportunities and other nature-based adventures.

Challenge

Southwest Alaska is at a crossroads. Geographic remoteness no long protects the region from rapid change. Forces that have devastated wild salmon elsewhere around the world are at work in Southwest Alaska.

Private land development along rivers and lakes is the most pressing threat to salmon. Hundreds of private tracts, primarily Native allotments, that until recently were used for hunting and fishing, are increasingly being converted to development.

Native village and regional corporations own extensive holdings in these areas, including large tracts often exceeding 100,000 acres. Collectively, private lands comprise about 4.55 million acres, or 11 percent, of the region. Over the next few years, protection of key habitats, a small percentage of these lands, will largely determine the long-term ecological health of Southwest Alaska.

Solution

In order to safeguard this fragile region, The Conservation Fund, working in partnership with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Native corporations, and others launched the Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Initiative – a 10-year, multi-million dollar program to protect wild salmon and their habitat.

Results

With a $4.5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Initiative will protect key salmon habitat throughout the 40 million acres of southwest Alaska, the world’s largest spawning ground for wild salmon.

Specifically, the Moore Foundation grant allows the Fund to pursue landscape-scale conservation easements on major salmon systems in the region, while conserving Native allotments through acquisition or easement. The Fund has engaged recreational outdoor equipment retailers and manufacturers, other businesses as well as the public, to raise funding and support. Lastly, the Fund is working to strengthen the activities and membership of the local land trust and the Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Partnership, a coalition of diverse interests and organizations working with the common goal of salmon habitat conservation.

The Moore Foundation grant also carries a significant pledge to obtain matching funding. Other individuals and businesses are stepping up to provide the needed match. For example, the Bristol Bay Native Corporation has approved $300,000 for the program over the past few years.

Backpacker magazine's Editor in Chief, Jonathan Dorn, flew deep into into Alaska's backcountry with The Fund's Alaska State Director, Glenn Elison, for "an adventure of a lifetime" in an area where we are working to protect salmon habitat. Watch a short video of the adventure here: