Every watershed has a story. The Cook Inlet watershed | Tikahtnu K’egh’uh tells its story through its rivers, tides, the return of salmon, and the people who call this place home. This year, we will introduce a new interactive way to connect people to place, called Inletkeeper’s Watershed Days. The selected days will feature outdoor and indoor hands-on activities, offering a chance to slow down and experience the land beneath our feet, the waters that shape it, and the fish that connect our communities.
When we come together to learn about our watershed, we start to see how even small creeks are connected to the Inlet, how healthy forests stabilize banks, how countless species rely on these interconnected systems, and at the center of it all are salmon. We know that salmon supports our communities, cultures, and economy, and that communities across the watershed are shaped by seasonal runs that have sustained Alaskans for generations. However, by stepping outside or rolling up our sleeves and engaging with hands-on activities, we transform more abstract concepts into lived experiences. They shift from conversation and ideas to something that has real texture, temperature, sound, feel, and smell.
Inletkeeper’s Watershed Days will invite you to explore our relationship to the watershed firsthand: walking streambanks, wading in waters, and learning in a way that connects you directly to the lands and rivers’ rhythms, encouraging us to reflect on how our daily choices ripple downstream. By deepening our understanding of our local waters, lands, and ecosystems, we hope to empower people to be better stewards and protect the places we love.
Our first Watershed Day will take place at the end of March. Be on the lookout for more details, including the exact date, location, and how to participate. You’ll see the announcement on our website here, so stay tuned and be ready to join us as we step outside, explore our local waters, and celebrate the land, water, and salmon that connect us all.