The Seasons are Changing, But the Work Continues . . . 

Summer is beginning to wind down, and salmon are making their way home. You can feel the shift in the air already, and in some places, you can even smell it. It’s been a whirlwind of a season, as most Alaskan summers tend to be, but through all the hustle and bustle, our Backyard Salmonscapes movement has been moving right along with it. Along the way, we’ve seen a growing number of people getting outside to experience, learn about, understand, and care for the salmon habitat that surrounds them.

This season, Backyard Salmonscapes has brought community members together through field trips, workshops, outreach events, volunteer projects, and time spent outside exploring the streams, wetlands, and landscapes that sustain salmon. From installing “Baby Salmon Live Here” signs to Salmon Habitat Mapping to getting out on the water, we’ve been reminded again and again that protecting salmon begins with knowing the places they depend on. And there is still time to discover and to be part of it all!

One of the key components of Backyard Salmonscapes has been partnering with the Kenai Watershed Forum and other agencies to do Salmon Habitat Mapping. Across the Kenai Peninsula, thousands of miles of waterways provide habitat for salmon, but much of that habitat remains undocumented. Only a portion of the region’s anadromous waterways has been mapped, leaving important places potentially overlooked when decisions about land and water are made. That’s where community members come in. Through Salmon Habitat Mapping, volunteers gain hands-on experience with tools and techniques that support local management and conservation efforts.

The goal of Backyard Salmonscapes, however, has never been simply to collect data. The deeper goal is to build relationships between people and place. Protecting salmon habitat is not something one person or even one organization can do alone. It takes neighbors who notice a stream running through their property. It takes families who teach their kids to be stewards of the land and waters they live on. It takes anglers, landowners, teachers, businesses, volunteers, Tribal communities, conservation organizations, and people who simply love being outside and want to leave these places better than they found them. It takes a community that cares.

That kind of community doesn’t happen overnight. It grows when people have opportunities to get outside together, ask questions, share knowledge, and experience firsthand what is at stake. That is what Backyard Salmonscapes has been building this summer! And the season isn’t over.

On Saturday, September 5, you can join us for our final salmon habitat mapping field trip opportunity to learn about local research and mapping. Participants will go on a short hike to a newly mapped roadside salmon stream for hands-on experience! We’ll meet at 10 AM @ The Community Action Studio to carpool. For more information, visit our Events page.

Remember, you don’t have to be a fisheries biologist. You don’t have to know everything about salmon. You just have to be willing to learn and get your boots wet. Come map a stream. Learn something new. Meet your neighbors. Most importantly, come be part of a community that cares. The future of our salmon isn’t just something we should hope for. It’s something we should BUILD together!

For more information, contact David Knight, david@inletkeeper.org.