Trout Unlimited Alaska will next weekend host Kenai River Plants for Salmon, a tree planting and educational event for families, running Sunday, June 9 from noon to 4 p.m. at Centennial Park in Soldotna.
Alexa Millward, Kenai Peninsula engagement coordinator for the group, said the event will focus on planting trees along the bank of the Kenai River for habitat protection and rehabilitation, as well as a variety of educational opportunities and festivities brought by community partners.
Kenai Watershed Forum will have a fish tank showcasing juvenile salmon like those in the river and Cook Inletkeeper will offer spruce saplings for planting at home. Also present will be the City of Soldotna, the State Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kenai Peninsula Stream Watch and Kenai Soil & Water Conservation District. Lunch and planting materials will be provided.
Centennial Park, Millward said, is heavily impacted by fisher access — people moving through and damaging vegetation. Planting trees in the area is a “crucial” method for protecting and rehabilitating the streambank. Vegetation stabilizes the bankside against erosion and provides shelter, food and shade for fish passing through.
Millward said that Trout Unlimited Alaska is expanding habitat restoration efforts in the state. Alaska is unique for its access to high quality, intact habitat, which makes protecting and sustaining that habitat important.
Educating children and families on the value of bank rehabilitation, ecosystems and habitat is important, she said, because those concepts can be taken to other places, including personal property.
Centennial Park, owing to its high traffic, has seen significant degradation, but can be a great example of successful rehabilitation, she said.
For more information, find “Trout Unlimited Alaska” on Facebook.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
