Restoring Salmon Habitat in Coal Creek, a Remote Dredge-Mined Stream in Alaska
Trey Simmons
National Park Service
Fairbanks, Alaska
Authors: Simmons, T., Bealer, S., Burger, P., Coykendall, S. and Hults, C.
Coal Creek is a tributary to the Yukon River located in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve in eastern interior Alaska. Streams in this area are known to support rearing of juvenile Chinook salmon, which genetic studies have shown are largely derived from Canadian spawning populations. Starting in the early 20th century Coal Creek was heavily mined for gold, initially using a dredge and later using bulldozers. The result was significant disruption of the stream and valley for over 7 miles with an accompanying degradation of habitat for fish, including salmon. As part of the Gravel-to-Gravel Keystone Initiative, the National Park Service (NPS) recently received funding to restore salmon habitat in Coal Creek. The Department of the Interior created the Initiative to address the recent significant decline in Yukon River salmon, which is a critically important resource for residents of the area, including Alaska Natives. This project will be accomplished in collaboration with the Salcha-Delta Soil and Water Conservation District, which has extensive experience in planning and conducting stream restorations in Interior Alaska. At present we are planning to employ a combination of different restoration approaches, potentially including reconnection with a relict channel, Natural Channel Design, and process-based methods, to accomplish the restoration. The recently developed Alaska Interior Stream Quantification Tool (AKintSQT) will be used to assess current conditions in Coal Creek, estimate the functional uplift that can be achieved from the planned restoration, and monitor the restoration's success post-construction. This represents the first formal application of the AKintSQT to a restoration project. To date we have collected extensive baseline data throughout the proposed restoration reach, including channel geometry, valley-wide LiDAR, fish surveys, water quality and macroinvertebrate samples. In this presentation we will summarize existing condition data and outline our plans to restore salmon habitat. In particular we will discuss the challenges of operating in a remote location in Alaska that is inaccessible by road.
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