Chickaloon native village, an ahtna tribe in southcentral alaska, is working to restore natural hydrologic and ecological function throughout the moose creek watershed

This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the National Fish Passage Program (CFDA 15.685) provides $3,000,000 to the Chickaloon Native Village in Alaska to restore natural hydrologic and ecological function in the Moose Creek watershed.

The key objectives of this 5-year project are to: 1) design salmon habitat restoration for up to 5 miles of the upper Moose Creek watershed, 2) implement Phase 1 of salmon habitat restoration by reducing velocity barriers, restoring floodplain connectivity, and increasing aquatic habitat complexity in up to 1 mile of Moose Creek, and 3) replace three culverts and restore fish passage on three upper Moose Creek tributaries. This restoration work will provide access to 28 miles of salmon spawning and rearing habitats and restore floodplain connectivity across 1,536 acres. The project aims to address the negative impacts of historical coal mining and railroad activities in this culturally important anadromous stream.

Moose creek is a culturally important anadromous stream that has been negatively impacted by coal mines and a railroad in the early 1900 S. This project aims to 1) design salmon habitat restoration for up to 5.0 miles of the upper moose creek watershed, 2) implement phase 1 of salmon habitat restoration in upper moose creek by reducing velocity barriers, restoring floodplain connectivity, and increasing aquatic habitat complexity (including large woody debris, pools, and meanders) in up to one mile of moose creek, and 3) replace three culverts and restore fish passage on three upper moose creek tributaries, thereby increasing spawning and rearing habitats for anadromous fish. This project will restore fish access to 28 miles of salmon spawning and rearing habitats above the barriers and will restore floodplain connectivity for approximately 1,536 acres.