With the goal of restoring, rehabilitating, enhancing and protecting streambank habitats important to pacific salmon, the kenai habitat restoration program-phase III will build on efforts made by…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Region 7, through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (CFDA 15.631), awarded $150,000 to the Kenai Soil & Water Conservation District effective January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2028. The Kenai Habitat Restoration Program—Phase III will deliver streambank habitat restoration, rehabilitation, and protection services on private lands throughout the Kenai Peninsula to benefit Pacific salmon populations. Building on prior phases of work initiated in the mid-1990s, the program will continue collaborative habitat improvement projects with private landowners while expanding education, outreach, and information-sharing initiatives to develop an informed and engaged constituency supporting conservation efforts.

The cooperative agreement deliverables encompass on-the-ground streambank restoration activities, technical assistance to private landowners, monitoring and evaluation of habitat improvements, and comprehensive community engagement programming. This award represents part of the Kenai Soil & Water Conservation District's ongoing portfolio of federal funding focused on salmon habitat restoration and fish passage improvement on the Kenai Peninsula, demonstrating the district's established capacity as a prime recipient and service provider for USFWS habitat conservation priorities in Alaska.

With the goal of restoring, rehabilitating, enhancing and protecting streambank habitats important to pacific salmon, the kenai habitat restoration program-phase III will build on efforts made by the USFWS and alaska department of fish and game, both of whom have a long and successful history of improving salmon habitat on private land on the kenai peninsula since the mid-1990S. Phase III will not only maintain an emphasis on working with partners and private landowners on habitat projects, but will also ramp up education, outreach, and information sharing efforts, which are viewed as critical to creating an informed and engaged constituency