Alaska is noted for its largeness: mountains that tower, ocean storms that rage and Chinook salmon that dwarf their captor. In this wilderness lies
Anchorage.
Alaska’s most populated city. Within the city there is a story of two different watersheds with different approaches to restoration and protection. Novel to these stories is the presence of salmon streams running directly through an urban area. These two models illustrate how successful restoration and preservation are molded by the definitions of success based on the value of the waterway in context of the community that values it.
In 1914 the city of Anchorage started as a “tent city” along the banks of Ship Creek coinciding with the construction of the Alaska Railroad. As Anchorage developed so did Ship Creek. The stream became channelized, dams were constructed, and the water became polluted. Natural salmon runs declined and enhancement by hatchery production became necessary. Today, native stock has been abandoned in favor of hatchery introductions, which allow for substantial runs into the city’s downtown; where tourists walk from their hotels to prime fishing grounds. Successful restoration on the stream is conducted with this user group in mind. Stream bank stabilization takes into account fishers, using vegetation that does not block access to the stream. Bridge construction also takes into account tourist and fisher access, with construction of platforms for observation and fishing. All of these projects improve fish habitat, but the ability to conduct these projects and sell them to the public necessitates that the they address what is valued in Ship Creek; an inner city fishing spot and tourist destination.
Campbell Creek tells a slightly different story, only becoming an urban stream in the last few decades as the city sprawled. Unlike Ship Creek. Campbell Creek runs through light industry, parks, and residential zones, with little tourist pressure. The creek is valued as a fishing stream, green space and trail system. These values are reflected in how restoration and protection efforts are implemented. Long term relationships for stewardship are being stressed with homeowners, businesses, and the Municipality. Restoration and preservation actions on the stream are focused on the juvenile rearing grounds of tributaries where there is no fishing. In Campbell Creek itself, the bigger picture involves preserving the pristine upper watershed and estuary needed to keep what community values as a self sustaining salmon producing stream, natural waterway, and green space.
