Salcha-Delta SWCD

The Ecosystems and Salmon in Alaskas Yukon, Kuskokwim and Norton Sound Have Served Since Time Immemorial to Sustain the Wildlife and People of the Region. Traditional Foods Including Salmon, Caribou, Moose, and Migratory Birds Have Been Vital to Food Security and Indigenous Cultures for the More Than 100 Tribes Who Have Stewarded the Regions Lands and Set Up Fish Camps in Its Watersheds for Thousands of Years. New Arrivals From the Lower 48 Came to Use and Rely on These Same Natural Resources as They Sought to Build Lives in the Territory of Alaska. as the Territory of Alaska Was Populated Throughout the Late 19TH and Early 20TH Centuries Heavy Emphasis Was Placed on the Extraction of Mineral Resources. During the Heyday of Alaska Placer Mining, Hundreds of Miles of Streams Within the Gravel to Gravel Keystone Initiative Geographic Area Were Heavily Mined. While the Economy of Alaska Mostly Moved on to Other Pursuits, the Legacy of Degraded Watersheds Was Largely Left Intact. in Recent Years, Alaska Communities and the Ecosystems They Depend Upon Have Suffered as Climate Change Is Impacting the Arctic Four Times Faster Than Other Parts of North America. With a Legacy of Landscape Scale Disturbance, and a Future of Uncertain Climate Change Impacts, There Is an Imperative to Restore Impacted Areas to Improve Watershed Health and Resiliency, Especially in Areas With Current or Potential Pacific Salmon Habitat.