Preserving, for public benefit, land on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula with natural, recreational, or cultural values by working with willing landowners.
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KHLT adds to Anchor River Conservation Corridor
Secure Online Donation Service Activated KHLT is pleased to offer a new secure online donation option. You can help protect important conservation land in a few easy steps- no need to write a check and send it through the mail.
KHLT adds to Anchor River Conservation Corridor
Kachemak Heritage Land Trust recently purchased the 11.76–acre Martin property located off the Old Sterling Highway in Anchor Point. This property is the first acquired for permanent conservation through the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust KHLT Lower Peninsula Wetlands Fund. Its selection as a priority parcel was based on its proximity to existing conservation units, and research on the Anchor River done by Kachemak Bay Research Reserve, Homer Soil and Water Conservation District, and Cook Inletkeeper. The initial assessment of the habitat values of the Martin property and prioritization of parcels along the Anchor River were supported through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program and KHLT.
The Martin property contains Anchor River frontage and side channels with nine acres of discharge slope wetlands, all important for salmon and water quality. It is near the 64-acre Pate property owned for conservation by the land trust, the 12-acre Clark property owned for conservation by Kachemak Moose Habitat Inc., and is across the river from property owned by Alaska Department of Natural Resources designated for moose habitat and public access under the Kenai Area Plan. The Anchor River bottomland provides winter moose browse and functions as part of a corridor from the North Fork moose wintering grounds.
Working with Homer Soil and Water Conservation District and Cook Inletkeeper, Kachemak Heritage Land Trust overlaid previously mapped priority areas on the Anchor with river reaches identified as providing cool water habitats important to salmon as stream temperatures rise due to climate change. This information was used to identify which landowners to contact.
Research by Kachemak Bay Research Reserve (KBRR), in collaboration with Baylor University and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, found that it is important to maintain a diversity of habitats for juvenile salmon that spend at least a year in freshwater. The combination of this research and the resulting maps helped KHLT articulate the significance of private land conservation along the Anchor River to priority landowners.
Land along the Anchor River is a mosaic of State, Borough, and private properties whose owners have a variety of management objectives. KHLT is grateful for Bonnie Martin’s efforts to work with us to purchase her land.
“Completion of the Martin parcel purchase underscores how private landowners can work cooperatively with KHLT and other partners to protect habitat for salmon and other wildlife on the Anchor River”, said David Wigglesworth, Manager US Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program. “Bonnie Martin is to be commended for her willingness to work with KHLT to protect this property for the benefit of present and future residents of the Kenai Peninsula”, Wigglesworth added.
Landowner Bonnie Martin responded to an outreach packet sent to her by Kachemak Heritage Land Trust containing KBRR and Inletkeeper research. She stated, "I am excited and proud to a part of this conservation project. With so many habitats disappearing we all need to be concerned, and participate in any way we can to save the animals, fish and plants so valuable to us all."
Along the lower Anchor River, Kachemak Heritage Land Trust now owns a total of 131 acres that together directly preserve 2 miles of the river’s banks, and has helped other conservation organizations acquire an additional 68 acres, together spanning an additional mile of the river and containing wetlands important to the river’s health. These acquisitions help fill gaps in the river corridor protected by the State Department of Natural Resources and the State Parks system.
Fun in the Forest Celebrates restored Nature Trail
It was all smiles on the renovated Calvin & Coyle Nature Trail in Homer on June 18th. Adults and kids of all ages helped KHLT celebrate the completion of upgrades to the trail and installation of new interpretive signage. Volunteers conducted fun and educational kids' activities, helped people identify plants and birds along the trail, and served up barbecue fare at the trailhead.
KHLT thanks all the funders, volunteers, and trail enthusiasts who made it a great celebration of a great trail!