by Marie McCarty, KHLT Executive DirectorA Homer resident since 1996, Marie has a B.A. in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic in Maine, a Juris Doctor, and a Masters of Studies of Law degree from Vermont Law School. Kachemak Heritage Land Trust turns 35 this year and I invite you to celebrate our accomplishments and help chart our future to preserve land forever. In the context of perpetuity, 35 years is a pencil point dot (like a tardigrade sized slice of time). However, our past 35 years have set the baseline for KHLT to be successful over time. With solid finances, a stellar board of directors and committees, a spectacular staff, and the enduring support of our community, KHLT joins the best of the nonprofit world. 35 years ago, Kachemak Heritage Land Trust was incorporated, just one month before the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, by a group of Homerites wanting to maintain our community’s unique feel for the future. We called ourselves a “landmark organization” as we were “faced with the challenge of being the first Alaskan land trust and serving as a model for future regional trusts.” Our original service area was Anchor Point to Koyuktolik Bay and included parts of the Outer Coast. Our newsletter is still called Landmarks, in honor of those heady early days. Our Spring 1990 newsletter was titled, “…Launching the Boat” and described KHLT’s vision to maintain our “quality of life by balancing development with open space.” This is still KHLT’s philosophy. In a place so closely tied to fresh and salt water, the boat analogy makes sense, even for a land-based organization, as one always impacts the other.  Our Fall 1990 newsletter reported that we received a donation of our first computer, plants, a wall clock, and shelving. We had 201 members. That May, we hosted 30 people at our first Lodge Hop with brunch at Tutka Bay Lodge, lunch at Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge, and Dinner at “Ishmalof Lodge” in Halibut Cove. Marian Beck and Jan Schofield identified plants and animals and Mossy Kilcher sang to the guests between the feasts. That fall, we hosted a costume ball at Lands End with prizes for the best Kachemak Sea Creature and we worked with Eagle Quality Center (pre-Safeway) on an extensive recycling program. Kachemak Heritage Land Trust was the brainchild of naturalist and author, Jan Schofield and Sue Christiansen with founding board members Janice Schofield, Jon and Nelda Osgood, Roberta Highland, Robert Archibald, Mary Pearsall, Toby Tyler, Diane McBride, Devony Lehner, and Daisy Lee Bitter. At the first KHLT gathering, Jan handed out local wildflower seeds to each person and, as reported in her book Beyond Road’s End, she said, “The land trust reminds me of a seed. And each of you is like the sun…The force is with you, the power to grow this seed of an idea into fullness. This is the seed of habitat, habitat for all, for all times.” These creative, bold folks looked at the qualities of this beautiful place and imagined a way to ensure that those qualities could be preserved forever. With that end in mind, they figured out how to navigate from a clear idea and vision to acting to permanently protect land as the first Alaskan land trust. From the Kilcher conservation easement, the first conservation easement held by a land trust in Alaska, to our most recent conservation acquisition on the Kenai River, KHLT is dedicated to caring for each of our properties and the conservation easements for which ware responsible. Each property has its own needs and faces changes and challenges over time. As an example, KHLT has owned the Calvin and Coyle property next to Paul Banks Elementary School in Homer for over 30 years. This now 28-acre property is home to a wide array of birds and wildlife, sometimes including an angry goshawk, moose and calves, bears, dragonflies, Lutz spruce, Kenai Birch, alders, a whole lot of boardwalk trail, and a ton of thick forest moss. I love walking KHLT’s Calvin and Coyle Trail listening for Townsend’s warblers, spotting tiny creatures in the woods, and checking out the stream at bridge two (built by an Eagle Scout). I love the crunch of snow on the trail when it is truly cold outside. With ice creepers on my boots, I still like to walk the Calvin and Coyle Trail in winter. I love wearing layers of turtlenecks and wool sweaters and boots or sometimes, though always a poor choice, Birkenstocks and handmade wool socks on the trail. Years ago, I used to run the trail, which is challenging with the many tree roots… As one of KHLT’s longest owned properties, I like to think about what it meant to the donors, D. Bailey Calvin and Maury Coyle and Harry Buxton. I like to think what the trail means to the many, many trail crews who hauled wood chips by wheelbarrow, built boardwalk, constructed the Daisy Lee Bitter platform, completely relocated the trail and parking area in 2008 carrying so many long heavy boards. I like to think about visitors’ wonderful experiences on the many Shorebird Festival events held on the trail and the many student trail crews we’ve hosted on the property. To me, the Calvin and Coyle Trail is a microcosm of our Kenai Peninsula community and of the mission of KHLT. This is the benefit of having a local land trust, we are all about protecting the places you love that are near where you live—forever. Things change over time and things stay the same. As a land trust and, thereby a land manager, that’s something of which we are well aware. When we received the Calvin and Coyle parcels, it was primarily old growth spruce forest with some alder and scattered Kenai Birch. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the Spruce Bark Beetle infestation moved through the southern Kenai Peninsula, causing much die-off of the older spruce trees. KHLT stewardship staff adapted to these changes and, at least every ten years, revises its management plan to continue to meet the donor’s intent and adapt to changes in the forest and in our community.  I see perpetual land conservation as a gift we share with our community now and with our community members of the future. It’s thanks to people like you, our supporters, that we can work together to keep special places on the Kenai Peninsula protected. A sincere thank you to everyone who has been involved in KHLT over the years. Please consider this an invitation to those of you who are new to the land trust concept to join our movement. We are proud of this stellar and stable organization that helps people in our community leave their legacy footprint for our community. We are celebrating our 35th birthday at Angry Salmon in Anchor Point on Thursday, November 7th. We’d love for you to join us for this fundraiser dinner. Tickets are available on our website at www.kachemakheritagelandtrust.org/events and in person at 315 Klondike Ave, Homer AK. We hope to see you there!  This June, Kachemak Heritage Land Trust (KHLT) and Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR) hosted a Fish Need Land Too field trip for the Salmon Sisters crew, friends, and family. On a sunny and only slightly chilly Thursday morning, over two dozen participants gathered to learn and share about the intricate relationship between land and salmon habitats, emphasizing the importance of protecting land for healthy salmon populations. About the Organizations Kachemak Heritage Land Trust (KHLT): KHLT, aka “the Land Trust,” is a non-profit dedicated to preserving the natural heritage of the Kenai Peninsula for future generations. The Land Trust works with willing landowners to protect land with important conservation values, monitors and stewards land over time, and engages the community through educational programs. By protecting critical habitats, KHLT ensures the preservation of irreplaceable fish and wildlife habitats, as well as recreational lands, for the future. Since the Land Trust’s inception 35 years ago, nearly 4,000 acres have been protected on the Kenai Peninsula. Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR): KBNERR is part of the Alaska Center for Conservation Science at the University of Alaska Anchorage and is one of 30 National Estuarine Research Reserves across the country, with core programs supported through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). KBNERR does not own or manage any lands, yet the 372,000-acre boundary – the largest NERR in the System – overlaps with the Kachemak Bay State Park Critical Habitat Area and supports long-term monitoring, research, education and trainings related to the marine, nearshore, and watershed ecology of the bay. KBNERR’s mission is to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Alaska’s coastal ecosystems to ensure they remain healthy and productive. KBNERR engages with community volunteers to monitor for invasive European green crab and harmful algal blooms, offers weekly estuary walks in Beluga Slough, and engages in collaborative research efforts with the University of South Florida and Smithsonian Institution (like Fish Need Land Too!) to monitor and preserve the unique habitats in Kachemak Bay. Salmon Sisters: Salmon Sisters is Homer-based company run by co-founders, fishermen, and sisters Emma and Claire, with support from their small team. Their family makes their livelihood harvesting wild fish from Alaskan waters and their company markets Alaska seafood in their local brick-and-mortar shops and their e-commerce site. By joining KHLT and KBNERR for the Fish Need Land Too event, the Salmon Sisters team explored the efforts these organizations undertake to protect future fishing grounds for generations to come and how their values align with and enhance these efforts. They were eager to learn how to engage with stewardship in their local watershed and to help educate visitors passing through their shops about the importance of healthy coastal ecosystems and how they relate to salmon, the namesake of their company. About the Field Trip Our field trip began at the Stariski Creek bridge along the Sterling Highway where we gathered to carpool to our first field site — an upstream channel of Stariski Creek, overlooking property owned by the Land Trust which we call “Stariski Meadows.” Here, KBNERR scientists hopped in the small stream to corral baby fish using a large net called a stream seine, and then transferred them into photariums for easy viewing. We were able to see young Coho salmon, steelhead trout, and even a juvenile sculpin! By finding that baby salmon live here, it became immediately apparent that salmon require these small, inconspicuous, freshwater streams to start their lives. KBNERR scientists taught us about how the plants, insects, minerals, and water temperature all play a role in supporting life for baby salmon and are all influenced by the surrounding land. Marie, KHLT’s Executive Director, told us about how the Land Trust came to own the property and how some parts of it were in pretty bad shape (lots of rubbish laying around) when we first took ownership. After examining the juvenile salmon (and safely returning them to their stream), we proceeded up the road to the Stariski peatlands field site – another piece of the property owned and protected by the Land Trust. We carefully marched into the wide open, spongey wetlands. We noticed the many tiny plants, like sundews and bog orchids, underfoot. A KBNERR technician then plunged a metal soil corer into the earth, pulling out a sample of peat. We got to touch the rich, cool, wet soil which provides a critical role in the salmon habitat. Twenty years of collaborative KBNERR watershed ecology research have revealed that nitrogen and carbon – the building blocks of nutrition for the fish we love – originate from alders and peatlands and then flow from the small headwater streams out to the estuaries and marine ecosystems. That thick, cool earth rich in organic matter and carbon is called a peatland, which is a type of terrestrial wetland. Peatlands act like an insulating blanket – as water filters though, it collects important nutrients, and it keeps the groundwater that is entering streams cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Baby fish need this temperature-controlled water while they are growing up until they can brave the ocean. It’s easy to think of protecting fish populations as a water-only issue, but by examining the activity in small streams miles from the ocean, we can see the importance of land to salmon. Can you imagine what it would do to our fish population if every area that housed streams and wetlands were paved, damaged, or buried under buildings? Without enough protected land, we would lose the space and the ecosystems where juvenile fish grow up safely, jeopardizing future fishing resources. Anytime we get to see baby salmon, we consider it a good day. What was special about this event was the ability to gather some of the salmon’s biggest supporters to highlight how ecological research and protection of land can directly bolster and complement the work of our fishing community.
Fish Bring People Together This Fish Need Land Too event was a wonderful way to unite our various organizations and share expertise and passion for salmon conservation. Fish Need Land too field trips allow participants to witness firsthand how land management practices directly influence salmon habitats. The collaboration between KHLT, KBNERR, and Salmon Sisters demonstrates the power of working together to protect and sustain our precious natural resources which are an essential part of our Alaskan way of life. How Can You Help? Events like Fish Need Land Too exemplify the importance of collaboration in conservation efforts. No single organization can do it alone and our actions are interconnected. For example, KBNERR’s collaborative research has mapped groundwater and peatland locations, identifying critical headwater streams that inform KHLT where pieces of land important to salmon are located. KHLT can then make those areas priorities for conservation, like the Anchor River Salmon Conservation Area. KHLT can then see if there are any landowners in those areas who want to conserve their land through one of our conservation options. Companies like Salmon Sisters, who depend on healthy salmon populations for their livelihood, can act as ambassadors, helping spread the word about protecting peatlands and small streams for salmon – spreading the message that fish need land, too! By combining expertise, resources, and passion, we can work together to ensure the health and longevity of salmon populations and the ecosystems they depend on for future generations. Salmon Sisters gives a portion of their proceeds to support efforts to help protect wild salmon habitat in Alaska. This year, they will be donating to KHLT from their in-store proceeds on Alaska Wild Salmon Day (August 10th) and are donating proceeds from their newly designed hoodie to KHLT’s conservation efforts. Without salmon there is no Salmon Sisters! Click here to get your hoodie today! As a non-profit, KHLT relies on the help of our community. You can help protect important land for salmon by donating to KHLT today. Check out some of our current projects on our website.
Our mission goes beyond land conservation; we aim to foster a deep connection between the community and the natural environment. The Essence of Land Conservation Land conservation involves safeguarding natural areas to maintain their ecological integrity, ensuring these landscapes support wildlife, mitigate climate change, and offer recreational opportunities. This is achieved through methods such as establishing conservation easements and through land donations. Once land is in our care, it is protected forever. What are conservation easements and land donations? These are straightforward and entirely voluntary legal agreements. Conservation easements permanently restrict land uses to preserve its conservation values (like a scenic view or baby salmon habitat) while the landowner retains ownership. Land donations allow owners to contribute their property to Kachemak Heritage Land Trust for perpetual conservation Both conservation easements and land donations may qualify for tax benefits. Why Conservation on the Kenai Peninsula is Critical
Join us in preserving the Kenai Peninsula’s natural legacy. Your support makes a lasting impact. Contact Executive Director Marie McCarty at [email protected] for more information or to get involved. 6/13/2024 Alaska Land Trust Meeting 2024Kachemak Heritage Land Trust has successfully concluded its Statewide Meeting! These gatherings provide vital opportunities for Alaskan land trusts to come together, tackle common challenges, celebrate successes, discuss regional and often common topics, share resources, and learn from one another. Throughout the week, we engaged with nearly two dozen other conservation enthusiasts. In a continued dedication to keeping the community informed about the inner workings of our organization, we compiled a summary of the week's events! Day 1: Welcome Get Together We kicked off the event with a meet and greet at Bleeding Heart Brewery in Palmer, Alaska which was needed after the long trip down from Homer to Mat-Su Valley! This meeting included land trust members from various parts of the state, so an informal meet and greet allowed everyone to settle in and spend time together before the busy days ahead. Day 2: Field Trips & Land Trust Updates Our day began bright and early with a 9 AM meeting at Government Peak Rec Area Chalet. After a quick coffee and agenda overview, we headed out for field trips to conservation easements in the Mat-Su region, including the UAF Matanuska Experimental Farm, Spring Creek Farm at APU Kellogg Campus, and the Muskox Farm. Returning to the chalet, we exchanged updates with other land trusts, sharing stories, challenges, and successes. We ended our day with Great Land Trust’s Conservation Director, Dave Mitchell, and KHLT’s Stewardship Director, Joel Cooper, presenting information from their Indigenous Stewardship Meaningful Collaborations Course. Dave was able to share with us information regarding collaborating with Indigenous Tribes as it pertains to acquisitions, and Joel focused on collaboration with Indigenous Tribes as it pertains to partnering to co-steward Native lands with Indigenous Tribes. Day 3: Breakout Sessions & Executive Director Roundtable The third day was packed with informative breakout sessions on funding opportunities, stewardship, and communications and included presentations from the Alaska Natural Resources Conservation Service on programs of interest to land trusts and we were joined on Zoom by our national professional association, the Land Trust Alliance. We actively participated in discussions, shared ideas, and laid the groundwork for future collaborations, including potential joint work with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Day 4: Collaborative Planning & Reflection On the final day, executive directors reconvened for their roundtable. This session allowed us to discuss goals for future meetings and solidify the next steps. This was held at the Alaska Farmland Trust office and focused on discussing legislative developments, and the future of Alaskan Land Trust collaborative efforts. Overall, it was a fantastic week that helped statewide land trusts reconnect and learn from each other. Looking Ahead: Since 1989, Kachemak Heritage Land Trust has been dedicated to preserving critical lands through land acquisition, conservation easements, and community partnerships. Engaging with fellow conservation groups across the state is invaluable for our mission. Our collaboration with private landowners, government agencies, and other entities aims to safeguard significant wildlife habitats, watersheds, and recreational areas. Working with other conservation groups enriches our knowledge and resources, and is essential for our future endeavors. As a nonprofit, we rely on community involvement and donations to continue protecting Alaska's valuable resources and habitats. If you’re interested in learning more about our current projects or how you can get involved, please reach out to us!  Kachemak Heritage Land Trust protects another 46.393 acres within the cherished Kenai River Watershed. This marks the culmination of the fifth and final collaborative effort between KHLT and the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF), allowing KHLT to continue furthering its commitment to preserving the ecological integrity of this vital region.
Since its inception in response to the Sterling Highway MP 45-60 Reconstruction Project in 2020, KHLT has diligently worked to identify, evaluate, and secure lands crucial for wetland conservation. With this latest acquisition, the total land safeguarded by KHLT through the ADoT&PF mitigation funds for the Cooper Landing Bypass project has reached an impressive 200+ acres. Celebrating 35 years of service to the natural heritage of the Kenai Peninsula in 2024, KHLT emphasizes its role as a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the region's biodiversity for generations to come. With acres of protected land under their stewardship, KHLT embodies a beacon of hope for the preservation of Alaska's pristine landscapes. The significance of these newly protected acres extends far beyond mere acreage; they represent critical habitats for salmon, integral to the region's ecological balance. By safeguarding wetlands and salmon habitats, KHLT and its partners contribute to the well-being of vibrant salmon populations, essential for both environmental stability and economic prosperity. Marie McCarty, Executive Director of Kachemak Heritage Land Trust, expresses her enthusiasm for the project's completion, highlighting its multifaceted benefits: "This final piece in the DOT&PF mitigation project puzzle is such an exciting accomplishment! Protecting this special piece of land is a win-win-win – we are protecting habitat for wildlife, ensuring that salmon and trout fishing remain open to the public along this important fishing corridor, and giving our future generations of people, salmon, and everything in between a chance at long-lasting stability." Jonathan Tymick from DOT&PF acknowledges the collaborative effort involved in achieving this milestone, underscoring the importance of partnerships in conservation initiatives. “DOT&PF seldom encounters projects requiring mitigation of this magnitude, and KHLT's rapid and efficient procurement of the needed credits has left the Department thoroughly impressed. Originally aiming for a 2026 deadline, KHLT's diligent efforts brought the final acquisition to completion nearly two years ahead of schedule. The Department looks forward to future partnerships with KHLT, enthusiastically supporting their mission to conserve critical habitats on the Kenai Peninsula.” Lauren Rusin, Conservation Projects Manager at Kachemak Heritage Land Trust, reflects on the significance of her work in securing vital wetlands: "Finding and securing important wetlands on the Kenai Peninsula has been the bulk of my work focus for the past several years... It has been so rewarding to see land that I know is vital to our ways of life be protected, as they are now, forever." Ben Meyer, Environmental Scientist and Water Quality Coordinator, emphasizes the ecological significance of preserving wetlands, recognizing their role in maintaining water quality and supporting diverse wildlife populations. “The lands protected by Kachemak Heritage Land Trust as part of this project are part of my neighborhood’s ‘backyard’ where I regularly see all manner of local wildlife, including moose, bears, eagles, and even the occasional caribou. It is truly heartening to know that we will be able to share this space in perpetuity as our community grows. These lands mean a lot to me professionally as a scientist who studies water quality and fish habitat, but they mean even more to me as a place that will persist as a wild space long beyond my time.” With the perpetual protection of these critical lands, KHLT ensures that they will remain accessible to wildlife and the public for generations to come. Join us in protecting the Kenai Peninsula's natural heritage by becoming a member of Kachemak Heritage Land Trust today. With your support for as little as a dollar per calendar year, you can make a tangible difference in preserving critical habitats and protecting our furred, feathered, and scaled friends for generations to come. Visit our website or contact us to learn more about membership opportunities and join our collective effort in safeguarding Alaska's natural treasures. Together, let's make a lasting impact on conservation along the Kenai Peninsula. |
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What We Do
Working with willing landowners, KHLT permanently protects important fish, bird and wildlife habitat as well as recreational lands on the Kenai Peninsula for the future.
Our Mission
Conserving the natural heritage of the Kenai Peninsula for future generations
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Photo CreditWith deep gratitude, KHLT thanks Mary Frische and Tom Collopy for many of their beautiful photos throughout our website.
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Hours
M-F: 9am - 5pm
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Telephone
(907) 235-5263
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10/7/2024
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