Chuitna River Acquisition Protects Salmon Habitat

ANCHORAGE, AK — September 19, 2008

The Nature Conservancy recently purchased a 160-parcel near the mouth of the Chuitna River, located in the Cook Inlet Basin. The land was willed from a private estate to the Catholic Foundation of Alaska. The purchase, finalized this August, will help conserve high-value habitat for five species of salmon.

The Conservancy’s purchase of the property on the Chuitna River comes at a time when residents are facing pressure to develop the area’s resources, including recreational development, gravel mining, and coal mining. At the same time, the Chuitna River watershed is important to local residents that depend on the plant, animal and fish species for subsistence activities.

“We have long seen this area as important for both salmon habitat and recognized its value to residents,” said Doug Wachob, the Conservancy’s Director of Conservation. “We felt this acquisition not only helps conserve important fish habitat, it also gave us an appropriate seat at the table to talk with people about growing development opportunities along with strategies to conserve areas they have traditionally used for fishing and hunting.”

Find out more about the Conservancy's work in the Cook Inlet Baisn through the Cook Inlet Basin Ecoregional Assessment.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.