Compared to other watersheds he has worked with, Dr. Frank Burris said the Kenai River watershed is pristine.
But that doesn't mean there isn't work to be done when it comes to keeping it that way.
Burris leads the Watershed Stewardship Education Program at Oregon State University. He and his team were in Soldotna to host a symposium last week with the Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation on the importance of watersheds to the Kenai Peninsula and its economy.
"What we're doing is trying to get ahead of the curve here," Burris said, "so the folks on the Kenai River can learn from the mistakes we've made in some of the other areas and hopefully not have to repeat those same mistakes."
Originally from Fairbanks, Burris said his Alaska background made him the right fit for the job.
"That was my connection with this," he said. "Let's provide some education from Oregon that shows how things can be. And hopefully people will get a vision for what they've got and how to preserve it."
The symposium included two days of presentations from Burris' team - in addition to scientists and biologists from state agencies - on ways to preserve and improve watersheds, specifically on the Kenai Peninsula. Burris outlined the effects of urbanization and urban run-off issues, which are part of the watershed processes.
Jack Sinclair, who is the Department of Natural Resources' Area State Park Superintendent for the Peninsula and Prince William Sound, said the symposium was a brain child of the DNR habitat committee as a way to get everyone on the same page.
"So we can all start to relate a little bit about the terms when we talk about things," Sinclair said. "So we're not talking a different language when we start talking about what watershed planning is all about or what the components are all about."
Bringing in Burris' team from Oregon, Sinclair said, provided a start from common ground and a way to address important issues.
"The watershed of course goes across all boundaries," he said. "Political and biological, and all these other things that we have to work together to solve."
Just as the watershed breaks boundaries, there were a variety of community members that attended the symposium.
"We certainly are spread across municipal boundaries," Sinclair said. "We have city, borough, state and federal people plus private and cooperative extensions."
Although there was a diverse group, that did not hinder the ultimate goal.
"When you went into the lunch room, and heard all the noise - that's a good sign for a conference," Sinclair said. "When everyone's talking and they're all exchanging information or telling stories, they're just socializing.
"That shows that we all have a concern, and that we all showed up here to learn something."
One of the things the attendees learned, is something Burris hinted at - the Kenai River watershed is one of the most pristine watersheds in the United States. Burris said some of the determining factors are the high water quality and the high salmon count.
"Most of the areas I work with, the salmon levels are in the 10 percent range of historic levels and declining," Burris said. "It's much easier to work on it when they're in the 90 percent range (like it is here)."
"I'd say this area is a wonderland for salmon and for people, I'd love to see it stay that way."
Sinclair said the symposium is another building block on what has already been done to improve the Kenai River watershed.
"We just need to continue to improve and do better," he said. "We need to protect what we have."
