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Little Susitna Watershed |
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From jumping and
spilling
over rocks with
water the blue of glaciers, the Little Susitna River begins from the Mint
Glacier at Hatcher Pass in the Talkeetna Mountains and flows 113 river miles to
empty into Cook Inlet. Along the
way, the Little Susitna matures from the fast flow The
Little Susitna is home to runs of Alaska’s five salmon species (Coho, Chinook,
Sockeye, Chum, and Pink) and its river habitat holds essential spawning grounds.
According to Alaska Department of Fish & Game, the Little Susitna is
one of Southcentral’s most-fished streams. It is second only to the Kenai River in number of Coho caught.
Needless to say, the high level of use has had some negative effects on
the river with stream bank and habitat degradation. The Little Susitna flows through the heart of the Mat-Su Borough, which since 1990 has seen the population base grow by approximately 16,000 people, a 42% increase. According to the Alaska Department of Labor, the Mat-Su Borough is Alaska’s fastest growing population center. In many instances, development has been rapid and land use planning efforts have been narrowly focused and have not addressed resource sustainability. This could obviously have devastating effects to the Little Susitna and to the local economy. |
