Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Partnership

The Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust helped form the Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Partnership in 2000. The Partnership was recognized as a National Fish Habitat Partnership by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2008. The Land Trust has served as the coordinator and fiscal agent for the Partnership since recognition. The national program has brought nearly 3 Million Federal Dollars into Southwest Alaska to support scientific studies tied to protecting fish habitat. These Federal Funds have been matched and leveraged with millions more Private, Foundation, Corporate and Tribal dollars. Information about the national program and the various partnerships across the country can be found here. https://www.fishhabitat.org/about/

Alaska Fish Habitat Partnerships

There are six partnerships recognized under the National Fish Habitat Initiative that provide funding for fish habitat projects in Alaska. More information about each partnership can be found here: https://www.alaskafishhabitat.org/

Strategic Conservation Action Plan for Southwest Alaska Fish Habitat

The Partnership developed a Strategic Conservation Action Plan to guide its conservation work in the region. https://bristolbaylandtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/SWASHP-Plan-Final-2017-illustrated.pdf

Request for Proposals

The Partnership has issued a Request for Proposals for funding for Federal fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026. Projects proposed must serve the goals of the Partnership as outlined in its Strategic Conservation Action Plan (linked above) and also show 1 to 1 non-federally sourced match. Copies of the Announcement, Proposal Form and Budget Sheet are linked here. The Deadline for submissions is February 10, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. Alaska Standard Time.

Reports, Assessments, Scientific Papers supported with Partnership Funding

Monitoring Stream Habitats and Biological Communities in the Lime Hills Ecoregion of Bristol Bay. University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Center for Conservation Science . Rebecca Shaftel, Dan Bogan, Birgit Hagedorn, Kristy Jeffries, Leslie Jones, Dustin Merrigan, Sarah O’Neal, Dan Rinella, and Carol Ann Woody. 2019

2014 Stream Fish and Aquatic Habitat Surveys on Pedro Bay Corporation Lands in the Kvichak River Watershed. Michael Wiedmer, College of the Environment, University of Washington

Hydrologic Alterations from Climate Change Inform Assessment of Ecological Risk to Pacific Salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Cameron Wobus, Robert Prucha, David Albert, Christine Woll, Maria Loinaz, Russell Jones. 2015

Riverscape Analysis of Nushagak & Kvichak Watersheds. Christine Woll, The Nature Conservancy in Alaska. 2013

Copper Toxicity in Bristol Bay Headwaters: Part 1 – Acute Mortality and Ambient Water Quality Criteria in Low-Hardness Water. Jeffrey M. Morris, Stephen F. Brinkman, Michael W. Carney, and Joshua Lipton. 201

Copper Toxicity in Bristol Bay Headwaters: Part 2—Olfactory Inhibition in Low-Hardness Water. Jeffrey M. Morris, Stephen F. Brinkman, Ryan Takeshita, Andrew K. McFadden, Michael W. Carney, and Joshua Lipton. 2018