In 2006, Alaska began rebuilding a creek damaged by decades of gold mining; the first restored stretch was followed by a six-fold rise in salmon runs
For decades, gold mining has done more than alter the scenery around Resurrection Creek in Alaska, it has changed the creek itself. Degradation of riverbanks, alteration of stream channels and loss of wetlands that once provided habitat for salmon and wildlife. But nearly 20 years ago, restoration efforts began to undo some of the damage, states a report by the National Forest Foundation. The results were a potent reminder of nature’s ability to respond when damaged waterways are allowed to heal.
From gold rush to ecological degradation
Resurrection Creek, near the small town of Hope in Southcentral Alaska, has a long history of gold mining. In the gold-mining rush of the early 20th century, when the town supposedly had over 3,000 people, hope was booming. Today, the settlement is home to about 100 people, states the report. For more than 40 years, Resurrection Creek was used for hydraulic and heavy equipment placer mining. Mining disturbed soil and riverbanks, changing the creek’s natural channels and the surrounding ecology. Much of the wetland and stream habitat that salmon need for spawning was lost in the lower 6 miles of the creek. The ecological damage was not just to fish. The wetlands and forests of the creek were once important habitat for bears, moose, bald eagles, harlequin ducks and dozens of other species.
A restoration effort returns salmon
The National Forest Foundation report clarifies that the first major restoration project on Resurrection Creek was a 1.5-mile reach started in 2006 by the U.S. Forest Service.
The National Forest Foundation report clarifies that the first major restoration project on Resurrection Creek was a 1.5-mile reach started in 2006 by the U.S. Forest Service. The project aimed to reconnect the creek to its historic floodplain and restore natural stream features such as channels, pools and riffles and the results were breathtaking. In the years after the restoration, salmon runs in Resurrection Creek increased six-fold, an indication of the potential of well-planned habitat restoration to help recover degraded ecosystems. But the work could not go on forever. The project was stalled for more than a decade due to lack of funding, with much of the damaged watershed waiting for another opportunity to recover.
Resurrection Creek: A fresh start
In early 2021 momentum ramped up again when the National Forest Foundation, Trout Unlimited, Hope Mining Company and the U.S. Forest Service partnered to advance the next phase of restoration. Another 2.2 miles of Resurrection Creek will be restored and 74 acres of riparian habitat improved as part of a $7 million effort led by the National Forest Foundation. The work builds on techniques used in the successful 2006 restoration, aiming to restore some parts of the creek closer to historic stream channels. A $3.8 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grant program has also provided a significant boost to the effort, states the report.
Restoring a river’s past—and its future
It’s not just about salmon. By providing habitat for a diversity of wildlife, healthier stream channels, wetlands and riparian forests can increase the ecological value of the watershed. For local communities, the return of salmon could also reconnect an important relationship with the landscape and its natural heritage. The success of the first phase of restoration gives cause for optimism: a damaged river can begin to heal when its natural processes are restored. In the end Resurrection Creek is a story of recovery. What decades of mining disturbed can’t be fixed in a day, but the six-fold increase in salmon after the first restoration shows what can be done. With Phase II extending that work, Alaska’s creek could once again be a thriving habitat for salmon and wildlife—and a natural legacy for generations to come.
