ALASKA – Sure, many have seen Tom Cruise overcoming incredible but unreal barriers in “Mission: Impossible.” But what about when the barriers are real? Is “barrier free” for fish an impossible mission? That is the question being asked about the creeks, streams and rivers in Chugach National Forest.

Heading into a new year with completion of the Chugach National Forest Land Management Plan in 2020, the Aquatic Organism Passage Program is a priority for Alaska’s Regional Forester and is listed as a Forest Active Management Initiative by the Chugach Forest Supervisor. The mission: to work toward the goal of a forest that is barrier free, so that fish and other aquatic animals can freely move up and down all creeks, streams, and rivers. 

To meet this substantial goal, Chugach National Forest is focusing on completing a forest wide structure inventory (bridges, culverts, etc.) and setting forest priorities for culvert replacements in cooperation with agency and independent organization partners. With the established priorities and forest plan guidance, the program will efficiently and effectively replace structures that act as barriers to aquatic species with functional structures that allow the natural passage of aquatic species within a stream channel.

In 2020, the Prince William Sound Zone Copper River Watershed Enhancement Partnership received high honors for some of its early efforts - the 2020 Chief’s and Under Secretary’s Honor Award. Over time, their collaborative work is actively restoring the productivity of national forest lands. This year, three of the 13 under-sized culverts were replaced – culverts that were detrimental to fish passage in the Copper River Delta. Together, the forest and its partners are on the way toward the goal of over 22 miles of accessible salmon spawning and rearing habitat.

On the Kenai Peninsula Zone, the work will continue to focus on completing an inventory of all forest road structures including culverts that block aquatic organism passage. The inventory began in 2019, was delayed in 2020 due to COVID-19, and is now set for completion in 2021 with surveys to be conducted by forest engineering and resources staff, assisted by a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant funding for an Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program fisheries student during the summer.

While COVID-19 was a bit of an obstacle to getting field work done in 2020, Chugach National Forest looks forward to overcoming that challenge in 2021 and eliminating the barriers that restrict the movement of aquatic organisms in the future.