Alaska Ecological Restoration Projects
Based out of Southeast Alaska in the Tongass National Forest. Mitchell Creek Fishpass, located on Kupreanof Island.
I worked on an ecological infrastructure project centered around the expansion of wild Coho Salmon’s habitat; Building a massive concrete structure to help their spawning grounds extend throughout the Petersburg area. The site is shaped by dense forest, constant rain, and wild running river systems with a deep native history of fishing for food & recreation.
Working with the U.S. National Forest Service, we demolished a fish pass built roughly 30 years earlier; its structure no longer functioning due to age & disrepair. We rebuilt the system using approximately 20,000 lbs of rebar and 158,000 lbs of concrete (45 cubic yards/3060 sacks); all of the concrete mixed individually, one bag at a time.
The work moved through demolition, reinforcement, and heavy labor organized around an 8 person crew wet ground, steel, and the steady requirement of restoring passage for migrating Coho salmon in the Petersburg area.
