Stewards of Kachemak Bay

The waters of Kachemak Bay are a state critical habitat area managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=kachemakbay.main. Portions of the land surrounding the bay are managed by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation as the Kachemak Bay State Park and State Wilderness Park http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/kbay/kbayl.htm. The management activities of these two agencies serve to conserve the upland and marine resources for current and future generations.

Much of the south side of Kachemak Bay, including the tidelands, bays, fjords and estuaries, is included in Kachemak Bay State Park, the first legislatively established park founded in 1970. A small area on the north shore was added in 1989. The Park is managed for its resource, scenic, recreational and historic values, providing camping, hiking, cabins and educational activities.

Research is conducted in Kachemak Bay by both the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=kbrr.home, one of 28 nation-wide estuarine research reserves and the only research reserve in Alaska, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Kasitsna Bay Laboratory, a marine science and education collaboration between NOAA http://ccfhr.noaa.gov/about/kasitsna.aspx and the University of Alaska Fairbanks http://www.westnurc.uaf.edu/kbay.html.  Both organizations conduct scientific research within the Bay to enhance our understanding of the bay's ecosystem and contribute to management and conservation. 

In addition, a great deal of land is held in trust by several Alaska Native Associations, who manage their lands as the original steward, for recreation and subsistence.

The Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council http://www.circac.org/ is a Congressionally mandated council that monitors all of Cook Inlet, Kachemak Bay included, relative to oil and gas activities.

The Kachemak Heritage Land Trust, protecting thousands of acres across the Kenai Peninsula and watershed as either outright owner/managers but also working with local property owners to protect and conserve their lands for future generations.

The citizens of Kachemak Bay contribute to the stewardship of the region through numerous other non-profit organizations, including: