On a sunny late July afternoon in 2023, I stood on the bank of Resurrection Creek and watched dozens of pink salmon rest in a pool. The mountains of Southcentral Alaska’s Chugach National Forest surrounded me. A young brown bear attempted to catch some lunch in another pool just upstream. The air was thick with mosquitoes. Their buzzing was occasionally interrupted by the much louder mechanical buzzing of heavy equipment moving dirt off in the distance.
This idyllic scene was actually an active restoration zone and the pool full of salmon had just been excavated and watered less than one month before. The crew operating the equipment were from Western Construction, a second-generation, Alaskan-owned business.
“A few months ago, before this work took place, you wouldn’t have seen any of that––the fish had nowhere to rest, the wildlife wouldn’t be there to catch fish,” said Paul Light, the owner/operator of Western Construction.
Restoring Resurrection Creek
Paul knows this area well. He’s been working to restore it for almost 20 years.
Resurrection Creek was damaged by historical placer mining in the early 20th century that left the stream a far cry from its natural state, straightening the river channel, removing important salmon spawning gravel and significantly reducing critical rearing areas that salmon need to survive. The creek provides important habitat for fish and wildlife, including Chinook, coho, pink and chum salmon, rainbow trout and Dolly Varden.
In 2002, the U.S. Forest Service began restoring a 1.5-mile segment in the upper section of the creek. They contracted with Western Construction to reconnect the historic floodplain, stream channels and riparian areas, construct new pools, side channels and ponds and install logs and root wads in new stream channels.
Back then, Paul was a part of the operator crew in the company founded by his father in 1988. He spent the duration of that project in the seat of a bulldozer or excavator.
The fish responded to the initial work on Resurrection Creek almost instantly. “What stuck with me is how much the fish needed this new habitat, it was impressive to see how many fish occupied the new stream we just built,” said Paul. Just one year after restoration was completed, the numbers of adult Chinook salmon observed in the restoration area increased six-fold. Pink and chum salmon also became more abundant.
Business and family grows
Western went on to construct many restoration projects across Southcentral Alaska after the initial work on Resurrection Creek. “The first phase of the Resurrection Creek project was a blessing which opened our doors into what restoration is about and what creek work is about,” said Paul. “A lot of different projects followed.”
In the years since, life has changed significantly for Paul. He now spends most of his time out of the excavator seat and running all Western Construction’s dirt operations. When he’s not busy at work, he’s busy playing with his family. He and his wife have three children, ages four through twelve.
The Chugach National Forest and larger Kenai Peninsula host many of their adventures. From flying, to hiking and hunting, to floating and fishing, the recreational opportunities in this area are seemingly boundless. Paul’s kids love to fish for salmon in Resurrection Creek. He reminisces fondly about how the creek’s pink salmon run has “pretty good action for all the kids”.
The work continues
In 2021, Trout Unlimited partnered with the Forest Service to begin the second phase of the Resurrection Creek project. This phase is restoring a 2.2-mile instream section and 74 acres of riparian habitat in the lower stretches of the creek. When the construction bid went out, Paul was enthusiastic about getting to work on another part of the project.
“It’s nice to see the entire project the whole way through,” said Paul. “It’s great to be back working with the same team of highly specialized engineers and hydrologists. It’s just incredible to see the vision they have and can put in place and see the transformation of the landscape.”
This work will keep approximately 20 members of Paul’s crew employed during the summer construction season over a three-year period; construction began in 2023, and the major instream work is slated to end this summer.
“It’s a blessing to have this work, to employ guys down there because they have families they are supporting,” said Paul. “And it’s a blessing to restore that creek that will benefit generations to come.”