2026 Mat-Su Salmon Science & Conservation Symposium

The Symposium is a forum to share the latest scientific research, restoration and conservation efforts related to salmon and their habitat.
About this Event

Registration is open for the 19th annual Mat-Su Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium in Palmer, Alaska! The Symposium is a forum to share the latest scientific research, restoration and conservation efforts related to salmon and their habitat in the Matanuska-Susitna basin. It is also an opportunity to discuss challenges, new ideas, and network with a broad range of attendees. We hope you will join us!

Whether you are a scientist, conservation practitioner, local leader, or simply someone passionate about wild salmon, this gathering is for you. Join around 100 others who care about Mat-Su salmon to share information, spark new collaborations, and celebrate the Matanuska and Susitna River watersheds.

(Click on the 'tickets' button - top right of the screen to get a ticket)

Registration and Presentations: Got compelling research, a successful restoration project, or fresh insight to share with the community? There are multiple opportunities to share your work including through oral or poster presentation or short 3-minute tidbit updates.

Although the call for oral presentations has closed there is still space for more posters. Find presentation guidelines at www.matsusalmon.org.

*3-minute '"tidbit" updates are quick, informal project highlights, event announcements or other fishy related updates. Sign up on-site at the Palmer Depot for the day you'd like to present (first come, first served). No abstract or write-up required!

This year's Keynote speakers:

Dr. William Atlas, PhD in Biological Sciences from Simon Fraser University, has spent two decades working in partnership with local and Indigenous communities to develop salmon monitoring and conservation programs. In his role with Wild Salmon Center, he co-founded the Salmon Vision collaborative, work that takes him across Alaska and the pacific northwest to develop and test emerging technologies that support fisheries management. His presentation, "Co- Designing the Future of Tech: How Partnership, Co-development and AI are Scaling Salmon Conservation," will explore how new technologies are helping conservation practitioners access timely information, expand monitoring capacity, and support sustainable fisheries in a rapidly changing environment. You can hear his talk at 9:30am Thursday, November 19th.

Amy Bushatz is an award-winning journalist with over 20 years of newsroom experience and the founder of the non- partisan nonprofit news website Mat-Su Sentinel, which recently acquired the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman from its Arizona-based owners. Join Amy for a presentation followed by a 45 minute workshop:

Behind the Story: How Reporters Make News, and You Can, Too. How do reporters find stories, gather information and decide what the public needs to know? And how can you get your work in front of them? Participants will learn how reporters identify stories, ask questions, evaluate information and decide what reaches the public. She’ll also share what makes information land with reporters, decision-makers and the public: turning complex data into what it means for people’s lives, and why polite persistence gets results. Friday November 20, at 9:15am.

On the Spot: Practicing How to Communicate with the Media. In this hands-on session, Amy Bushatz will put the ideas from her keynote into practice. Working in small groups, participants will take on a lighthearted but very Alaska scenario, identify their key messages and develop three clear talking points. Then they’ll step up to the microphone for a mock interview with Amy playing the reporter. Along the way, participants will practice making complex information accessible, staying focused on what matters most and keeping their cool when the questions are unexpected or the topic is controversial. Because a reporter is a gateway to the public, these skills apply just as well to elected officials, community members and anyone else who needs to understand your work. Friday November 20, at 11am.

Find more information at www.matsusalmon.org.

Cost: To assist in cost recovery for hosting the Symposium, registration is $50/person/day. Tribal members, students and community members are free. There are also additional scholarship opportunities. If cost would prohibit attendance, please reach out. We want to ensure the Symposium is as accessible as possible. Price includes lunch & refreshments.

Have questions? Contact [email protected].

Photo credit: Jeff Fisher, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation