BLM seeks volunteers to replant Nome Creek banks, registration closes Sept. 14

Volunteers are being recruited to replant the Nome Creek floodplain on Saturday, Sept. 26, in an effort the Bureau of Land Management says will improve habitat for Arctic grayling in a fishery about an hour's drive from Fairbanks. The event is free and open to the public, and no experience is necessary.

Registration closes Sept. 14. Volunteers must contact BLM biological science technicians Ryan Lane or Andrew Siciliano to sign up, through BLM's Eastern Interior Field Office, 907-474-2200. Organizers estimate 30 participants.

The crews will collect and plant willow stakes, perennial forb plugs and seeds at stations led by BLM. The event runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., meeting at the Nome Creek Bridge in the White Mountains National Recreation Area.

"Last year's 'Growing Together' event was a big hit, with volunteers from the Fairbanks region learning to successfully plant hundreds of willow stakes that are alive and growing well this year," Lane said.

BLM describes Nome Creek as a popular grayling fishery and a major tributary of the Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River. State rules restrict the creek to catch-and-release only for Arctic grayling. Restoration of the mining-scarred channel began in 2023 and included more than 1,000 feet of restored stream channel.