Staff report

The City of Homer, in partnership with the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Kachemak Heritage Land Trust, announced Wednesday the permanent protection of 26.5 acres in the Beluga Wetlands.

This marks the first completed acquisition of land for the city’s Kachemak Sponge peatlands project, an ongoing effort to strengthen community resilience by conserving the wetlands that naturally absorb and manage stormwater.

The property, purchased from longtime Homer resident Mike Kennedy, functions as a natural sponge — absorbing, slowing and filtering stormwater before it reaches Kachemak Bay. According to Wednesday’s press release from KHLT, wetlands like these play a critical role in protecting water quality, reducing coastal erosion and buffering the impacts of increasingly intense rain and snowmelt events.

Kennedy said he really enjoyed working with the City of Homer, KHLT and KBNERR on this project.

“It took a while, but it was a very pleasant experience working with all these talented people. With funding from NOAA, we will add permanently to the undisturbed natural landscape and let this land be as it was intended: as a water sponge,” he said. “The terms of the deed specify that the City of Homer will not develop or sell this piece of property and instead, they will preserve it as a wetland sponge, in perpetuity. This land borders protected moose habitat and is used by many critters who will continue to use it without being pushed out by development.”

Beyond its role in erosion mitigation, the Beluga Wetlands provides essential habitat for

wildlife. In winter, moose rely on these lowland areas for forage and shelter during deep snow

conditions. The newly protected parcel lies near lands conserved by Kachemak Moose Habitat

Inc., reinforcing a growing network of protected habitat critical to the region’s moose population.

The broader goal of the “Sponge” project is to acquire and permanently protect key peatland and wetland areas under public ownership within Homer city limits . The city plans additional acquisitions.

“The City is pleased to work with the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve to

preserve moose habitat in Homer and support the long-term health of the area’s natural

landscape,” Homer City Manager Melissa Jacobsen said in the release.

The Kachemak Sponge project is funded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Habitat Protection and Restoration Fund, awarded to KBNERR at the University of Alaska, and represents a major step forward in implementing stormwater management priorities identified in the City of Homer’s Hazard Mitigation Plan and Capital Improvement Plan, the release states.

“Because of the community collaboration and multi-agency support to protect wetlands as

natural solutions to stormwater management, we were able to secure a competitive NOAA

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant to pass through funds to the City of Homer to purchase this

and other properties; bringing federal dollars to Homer for supporting coastal livelihoods,” 

KBNERR Manager Katherine Schake said.

KBNERR has led research and community outreach for more than a decade, focused on the

importance of wetlands in coastal Alaska. A partnership between NOAA and UAA’s Alaska Center for Conservation Science, KBNERR has helped guide science-based approaches to local resilience. As part of this effort, the City of Homer explored a green stormwater infrastructure concept for peatlands surrounding Kachemak Drive that would utilize intact wetlands to naturally receive and filter stormwater, while KBNERR has contributed baseline vegetation data and a community-informed monitoring framework for peatlands across the Kenai Lowlands.

As a community-based land trust, KHLT works with willing landowners, partners and public

agencies to conserve lands that protect clean water, wildlife habitat and the character of the

Kenai Peninsula. In this project, KHLT played a key role in facilitating the transaction — helping

navigate negotiations, secure funding pathways and ensure the property will be permanently

protected with conservation deed restrictions. This type of partnership-driven conservation, according to the release, is central to KHLT’s mission to conserve the natural heritage of the Kenai Peninsula for future generations.

“By protecting these wetlands, we are investing in a natural system that safeguards our

community from flooding while also preserving the health of Kachemak Bay for generations to

come,” KHLT Executive Director Marie McCarty said.