Vanderbilt Creek

JUNEAU  |  37.65 ACRES  |  CONSERVED IN 2021

The Vanderbilt Creek property was originally part of a 100+ acre homestead in Lemon Creek Valley, which was gradually divided into smaller parcels. On February 10, 2021, SEALT purchased two of these parcels using funds received through the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers program designed to mitigate wetland loss. This property is located within the lands traditionally owned, used, and named by the Tlingit Áak’w Kwáan.

The west parcel is just north and across the road from Western Auto Marine. It is bordered by Glacier Highway to the west and private property to the east. The east parcel sits between private property, and both a 16-acre City and Borough of Juneau Rural Reserve and the Tongass National Forest. Vanderbilt Creek, where the property gets its name, meanders through both parcels. A historic portion of the popular Lemon Creek Trail borders the southern portion of both parcels and crosses through the east parcel, before continuing up the valley.

Set in a rapidly developing commercial and industrial area, Vanderbilt Creek is listed as an impaired waterbody by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, due to water quality concerns. Rainwater from nearby roads and parking lots can wash motor oil, gasoline, trash, and other pollutants into the stream, harming fish and other wildlife that depend on the creek for food and shelter. As the Vanderbilt Creek property features some of the last undeveloped wetlands in the Lemon Creek Valley, conservation of this parcel helps maintain a buffer around the stream, and shields Vanderbilt Creek from additional pollution.

Despite Vanderbilt Creek’s listing as an impaired waterbody, it is valuable as salmon habitat. Thanks to springs that upwell above the creek, clean, cool, and oxygenated water pools in the area, providing habitat for rearing salmon, including Coho, which have a limited number of rearing areas in Southeast Alaska.

After meandering through both parcels of the Vanderbilt Creek property, Vanderbilt Creek drains into the Mendenhall Wetlands, a mere ¼ mile away. According to the National Audubon Society, the Mendenhall Wetlands are widely acknowledged to be one of the key migratory waterfowl and shorebird stopover locations of coastal Alaska. The Vanderbilt Creek property’s wetlands were once directly connected to the Mendenhall Wetlands, and the Vanderbilt Creek conservation property’s proximity to them helps preserve this historic link.

Vanderbilt Creek will be owned and managed by SEALT as open space for public use and enjoyment. The Vanderbilt Creek wetlands are free and open year-round to the public for passive recreation, including hiking, birding, and exploring.