The Trail Lakes are two lakes on the lower
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
The Kenai Peninsula (Denaʼina language, Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athab ...
.
The lakes are near the town of
Moose Pass and adjacent to the
Seward Highway
The Seward Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends from Seward, Alaska, Seward to Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage. It was completed in 1951 and runs through the scenic Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, Turnagain Arm ...
. They are the home of a large
salmon hatchery owned by the state of Alaska and operated by the
Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association
The Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association (CIAA) is a non-profit organization based in Kenai, Alaska, that works to create sustainable salmon stocks in the Cook Inlet area.
Initially the Alaska Department of Fish and Game ran most hatchery programs ...
. The fish hatched at this facility are released into streams and lakes at various points on the peninsula, and are also the source of the salmon runs at the "fishing hole" on the
Homer Spit
The Homer Spit (Denaʼina language, Dena'ina: ''Uzintun'') is a geographical landmark located in Homer, Alaska, on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula. The Spit (landform), spit is a long piece of land jutting out into Kachemak Bay. The spit ...
. The hatchery was at the center of a prolonged legal battle between the
Wilderness Society and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The society claimed that the hatchery was conducting commercial activity in a wilderness area, and such activity is illegal under the
Wilderness Act
The Wilderness Act of 1964 () is a federal land management statute meant to protect U.S. Wilderness Area, federal wilderness and to create a formal mechanism for designating wilderness. It was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Socie ...
.
news article on lawsuit
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References
Lakes of Alaska
Lakes of Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
Tourist attractions in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
{{KenaiPeninsulaAK-geo-stub