For the 2023 Anchorage Bike to Work Day, the USGS Alaska Science Center will host a “treat station” along the Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail where people can learn about the USGS streamgage on the creek and about common birds of Chanshtnu.
Return to USGS Alaska Q&A Series
Chester Creek
Chester Creek or Chanshtnu, which means ‘grass creek’ in the Dena’ina language, runs for about 20 miles from the Chugach mountains in the eastern part of Anchorage to the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. University Lake and Westchester Lagoon are places where water from the creek has been intentionally slowed to create these water bodies. Water from the Chester Creek watershed creates small ponds and wetlands along portions of the trail, leading to heavily wooded sections with cottonwood, birch, and alder trees. The water and vegetation provide habitat for many migratory and resident bird species.
Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail
The Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail parallels the creek for about 6 miles in the central portion of Anchorage and the paved trail is popular with cyclists, dog walkers, and skiers. Approximately 78,000 people live within the watershed, making it one of the most densely populated watersheds in Alaska. To accommodate this urbanization, the creek has been channelized in various locations. These stream flow modifications, and the surrounding human infrastructure can cause significant flooding events due to runoff.
The USGS Alaska Science Center is located on the campus of Alaska Pacific University, near the east end of Chester Creek Trail. USGS monitors stream flow and birds along Chester Creek.
The Chester Creek Streamgage
The USGS Alaska Science Center maintains a streamgage on the northeast bank of Chester Creek where Arctic Boulevard crosses the creek at the west end of Valley of the Moon Park. This is one of five USGS streamgage stations in the Municipality of Anchorage and one of 119 streamgages in Alaska. The Chester Creek streamgage station is maintained in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The streamgage collects real-time water temperature and water level data to compute streamflow discharge. This is a long-term streamgage that has been in place for over 40 years. All current and historic information collected by the streamgage can be viewed here: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/15275100
Birding along Chester Creek
As many as 175 different bird species have been recorded at Westchester Lagoon, at the end of Chester Creek, and as many as 90 species have been recorded along the trail itself between Westchester Lagoon and Goose Lake to the east (eBird Anchorage hotspots, January 30, 2023). Some of the most common species include the Black-capped Chickadee, American Dipper, Black-billed Magpie, American Robin, and Mallard.
- Overview
For the 2023 Anchorage Bike to Work Day, the USGS Alaska Science Center will host a “treat station” along the Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail where people can learn about the USGS streamgage on the creek and about common birds of Chanshtnu.
Return to USGS Alaska Q&A Series
Chester Creek
Chester Creek or Chanshtnu, which means ‘grass creek’ in the Dena’ina language, runs for about 20 miles from the Chugach mountains in the eastern part of Anchorage to the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. University Lake and Westchester Lagoon are places where water from the creek has been intentionally slowed to create these water bodies. Water from the Chester Creek watershed creates small ponds and wetlands along portions of the trail, leading to heavily wooded sections with cottonwood, birch, and alder trees. The water and vegetation provide habitat for many migratory and resident bird species.
Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail
The Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail parallels the creek for about 6 miles in the central portion of Anchorage and the paved trail is popular with cyclists, dog walkers, and skiers. Approximately 78,000 people live within the watershed, making it one of the most densely populated watersheds in Alaska. To accommodate this urbanization, the creek has been channelized in various locations. These stream flow modifications, and the surrounding human infrastructure can cause significant flooding events due to runoff.
The USGS Alaska Science Center is located on the campus of Alaska Pacific University, near the east end of Chester Creek Trail. USGS monitors stream flow and birds along Chester Creek.
The Chester Creek Streamgage
The USGS Alaska Science Center maintains a streamgage on the northeast bank of Chester Creek where Arctic Boulevard crosses the creek at the west end of Valley of the Moon Park. This is one of five USGS streamgage stations in the Municipality of Anchorage and one of 119 streamgages in Alaska. The Chester Creek streamgage station is maintained in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The streamgage collects real-time water temperature and water level data to compute streamflow discharge. This is a long-term streamgage that has been in place for over 40 years. All current and historic information collected by the streamgage can be viewed here: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/15275100
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.This figure shows flow rates in Chester Creek (Anchorage, Alaska) by month for 2022 (black line) and the range of water flow rates (above and below normal flows shown by different colors) for the entire 44 years of data collection at Chester Creek. The lowest flows are typically in mid-winter (January and February) and the levels rise slowly through spring as snow melts in Anchorage and the Chugach Mountains. The highest flows (peaks in July through September) are typically associated with periods of intense rainfall in late summer and early fall. Birding along Chester Creek
As many as 175 different bird species have been recorded at Westchester Lagoon, at the end of Chester Creek, and as many as 90 species have been recorded along the trail itself between Westchester Lagoon and Goose Lake to the east (eBird Anchorage hotspots, January 30, 2023). Some of the most common species include the Black-capped Chickadee, American Dipper, Black-billed Magpie, American Robin, and Mallard.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.A black-capped chickadee at an Anchorage banding station.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Mallard Duck swimming
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.American Robin female in Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage, Alaska.