Dam Creek flows south for 5 miles (8 km) from a cirque lake on the southwest flank of Mount Iliamna, within Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, to merge with West Glacier Creek near the head of Chinitna Bay, about 62 miles (100 km) northwest of Homer and 44 miles (71 km) southeast of Port Alsworth, Alaska. The creek’s headwaters are fed by snowfields and the remnants of a glacier. The U.S. Geological Survey first published the local name in 1958.

Salt marshes typically form on tidally dominated coasts with low wave energy, such as the heads of bays, areas behind spits, and fringing coastal lagoons. Tidal inundation delivers sediment and nutrients to the marsh. A salt marsh is dominated by dense stands of salt-tolerant plants, including herbs, grasses, and low shrubs, though overall plant diversity is relatively low. Salt marshes typically show distinct vertical zonation, driven by differences in plants’ salt tolerance and the frequency of tidal flooding. Groups of species similarly adapted to these conditions form distinct communities that can be mapped.

In the upper marsh, at higher elevations, tidal flooding is infrequent and freshwater exerts more influence than lower down, though plants there can still face dry, nutrient-poor conditions. Species in the lower marsh, by contrast, must tolerate high salt concentrations and frequent inundation. Salt marshes are among the most productive habitats on Earth, sustaining a broad food chain from bacteria to mammals, and they play a key role in aquatic and marine food webs by exporting nutrients to coastal waters. Read more here and here. Explore more of Dam Creek and Chinitna Bay here: