Mike and Molly are the co-founders, Su Salmon Co. and live 5 miles north of “the end of the road” in Talkeetna. They built their off-grid home by hand on the banks of the Susitna River. They log the trees for heat and building materials, drink the water, eat the moose, and garden the glacial soils, that are supported by the mighty Big Su.
At the heart of their life is a river that connects it all. The Susitna River drains Denali, the southern slopes of the Alaska Range, and the Talkeetna Mountains. Its legendary Devils Canyon is home to some of the biggest whitewater in the world. It is a travel corridor in winter and summer by local remote homesteaders, boaters, rafters, snow-machiners, skiers, and Iditarod mushers. The river’s marshy estuary is world-class waterfowl habitat and the uplands support moose, bear and caribou; many of which still provide sustenance to thousands of people, just as it has to the river’s first residents, the Dena’ina and Ahtna, for millennia. Its streams, lakes and wetlands support one of the largest Salmon runs in the state. It is a constant source of amazement and bounty.
Every July, Molly and Mike boat downriver to their fish camp, where they operate a small, remote, commercial salmon set-net operation with their Partner Ryan Petersen and close friends. They supply fresh, sustainably harvested salmon to local customers, including Camp Denali. Summer is a special time of year, when many Alaskans migrate along with the salmon runs and thrive off hard work and the challenges that come from harvesting off the land and sea.
Su Salmon Co. was first inspired as a means of making, keeping, and encouraging human connection to the river. That motivation remains the cornerstone of the business – we are dedicated to sharing the delicious miracle of salmon and by extension the bounty that the local watershed provides – right from our own backyards. Things that are loved are protected, and to this day, a proposal to dam the Susitna remains a quiet threat to all it supports. It is our hope that the more we all understand and relate to the incomparable Susitna, the more likely it will remain free-flowing, and healthy for generations to come.
When not fishing, Mike works as a builder and carpenter, specializing in remote, complicated and messy jobs that take him to wonderful communities around Alaska. He is a member of the Alaska State Board
of Fisheries, co-chair of the Chase Community Council, and volunteer President for the 15,000-member Susitna River Coalition, where he advocates for a healthy watershed and sustainable future for our communities. Molly works from her remote office as a Senior Partner for Meridian Institute, a non-profit organization that provides collaboration, conflict resolution and strategic planning support to environmental and public policy initiatives around the world. She has dedicated her career to working with diverse coalitions to provide clean water, sustainable fisheries, healthy food, and the means for a just and resilient world.
