Our public lands are the foundation of healthy watersheds and strong communities. From remote trout streams to working forests and rangelands, these places provide clean water, vital trout habitat and public access for all Americans. But pressures like efforts to sell off and privatize public land threaten what makes them so valuable.
This blog series highlights the people and places at the heart of these landscapes—and the practical, local perspectives keeping them accessible, productive and resilient for generations to come.
In August, Drew Petrie can usually be found guiding clients on the Kenai River. As the owner and operator of Lost Boys Fishing, he works tirelessly from early June to late October helping clients fill their freezers with sockeye salmon or helping them catch a trophy trout and sometimes both in the same day.
Drew prepares for a day of guiding on the Kenai River. Photo by Darcy Bacha
This schedule doesn’t allow for many days off, but August of 2023 was an exception.
That year, Drew had the good fortune of drawing a permit to hunt caribou in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. He was able to carve out a few client-free days to chase these majestic creatures in the lands that surround the waters he fishes with clients every day.
On the first day of his hunt, Drew watched wolf pups play across the valley from him. On the second day, he harvested a caribou, providing his family with hundreds of pounds of meat that fed them in the years that followed. This special experience, shared with his girlfriend Molly and her brother Ty, is seared in Drew’s memory and left him even more in awe of the refuge where he works and plays.
“I think one of the coolest parts about the Kenai Refuge is not only is it a paradise for somebody to hunt, but it’s a paradise for somebody to fish as well,” says Drew.
“I’ve spent many days where in the morning I’ve woken up really early and wandered around to hunt, and then as the day progresses on and I’m ready to change it up, I’ll jump back in the boat and go chase trout.”
Drew’s experience is one example of the ample opportunities that exist on Alaska’s public lands. One day you’re on the hunt of a lifetime, and the next you’re back running a successful business that is fueled by the clean water and intact habitat these public lands provide.
Growing up on the river
Drew is a lifelong Alaskan who grew up splitting his time between his family’s home in Anchorage and their cabin on the Kenai Peninsula. Some of his earliest and most cherished memories include fishing for sockeye salmon with his family on the Kenai River.
The Kenai is Alaska’s most popular sportfishing river; trophy rainbow trout and strong salmon runs draw visiting and resident anglers alike. The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge surrounds a good portion of the 82-mile river, and the Chugach National Forest encompasses its headwaters and largest spawning tributary.
These public lands and productive waters shaped who Drew is today.
“Growing up here was a blessing,” says Drew. “I don’t think I would be where I am now without those childhood experiences and getting to spend time on the river with my family. I think it’s the biggest influence on where I’ve ended up in life.”
This influence led Drew down a career path that revolved around fish. He started guiding on the Kenai River when he was 18. After seven years of guiding, he decided to go back to school, but still spent his summers making a living from salmon and trout.
He worked as a commercial fisherman in Bristol Bay for two of those summers, and that time working on a gillnetter gave him a new appreciation for the commercial fishing industry so important to Alaska’s economy, but he knew his heart was in sportfishing.
The tourism boom that followed the COVID travel restrictions of 2020 was motivation for him to start his own business. He founded Lost Boys Fishing in 2021.
Caring for his home waters
After Drew started his own guiding business, he began looking for ways to give back and help care for the Kenai and its fish who he describes as “his business partners.”
“Working with Trout Unlimited was an easy choice for me,” says Drew. “My goals and thoughts and beliefs about the river are very much aligned with TU.”
The Kenai sees more than 400,000 angler days and more than 600,000 salmon are harvested each year on average. Drew loves that one of Alaska’s best fisheries is its most accessible and that he gets to share with his clients, but he does have concerns about the heavy use the river receives.
In 2023, TU launched the Kenai Guide Ambassador program, which empowers fishing guides to practice and promote sustainable angling and fish habitat conservation on the Kenai River. Drew was one of the first to sign up.
“As a business owner who relies on the Kenai, I want to make sure that it’s managed and maintained well, that it gets to continue being amazing and is not destroyed in the process of us enjoying it.”
Drew has also participated as a guide in TU’s annual Armed Forces Fishing Trip, which treats active duty or veteran members of the Armed Forces to a complimentary day of fishing. He most recently volunteered as a casting instructor at TU Alaska’s Spring Fishing Fest, where he had the pleasure of teaching kids how to cast.
“The opportunity to participate in any of those events is a blessing in itself,” says Drew. “Protecting the watershed really makes my heart flourish and guides my soul in the right direction. The more I can be a part of that, the better.”
We couldn’t agree more, Drew.
This Land is Your Land
Keeping public lands in public hands ensures future generations can experience the same outdoor opportunities we cherish today.