In Southeast Alaska, improved access to local foods and a more reliable food supply are critical components of self-reliance and community resiliency. Residents of the region's rural communities face high and rising costs of living, a declining state economy, and dependence upon air and water transport for delivery of basic commodities including food and petroleum products. According to a report commissioned by the Alaska Dept. of Health and Social Services, 95% of the food purchased in Alaska is imported, often shipped through extensive supply chains arriving by truck, airplane, and barge. The high cost of imported foods and lengthy supply chain make Southeast Alaska communities vulnerable to unforeseen disruptions in larger national food and transport systems, and send local dollars outside of the state. Many communities throughout the region have begun prioritizing…
SAWC will begin development of a stream temperature monitoring network in Southeast Alaska with funding from the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NPLCC) [caption id="attachment_6071" align="alignnone" width="611"] Scott Harris downloads stream temperature data from a logger placed in Salmon Lake Creek on Baranof Island[/caption] Stream temperatures affect salmonid emergence, growth, and survival in freshwater stages of their lifecycle. In Southeast Alaska, climate change is expected to affect stream temperatures as air temperatures warm and hydrologic patterns shift. Understanding and anticipating these changes will be critical for predicting how salmon species and other aquatic resources be will affected by climate change. Although stream temperature is being monitored in many locations in Southeast Alaska, data collection is not coordinated across entities, and data sources can be difficult to identify and…
We've had some new faces join the crew at SAWC in the last few months, and would like to give a warm welcome to the staff who are working with the Coalition to advance the informed management of our region's watersheds! Meet the newest members of the SAWC team: Rebecca Bellmore, Science Director [one_third] [/one_third] [two_third_last] Rebecca recently moved to Juneau after almost a decade in the Pacific Northwest. She’s enjoying exploring the many hiking trails, berry picking, and fishing. She’s excited to get to know Southeast Alaska’s communities and work with them to protect and improve watershed health and sustainability. Rebecca has a graduate degree in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences from Washington State University. She has studied stream watershed nutrient cycling in the context of mitigation strategies for the…
The Wrangell Beach Monitoring Program collected its final samples this June, wrapping up 2 years of water quality monitoring for bacterial contamination on high-use recreational beaches near the Wrangell community. [caption id="attachment_6040" align="alignnone" width="611"] City Park beach near Wrangell, AK[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6039" align="alignleft" width="611"] Petersburg Indian Association sampling technicians learn sampling protocol for the program[/caption] The end of June saw the completion of the first year of data collection for the Petersburg Beach Monitoring Program. The Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition has received funding through the State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's Alaska Clean Water Actions (ACWA) Program to carry out a second year of water quality monitoring at the popular Sandy Beach park near Petersburg. The Petersburg Beach…
SAWC will be partnering with the Sitka Conservation Society, The Nature Conservancy, and the Tongass National Forest with their efforts to restore fish habitat in Shelikof Creek on Kruzof Island this year. Shelikof Creek is an important recreational, subsistence, commercial, and sport-guided salmon and steelhead stream near Sitka. Approximately 26% of the streamside forests in this watershed were logged in the 1960’s and 70’s. During that harvest, segments of the stream were also “cleaned”. This was a common practice back in those days where stream beds were used as roads to access timber stands and large wood was actually removed from the stream. These activities occurred before unharvested stream buffers were mandated, in order to protect habitat, by policy in 1990. Restoring habitat in Shelikof Creek was identified as…
The Skagway Traditional Council is seeking qualified applications for the position of Environmental Coordinator. See job description below for more information and to apply: [gview file="https://www.alaskawatershedcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/STCEnvironmental-Coordinator-Job-Discription.pdf" height="800px" width="100%" save="1"]
It's hard to believe we've already reached then end of 2015! What a whirlwind it has been, and at the Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition we have so much to reflect on and be grateful for! A huge heartfelt thank you to all of our partners, funders, and supporters who have helped SAWC and our member groups achieve our goals to advance community based watershed management in Southeast Alaska in 2015! Here is a little recap of all that we accomplished with your help and support. We can't wait to see what opportunities 2016 brings; Happy New Year! The Southeast Alaska Mitigation Fund: SAWC hosted a series of informational community meetings in communities throughout Southeast Alaska. If you missed any of our meetings you can find the information presented here! SAWC Projects:…
[caption id="attachment_5802" align="aligncenter" width="621"] Phase 1 project plan[/caption] StreamWalk is an interpretive trail program designed to provide visitors to Skagway with easy access to popular natural and historic locations in and around Pullen Creek and Pullen Pond. The 1st phase of the project is now in the construction phase, which includes a gravel trail, four stream overlooks, replacement of the footbridge south of Pullen Pond, a dock on Pullen Pond, and a series of signs that offer information about Skagway’s natural and cultural resources. StreamWalk is funded through a Federal Highways Administration Federal Lands Access Program Grant with matching funds from the National Park Service. The project partners include Municipality of Skagway (MOS), Taiya Inlet Watershed Council (TIWC), the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad, as well as support…
Jordan Creek: An impaired fish stream Jordan Creek, in the valley near the Juneau airport, is an anadromous stream that supports coho, pink, and chum salmon along with Dolly Varden char and cutthroat trout. Jordan Creek has been listed by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation as an impaired waterbody due to sediment, high turbidity, low dissolved oxygen, and debris attributed to urban runoff from the nearby streets and parking lots. Fine sediments and other pollutants attributed to urban runoff occurring in the densely populated lower portion of the watershed can adversely impact fish and fish habitat. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] North side of the Edward K Thomas Building, looking east toward back parking lot. Note the sediment from melted snow. Vegetation not yet emerged. Photo taken April 2014.[/caption]…
This year SAWC and the Juneau Watershed Partnership received support from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's Alaska Clean Water Actions program to construct a fence and rain garden that will treat urban stormwater runoff before it enters Jordan Creek in Juneau. We're looking for volunteers in Juneau to help us construct the fence and rain garden September 25-27! Interested volunteers should meet at a picnic table in the group of trees in front of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska building at 10 AM Friday September 25. Unless contacted otherwise, plan to meet at the same location and time on Saturday and Sunday. Unless otherwise notified, plan to meet at the same location and time on Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers should bring gloves, and a…
