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It may look good from afar, but it's far from good. Unknown from Juneau until about 8 years ago, the European bird cherry is a highly invasive non-native tree found throughout the road system. While the tree was likely brought to town for its ornamental qualities, its acrid cherries are consumed by birds, which distribute the seeds to new locations in their droppings. SAWC has been busy mapping the distribution of bird cherry this spring as their leaves emerge long before those of other trees making them easy to spot in a crowded forest or back yard.  Next, we'll work with landowners to eradicate the trees. To learn more about this invasive tree, check out the full brochure and let us know if you find any around Juneau or other…

Help Keep Juneau's Watersheds Free of Litter Litter in our streams, riparian areas and wetlands isn't just unsightly, it can harm the environment. Plastic, the most ubiquitous type of litter, is common in many of our local water bodies and has a good chance of making it to the ocean, contributing to the 8 million tons of plastic waste that flows from land to sea each year. There, sunlight and physical forces break plastic into tiny particles. This microplastic can harm aquatic life and often ends up in the seafood that we consume. Help tackle Juneau's plastic pollution problem on Saturday May 1 by taking part in the annual city wide clean-up.

Fall 2020 Newsletter

Sockeye salmon from Klawock Lake have been important to the livelihood and culture of the people of Klawock, Craig, and Prince of Wales Island for millennia. Over the last two decades there have been significant declines in the number of fish returning to the Klawock Watershed, and a group of tribal, native corporation, government, non-profit, and private sector partners are working to reverse this decline. With support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and with facilitation and coordination from Kai Environmental, this group of stakeholders and community members has produced the Klawock Lake Sockeye Salmon Action Plan. The purpose of the Klawock Lake Sockeye Salmon Action Plan is to help guide landowners, stakeholders and the Klawock community in promoting healthy and sustainable sockeye salmon populations in Klawock Lake for…

The Mendenhall Wetlands, extensive intertidal and estuarine wetlands between the Juneau mainland and Douglas Island, are a globally recognized Important Bird Area, an ecological hotspot in Southeast Alaska, and a treasured recreation area for Juneau.  These wetlands have been heavily impacted by urbanization and resource development over the years, leading to habitat degradation and fragmentation. The Watershed Coalition recently completed a restoration opportunity assessment for the area to identify sites that have been altered or degraded but have the potential to be restored. We identified projects on several city, state, and private properties, and are already exploring some of these opportunities with the land owners and managers. We anticipate that this US Fish and Wildlife Service-funded assessment will lead to multiple wetland habitat restoration projects that reconnect and rehabilitate habitat…

For: Klawock Sockeye Salmon Stakeholder Group By: Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition: John Hudson, Rob Cadmus, and Rebecca Bellmore and The Nature Conservancy: Conor Reynolds. Click for the full report below. [gview file="https://www.alaskawatershedcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Klawock-Threemile-Restoration-Opportunities-10_9_19-min.pdf"]

Check out a recent KTSK radio story and article in the Wrangell Sentinel about our restoration project in Pat's Creek. The US Fish and Wildlife Service put together a fun time lapse video showing the action. It wonderful to see this project through to completion!

Restoration of salmon habitat at Pat Creek near Wrangell is underway.  SAWC and our partners are adding large woody debris to about 1 km of stream. Fish like trees (when they fall in they create pools and other preferred habitats). The lack of mature trees along (and also in) the creek has resulted in less than optimal fish habitat including overwidened areas lacking pools and cover. Here is a before and after shot from the same spot on Pat Creek that shows the addition of large wood. Before                                                                           After  

Work started today on SAWC's Pat Creek Fish Habitat Enhancement Project!  Photo:  Mike Brunfelt, with Interfluve, Inc., works with Brett Woodbury, BW Enterprises to improve fish habitat to Wrangell's Pat Creek.   Location: Wrangell Island, Southeast Alaska Fish: Salmon (Coho, Pink, Chum, Sockeye), Dolly Varden char, Cutthroat Trout History: The valley bottom was logged in the 1960’s-70’s. This logging occurred before stream buffers were required, and trees on the stream’s banks were harvested. Restoration Need: Fish like trees (when they fall in they create pools and other preferred habitats). The lack of mature trees along (and also in) the creek has resulted in less than optimal fish habitat including overwidened areas lacking pools and cover. The Project: During the summer of 2019, “large wood” (tree trunks/roots) will be added to…