Fieldnotes Blog | Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition

26Feb 2013 by Angie Eldred

Haines Comstock Culvert Replacement

In the fall of 2012, the Takshanuk Watershed Council (TWC) brought together funding from USFWS, Representative Bill Thomas, and mitigation money from the Haines Borough to replace the 0.1 mile Comstock Culvert and rebuild the incised stream to provide unimpeded fish passage. [caption id="attachment_962" align="aligncenter" width="478"] Damaged culvert in poort condition[/caption] The Sawmill Creek tributary that crosses Comstock Road 0.1 miles from Allen Road supports spawning Coho salmon, cutthroat, and Dolly Varden Char. In 2008 a survey of the 0.1 culvert revealed that it was in extremely poor condition, with day-lighting in the road, a perch of 42”, and an incised channel, not allowing for fish passage. In the fall of 2012 A new culvert was installed to provide unimpeded fish passage. [caption id="attachment_963" align="aligncenter" width="541"] Finished culvert…

25Feb 2013 by Angie Eldred

Yakutat Coastal Learning Center

Community Watershed Stewardship

The City and Borough of Yakutat Office of Planning and Natural Resources has partnered with Yakutat Public Schools, the US Forest Service, and Americorps to develop the Yakutat Coastal Learning Center. The goal of this project is to establish the office of Planning and Natural Resources as the center of education, research and public outreach in the Yakutat community. The project, staffed by Bill Lucey and Sarah Liben of the Planning and Natural Resources office, and Americorps member Phillip Carson, will accomplish this goal through an array of different objectives and projects including: -the development and integration of a place-based environmental curriculum focusing on themes related to fisheries and wildlife for grades K-12 -the development of a science center for use by researchers, community members, students -the involvement of students…

22Feb 2013 by Angie Eldred

Beyond Monitoring: Adaptive Management Practitioner’s Workshop

Events, Trainings & Opportunities, Resources

Your participation in the following workshop will help communities, natural resource management agencies, and partners further our mutual priorities of adaptive management and ecological monitoring: Beyond Monitoring: Adaptive Management Practitioner’s Workshop Sitka, AK April 28-30, 2013 Background The Sitka Conservation Society and more recently the Sitka Sound Science Center have been working with the USFS Sitka Ranger District on augmenting monitoring needs by conducting ecological monitoring projects. The goal of these efforts is to contribute to the science and techniques of watershed restoration and ecosystem (terrestrial, freshwater, and marine) management by incorporating multi-party monitoring information and community volunteers in a meaningful way. This workshop will help guide these efforts to maximize their pertinence and contribution to existing resource management needs, and serve as a case study for…

22Feb 2013 by Angie Eldred

Local Wood, Local Building: Bike Shelter Coming to Sitka Sound Science Center

Community Watershed Stewardship

(post written by Ray Friedlander, shared from Sitka Conservation Society) Notorious for having bikes chained along its railway, the Sitka Sound Science center is upgrading its parking for those traveling on wheels. The Construction Tech class at Sitka High, under the instruction of Randy Hughey, is building a bike shelter for the Science center made of young growth Sitka spruce and old growth red cedar from Prince of Wales Island. The 6,000 board feet of this Alaskan wood was milled by Mel Cooke of Last Chance Enterprises out of Thorne Bay. From Cooke’s perspective, the logs are very easy to work with – very symmetrical, very little taper, and mostly comes out straight. “I enjoy cutting it, it cuts real easy, and the wood looks really good– beautiful boards” says…

19Feb 2013 by Angie Eldred

Review of Forest Restoration in the Tongass [Sitka Conservation Society]

Community Watershed Stewardship, Resources

(post originally written by Scott Harris and shared from Sitka Conservation Society) Bob Christensen, original member of SCS’s Groundtruthing Project team, recently completed a comprehensive review of forest restoration methods for The Wilderness Society. This very readable work provides a thorough background of the why, how, and where of restoring forest habitats in the Tongass National Forest. It also describes a concise method for prioritizing restoration locations based on ecological, social, and economic criteria. Sitka Conservation Society used this work to inform the prioritization conducted for the Sitka Community Use Area. Efforts like this are critical to our understanding and ever-constant learning about how to restore fish and wildlife habitat in Southeast Alaska. You can view Bob’s report below or download an 8 Mb version by clicking on…

13Feb 2013 by Angie Eldred

Haines School Science & Gardening Project

Community Watershed Stewardship

Takshanuk Watershed Council is currently working with Haines School District to present an introductory and advanced permaculture course teaching sustainable gardening practices. Students and community members will be able to complete the course and, upon completion, apply their knowledge to maintaining the school's garden, which supplies fresh produce for school meals. The program will be offered to 20 individuals, 5 students and 15 community members. The courses will be taught by Melissa Aronson in partnership with 7 Echoes Homestead and the Haines Borough. Through this program, Takshanuk Watershed Council and its partners will encourage and promote sustainable gardening practices as well as more production of local foods in the Haines community. In the future the school garden will be used as a teaching site to bring more permaculture education…

07Feb 2013 by Angie Eldred

New staff at SAWC

Uncategorized

Angie Eldred, Communications Coordinator Hi, I'm Angie. I grew up in Grand Rapids, MI and earned my Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and Communication Studies from Western Michigan University. I first came to Southeast Alaska in 2008 for a seasonal gig building trails with the US Forest Service in Petersburg. The following year I worked for a fisheries stream monitoring program sampling streams throughout various states in the Northwest and a conservation corps in southern Utah. I returned to Southeast Alaska in 2010 for another Forest Service gig out of Wrangell, working at Anan Bear Observatory, and have stayed in Wrangell since. I have come to call this place home and have formed a deep connection with the people and landscape that make Southeast so amazing. I love…

09Nov 2012 by admin

Students working with Young Growth in Sitka Highschool

Community Watershed Stewardship

Building innovative and sustainable economic models in rural communities starts with educating and inspiring the people who will drive these economies in the future From Trees to Timber: Young Growth in Use at Sitka High “It is exciting to bring local wood back into the classroom. There will be some differences in using young growth than what we usually build with, so it should be a good experiment to see the best ways to use the wood,” said Sitka High School industrial arts teacher, Randy Hughey. “It will also be a great opportunity for the students to learn about the local resources available and how they can support the Sitka economy.” Funding for this project came from the National Forest Foundation to use local wood and plan watershed restoration projects…

01Nov 2012 by admin

In Lieu Fee Program Prospectus- we want your feedback

Community Watershed Stewardship, Resources

The Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition Mitigation Fund Currently there are two ILF programs that services Southeast Alaska: The Southeast Alaska Land Trust and the Great Alaska Land Trust. Both of these third party mitigation program offer only preservation opportunities to Section 404 permit applicants. There are no active and approved third party mitigation programs (mitigation banks and/or In lieu Fee Programs) that carryout restoration, enhancement and/or creation to offset unavoidable permitted impacts to aquatic resources in Southeast Alaska. Currently SAWC is engaged in a process with the Army Corps of Engineers to develop an In Lieu Fee program that will provide permit applicants with restoration, enhancement and/or creation opportunities to fullfill their permit requirements. [button url="http://alaskawatershedcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SAWC_Prospectus_September_2012-1.pdf" color="blue" width="full" ]The Prospectus in PDF[/button] [button url="http://www.poa.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/SpecialPublicNotices.aspx" color="green" width="full" ]Access Alaska District Army Corps Public…

15Oct 2012 by admin

Promoting Outdoor Recreation in Alaska is HUGE for the ECONOMY!!

Community Watershed Stewardship

Outdoor Recreation is BIG Business These days, many sectors of the economy are under harsh scruenty from different sides of the ideological arugement. Weather it be health insurance, natrual resource extraction, renewable energy, the industrial food system - very rarely can we all agree that what drives are economy is good for all of us... However, there is a silent giant amongst us that the majority of us in Southeast Alaska can get behind and promote without hesitation. The outdoor recreation economy grew approximately 5% annually between 2005-2011- this during an economic recession when many of the traditional sectors contracted. Take a look at this report recently released by the Outdoor Industry Association: [button url="" color="aqua" width="full" ]The Outdoor Recreation Economy[/button] Does your community have an outdoor recreation opportunity…