27Feb 2013 by Angie Eldred
Recreational Shellfish Beach Monitoring Pilot Program (Haines)

Recreational Shellfish Beach Monitoring Pilot Program (Haines)

Community Watershed Stewardship
The Chilkoot Indian Association and Takshanuk Watershed Council are working together on a Pilot Recreational Shellfish Beach Monitoring Program in the Haines area.   [caption id="attachment_972" align="aligncenter" width="811"] Sites of PSP monitoring[/caption]   The goal of this monitoring program is to build knowledge of local trends in paralytic shellfish toxins and to establish knowledge of the risks of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in specific harvests. This pilot program is not yet sufficient to certify beaches as "safe" or completely ensure harvester safety from paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).   Staff from CIA and TWC sample harvesting sites at Viking Cove and Portage Cove each month, year round, for the two year pilot program. Mussels are collected from rocks on the beaches, the mussels are shucked, and the meat is sent to a…
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27Feb 2013 by Angie Eldred
Beach Sampling in Haines

Beach Sampling in Haines

Community Watershed Stewardship
The Takshanuk Watershed Council in Haines has instated a beach sampling program to test the town's beaches for the presence of fecal coliform and enterococci bacteria.   Impacts such as shoreline development, wastewater collection and treatment facilities, septic tanks, urban runoff, disposal of human waste from boats, commercial and domestic animals, and natural animal sources such as wildlife can affect and contaminate waters close to shore. People who swim and recreate in contaminated waters with such bacterial pollution are at an increased risk of becoming ill.   During the summer months, when people use beaches and shoreline areas most for recreation, Meredith Pochardt, of Takshanuk Watershed Council takes water samples at Lutak and Portage Cove beach areas. She sends the samples to a lab in Juneau for testing. [caption id="attachment_970"…
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22Feb 2013 by Angie Eldred
Beyond Monitoring: Adaptive Management Practitioner’s Workshop

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…
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