SalmonState contracted with McDowell Group, an Alaska-based research and consulting firm, to measure the economic impacts in Southeast Alaska of three transboundary watersheds: Taku, Stikine, and Unuk Rivers. The analysis also briefly considers economic contributions to Southeast Alaska from the Nass and Skeena Rivers, two river systems that also have cross-border economic impacts.

You can download the report on the McDowell Group’s website here.

All-Alaska Fish Habitat Partnerships ESRI Story Map     

Five national Fish Habitat Partnerships working in Alaska, Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Partnership, Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership, Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership, Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership and the Western Native Trout Initiative, with assistance from our partners from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and a very talented Directorate Fellow, recently produced a beautiful story map highlighting our work in Alaska.

Check it out here!

The full website dedicated to the Alaska based fish habitat partnerships can be viewed here.

From Salmon to Seabirds: A New Ecological Atlas of Southeast Alaska is now available.

Check out Audubon Alaska’s newest publication, the Ecological Atlas of Southeast Alaska, through maps and written descriptions this publication shares researched data and compiled information from researchers and agencies to create a thorough look at the landscape of Southeast, from human uses such as airports and ferry routes to wildlife uses such as bird and salmon habitat.

A high-resolution electronic version of the atlas can be found here (resolution is 144dpi, 100MB file).

• You can download high-resolution (200 dpi) versions of individual chapters.
  • Chapter 1: Introduction (16MB)
  • Chapter 2: Physical Setting (43MB)
  • Chapter 3: Biological Setting (48MB)
  • Chapter 4: Anadromous Fish (78MB)
  • Chapter 5: Birds (43MB)
  • Chapter 6: Mammals (36MB)
  • Chapter 7: Human Uses (51MB)
  • Chapter 8: Conservation Summary (11MB)
• Print copies are available for purchase from Audubon Alaska for $105, plus $20 for shipping and handling. To order, contact Heidi DeCoeur at (907) 276-7034 or by email.

The Tongass National Forest has produced a fact sheet on their Watershed Restoration Program and also shared an update on various watershed restoration and fish enhancement projects planned for 2015 and 2016.  You can find these documents here.

Icefield-to-Ocean Linkages across the Northern Pacific Coastal Temperate Rainforest Ecosystem

Alaska’s coastal glaciers are among the most rapidly changing on the planet. They’re also, as U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Climate Science Center communications lead Kristin Timm says, “more than just ice.” Glacial runoff drives ocean currents and supports the habitats of the salmon that local fishermen rely on. In the recent paper, Icefield-to-Ocean Linkages across the Northern Pacific Coastal Temperate Rainforest Ecosystem, published in the journal BioScience and led by Shad O’Neel, also from the Alaska Science Center, synthesizes what scientists currently know about the physical, chemical and biological connections that link high elevation icefields and glaciers, streams, temperate rainforest, and the ocean.  Authors discuss impacts of changing climate impacts noting that “rates of glacier mass loss in the northern Pacific coastal temperate rainforest are among the highest on Earth, and changes in glacier volume and extent will affect the flow regime and chemistry of coastal rivers, as well as the nearshore marine ecosystem of the Gulf of Alaska”. You can check out a pdf of the article here.  Also, Timm collaborated with glaciologists and ecologists at the center to design this poster, which illustrates the impact of ice fields on both people and the environment.  As a special note this poster From Icefield To Ocean won the People’s Choice award for Posters & Graphics at the 2015 Vizzies!