Category Archives: SEAKFHP Event

News, Partner Event, Regional Event, SEAKFHP Event, Uncategorized

Ocean Acidification Event in Juneau – Feb. 20th at 5pm – Live Stream Available

February 14, 2019 Debbie

On Wednesday – February 20, 2019 scientists shared the latest on ocean acidification in Alaska including current and future conditions and species response.

Presentations were live streamed on the Alaska Ocean Observing System’s Facebook page and are now available on the Alaska Ocean Acidification Network’s web page at: https://aoos.org/alaska-ocean-acidification-network/

Presenters included:

Bob Foy, Director of NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, and former director of the NOAA Kodiak Laboratory, speaking to species response to ocean acidification.

Jessica Cross, oceanographer with NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, studies ocean acidification across all three ocean basins in Alaska and will speak to what we know about current conditions and future scenarios.

News, Partner Event, Regional Event, SEAKFHP Event

2018 Southeast Alaska Watershed Restoration Workshop: Presentations and Resources Now Available

April 2, 2018 Debbie

The 2018 Southeast Alaska Watershed Restoration Workshop “Stepping up to the Plate for Collaborative Restoration” was held in Juneau this past March 5-7. You can find meeting resources and presentations here.

Also check out the great meeting summary shared by Juneau Empire reporter Kevin Gullufsen: Southeast watershed coalition coalesces, talks water restoration: NGOs, nonprofits and agencies meet to talk challenges

Huge thanks to workshop organizers and sponsors:

Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition
The National Forest Foundation
The Nature Conservancy
The Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership

News, Partner Event, SEAKFHP Event, Uncategorized

The Tongass Top 5!

September 6, 2017 Debbie

Many culverts cause big problems for fish. Migratory fish—like salmon and steelhead—need room to move and are particularly hard hit by barriers where roads cross streams.

Designing fish-friendly crossings where roads intersect streams helps ensure a seamless transition for fish passing underneath. Across the nation, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and many partners have come together to improve fish passage under roads: in 2016, the U.S. Forest Service celebrated over 1000 fish passage projects completed nationally.

This effort has been deeply embraced in Alaska across the Tongass
National Forest. Between 1998 and 2015, over 500 crossings not
previously meeting fish passage standards were improved. In spite of this good work, it is estimated that a third of remaining assessed road-stream crossings in the Tongass do not currently meet fish passage standards. To address this need, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Trout Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, and Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership have teamed up to develop the TONGASS TOP 5. The goal: design fish passage sites to a ‘shovel ready’ state and ultimately develop a plan to restore these remaining high priority sites for improved fish passage.

Your help can make a difference for fish in the Tongass! Make a direct tax-deductible donation for this effort here.

Partner Event, Regional Event, SEAKFHP Event, Uncategorized

Klawock Lake Sockeye Salmon Stakeholder Meeting — November 14-15, 2017

July 31, 2017 Debbie

Save the Date

Klawock Lake Sockeye Salmon Stakeholder Meeting

Klawock Votec Center, Klawock Alaska

NOVEMBER 14-15, 2017
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM DAILY
EVENING EVENT PLANNED Tuesday, November 14th ANB Hall Doors open at 5:40pm (join us for a community dinner, Heinyaa Kwaan Dancers, and Klawock City School Band)

Please continue to check this site for updates and meeting resources.

If you are interested in being on the meeting mailing list please send an email to coordinator@sealaskafishhabitat.org

Want more information regarding sockeye salmon and the Klawock Lake watershed please see the recently published retrospective analysis and other meeting resources located here.

Joining us from afar, you can find a list of accommodations in Klawock here.

News, Partner Event, Regional Event, SEAKFHP Event

Coastal Cutthroat Trout Assessment Workshops planned for Southeast Alaska

April 10, 2017 Debbie

Southeast Alaska Coastal Cutthroat Trout Assessment Workshops – April 24-28, 2017 planned for Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka

The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) and the Coastal Cutthroat Trout Interagency Committee (http://www.coastalcutthroattrout.org/) are conducting an assessment of Coastal Cutthroat Trout (CCT) throughout the subspecies’ geographic range. The assessment includes workshops with knowledgeable local biologists from multiple agencies where we capture data using a GIS-based protocol.

We are conducting workshops focusing on different geographic areas within the state of Alaska. We will be holding three one-day workshops in SE AK the week of April 24-28. Locations and dates are Juneau, April 24; Ketchikan, April 26, and Sitka, April 28th.

The assessment focuses on gathering existing data from agency partners into a single GIS framework. We focus on distribution, habitat quality, population health indicators, and limiting factors. We have developed a protocol that includes professional judgement because CCT are often monitored incidentally. Because of this, we have found that holding workshops with 15-20 experts is a good way to gather an immense amount of information in a short time frame.

Previously, we partnered with ADFG and USFWS to gather data as a foundation for this effort. Data from six state and and four federal sources that were included in that effort are available to view in the final report http://www.westernnativetrout.org/media/2011-funded-projects/final-report—wnti_alaska-cct_2013.pdf.

Please contact assessment coordinator Kitty Griswold for more information about the data already collected or view the interactive map here which displays the data that were geo-referenced: Coastal Cutthroat Trout WebApp

At the workshops we: 1) review and update CCT distribution that we have already collected Coastal Cutthroat Trout WebApp; 2) identify localized threats and conservation opportunities; and 3) conduct a qualitative assessment of habitat condition and CCT population health. Your efforts will help build a range-wide CCT conservation framework that will: 1) identify information needs, 2) develop criteria for identifying conservation units, and 3) identify priority conservation units for enhanced monitoring or rehabilitation.

If you are interested in this effort we are asking you take this 5-minute survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5VGZPNN

This project fills a major gap for an important native fish. Thanks in advance, and call me at 413 230 0405 or email if you have questions.

Sincerely,
Kitty Griswold, griskitt@isu.edu

News, Partner Event, SEAKFHP Event

Updated climate information for Southeast Alaska

April 6, 2017 Debbie

Are you wondering what the temperature, precipitation and snow pack projections are for Southeast Alaska?

You can find practical notes HERE for using climate projections and an update to climate resources shared in a presentation held March 30, 2017 from Jeremy Littell, USGS/Alaska Climate Science Center.

Thanks Jeremy!

Check out other important presentations shared during the 2016 Southeast Alaska Climate Workshop archived here.

Partner Event, Regional Event, SEAKFHP Event, Uncategorized

Climate Change in Southeast Alaska – April 12-15, 2016 in Juneau

March 26, 2016 Debbie

Climate Change in Southeast Alaska – Informing Sustainable Management of Water Resources and Anadromous Fisheries, Spring 2016

April 12-15, 2016

Treadwell Conference Room, Baranof Hotel, Juneau, Alaska

Travel details (link to discount information)

Climate Workshop Agenda – Wed/Thurs April 13 and 14

Meeting Resources Link

Transboundary Environmental Data Workshop Agenda – Friday, April 15

Background

In 2014, the Tongass National Forest worked with EcoAdapt, with support from the Wilburforce Foundation, to conduct a stakeholder workshop and complete a climate change vulnerability assessment of aquatic resources including snow, ice, water, riparian vegetation, and fish. You can find this report here.

With support from the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative, the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership, and State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, we plan to convene a workshop focusing on:

Effects of hydrologic regime shifts on rivers, streams, and riparian corridors
Effects of changes in the hydrologic regime on anadromous fish

Workshop Purpose

Bring scientists together with resource management practitioners to enrich knowledge, foster collaboration, and inform sustainable management of priority aquatic resources.

Anticipated Outcomes

Share progress and findings of relevant studies
Distribute analytical tools that could be used for resource management
Identify knowledge gaps and identify strategic actions
Integrate traditional knowledge into studies and assessments
Identify long-term data platforms for aquatic resources
Endorse a regional watershed classification to discern hydrologic regime shifts
Develop tools to predict changing ice and snow conditions and implications for hydrologic regimes
Develop tools to predict response of salmon habitat to changing hydrologic regimes in SE Alaska

Tentative Workshop Outline

April 12^th – pre-meeting workgroups finalize meeting preparations

April 13^th – Workshop Day 1

Morning: foundational presentations to all attendees
- Brief overview of EcoAdapt report and other vulnerability assessments, and goals of the workshop.
- Status of climate model downscaling in SE Alaska – respecting variability, understanding limitations and uncertainty, yet providing a common baseline for understanding climate change effects.
- The STEK Science/Traditional Ecological Knowledge Lens
- Monitoring a changing landscape
- Adaptation planning, opportunities for collaboration, tools and resources
- Overview of workgroups and expected outcomes
Afternoon: key workgroup thematic presentations to all attendees
- Streamflow, watershed classification tool
- Freshwater temperature
- Anadromous fish and Habitat Ecology
Evening social, poster session

April 14^th – Workshop Day 2

Morning – workgroup thematic presentations
- key workgroup thematic presentations to all attendees (continuation of Day 1 presentations)
- workgroups meet concurrently on tangible outcomes, additional thematic presentations
Afternoon – workgroups report back to large group, identify future actions

April 15^th – Transboundary Environmental Data Workshop (Agenda)– Workshop goals: Identify areas of collaboration in the collection, summary and distribution of water quality and quantity data in Transboundary Waters. Target audience: individuals with technical expertise or interest in the collection, distribution, and analysis of water quality and quantity data for SE Alaska. Workshop contact Terri Lomax, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (email: terri.lomax@alaska.gov phone: 907-269-7635); RSVP Amber Bethe (email: amber.bethe@alaska.gov)

Climate Workshop Attendees

Federal and state agency personnel, Tribal representatives, Scientists, Land managers and aquatic resource specialists, Non-governmental organizations

Climate Workshop Planning Team

Julianne Thompson, Tongass National Forest
Sheila Jacobson, Tongass National Forest
Michael Goldstein, Forest Service – Alaska Region
Gordy Reeves, USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station
Cindy Hartmann Moore, NOAA Division of Habitat Conservation
Don Martin, Forest Service – Alaska Region
Neil Stichert, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Gretchen Pikul, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Ray Paddock, Central Council Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska
Allison Bidlack, Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center
Sanjay Pyare, University of Alaska Southeast
Collin Shanley, The Nature Conservancy
Mark Kaelke, Trout Unlimited
Scott Harris, Sitka Conservation Society
Debbie Hart, Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership

Climate Workshop Meeting Contacts

Julianne Thompson – Meeting Chair, USFS 907-772-5873, jethompson02@fs.fed.us

Deborah Hart – Meeting RSVPs/logistics, SEAKFHP 907-723-0258 / coordinator@sealaskafishhabitat.org

News, SEAKFHP Event

2015 Alaska Fish Passage Meeting – October 13-15

October 10, 2015 Debbie

2015 Alaska Fish Passage Meeting – October 13-15, 2015 – Juneau, Alaska

The Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership (SEAKFHP) will host the 2015 Alaska Fish Passage Meeting October 13-15, 2015 in Juneau, Alaska. This meeting will examine the state of the science and practice of maintaining and restoring fish habitat connectivity through road crossings in the region. With over 5,000 inventoried culvert barriers on fish streams across local, state, and federal ownerships, maintaining current fish passage regulatory policies, design and implementation approaches, and performance monitoring schemas are critical to maintaining habitat connectivity. Interagency coordination and information sharing events reflecting the state of the science are keys for future success.

Inventories of fish passage barriers on Federal (USFS, FWHA), State (ADOT&PF), private (ANCSA Corporation) and municipal road systems in Southeast Alaska have been largely completed over the past 15 years. Advances and refinements in fish passage assessment, prioritization, design, and construction have also occurred across in the region as awareness of fish passage issues has increased. While progress has clearly been made, nearly ten years have passed since the last comprehensive review of fish passage management in Alaska. This meeting will convene leading Federal, State, and local engineers, transportation planners, hydrologists, biologists, and regulatory specialists to examine the plans, policies, and practice of fish passage management in the region. As road infrastructure in Alaska improves and expands, maintaining and restoring fish passage at road/stream crossings will remain a top priority for both transportation planners and aquatic habitat managers.

For information on this meeting please contact Deborah Hart, SEAKFHP Coordinator at coordinator@sealaskafishhabitat.org.

Additional meeting resources can be found here

News, NFHP Event, Partner Event, Regional Event, SEAKFHP Event, Videos

2015 AFS Fish Film Festival – August 18-20, 2015 Portland, Oregon

August 12, 2015 Debbie

America’s Fish and Fisheries – Shared through the Camera Lens – A 2015 AFS Fish Film Festival

Over 60 short films will be featured during the first ever AFS Fish Film Festival. America’s Fish and Fisheries – Shared through the Camera Lens – A 2015 AFS Film Festival showcases films that focus on the connections between people, fish and fisheries, the unique life cycles and habitat needs of different species, and how resource practitioners and ordinary people are helping conserve fish and their habitats across the nation. The films are from a variety of perspectives—including commercial and sport fishermen, subsistence users, researchers and managers, volunteers, landowners, and even fish themselves.

Films will be shown during the conference on Tuesday, August 18 –Thursday, August 20th. Films will be grouped into themes covering general conservation topics, habitat protection and restoration, fisheries enhancement, sport fishing, fisheries management, and fisheries research and education.

This festival offers a new way to share and understand the work and craft of AFS members and other fisheries professionals and stakeholders. It will provide an exciting vantage point to view successes and challenges in fisheries conservation, and most importantly grow appreciation for and awareness of our nation’s fisheries and the many ways in which we’re connected to fish and all the goods and services they provide.

The festival is hosted by the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership (www.seakfhp.org), Western Native Trout Initiative (www.westernnativetrout.org), Sitka Conservation Society/ Sustainable Southeast Partnership (www.sitkawild.org/www.sustainablesoutheast.net) and The Salmon Project (www.salmonproject.org).

Tuesday, August 18, 2015: 8:00 AM-5:20 PM – click here for day 1 schedule

Wednesday, August 19, 2015: 8:00 AM-5:20 PM – day 2 schedule

Thursday, August 20, 2015: 8:00 AM – 5:20 PM – day 3 schedule

For full conference information, click here.

You can find the film festival program here.