SEAKFHP Event

Alaska Fish Film Festival – planned for 2014 AFS/AWRA Alaska Chapter Conference – Oct 2014

The Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership will be hosting the first annual Alaska Fish Film Festival during the annual meeting of the Alaska Chapters of the American Fisheries Society and American Water Resources Association in Juneau from October 20–24, 2014.

We are soliciting fish-related videos for the Festival and encourage you to capture footage this summer!

To be considered, submissions must:

*Be filmed in Alaska

*Detail or have a linkage to some aspect of fish conservation and/or fish habitat conservation

*Be less than 10 minutes in length

Additional details on video submission will be available by June 1, 2014 at:

http://www.afs-alaska.org/annual-meetings/2011-2.

The final deadline for video submissions is October 1, 2014.

News, NFHP Event

NATIONAL FISH HABITAT CONSERVATION ACT ADVANCES THROUGH SENATE EPW COMMITTEE

For Immediate Release:
April 4, 2014
Ryan Roberts rroberts@fishwildlife.org

NATIONAL FISH HABITAT CONSERVATION ACT ADVANCES THROUGH SENATE EPW COMMITTEE  – Bill will Head to Senate Floor
(Washington, DC) – The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act (S. 2080) en bloc, in a package with six other water resource and conservation bills on April 3, 2014.

Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced S. 2080, the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act (NFHCA) on March 5, 2014. The bipartisan legislation authorizes the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP) – an unprecedented national partnership effort aimed squarely at protecting, restoring and enhancing the nation’s fish habitats.

Both Senators Cardin and Crapo sit on the Environment and Public Works Committee. Senator Cardin is the Chair of the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, and Senator Crapo is a long-time supporter of NFHCA. Previous versions of NFHCA have enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Congress, including bipartisan approval by the Environment and Public Works Committee in two different Congresses. The bill passed today includes modifications to language in earlier versions of NFHCA that were made in consultation with several Senators and their staffs from both sides of the aisle. “I want to thank our co-sponsors for their help in ensuring that the National Fish Habitat Action Plan will someday become a major tool to deliver conservation in the United States. This is one more step in ensuring that the visioning in the National Fish Habitat Action Plan will one day be codified through this important piece of legislation.” said, Kelly Hepler, Chair of the National Fish Habitat Board. “We were certainly encouraged with today’s advancement by the committee and hope that the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act will go to the Senate floor in this session of Congress.” The bill can now proceed to the U.S. Senate floor for approval, action on the bill will be determined at a later date.

About the National Fish Habitat Partnership:
Since 2006, The National Fish Habitat Partnership has been a partner in 417 projects in 46 states benefiting fish habitat. The National Fish Habitat Partnership works to conserve fish habitat nationwide, leveraging federal, state, and private funding sources to achieve the greatest impact on fish populations through priority conservation projects. The national partnership implements the National Fish Habitat Action Plan and supports 18 regional grassroots partner organizations.

For more information visit:
http://fishhabitat.org/

http://www.facebook.com/NFHAP

 

https://twitter.com/FishHabitat

http://www.scoop.it/t/fish-habitat
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News

SOUTHEAST ALASKA FISH HABITAT PARTNERSHIP RECOGNIZED BY NATIONAL FISH HABITAT BOARD

NFHP Logo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 2014
Ryan Roberts

rroberts@fishwildlife.org

 SOUTHEAST ALASKA FISH HABITAT PARTNERSHIP RECOGNIZED BY NATIONAL FISH HABITAT BOARD

 The National Fish Habitat Partnership now has 19 Partnerships Focused on Habitat Conservation

(Washington, DC) – On Monday, March 10 during the second day of the National Fish Habitat Board’s spring meeting the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership (SEAKFHP) was granted full recognition status.  Fish Habitat Partnerships are the primary work units of the National Fish Habitat Partnership and take the lead in bringing partners together to put conservation projects “on-the-ground” that make a difference for fish and their habitats across the nation. These partnerships are formed around important aquatic habitats, distinct geographic areas, “keystone” fish species or system types. With the recent board action, there are now 19 of these highly productive partnerships working across the nation to build strong coalitions dedicated to protecting, restoring and enhancing America’s fish habitats.

The Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership spans the entire southern panhandle of Alaska including the dynamic watersheds and waterways that make up the Alexander Archipelago. This region ranks as one of the largest, most complex, and intact estuarine and temperate rainforest on earth, and is filled with many small, vibrant communities with economies and ways of living linked closely to fish and fishing.   In addition, this diverse coastal archipelago from its icefields to its estuaries supports a unique diversity of fish.  The mission of the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership is to support cooperative fish habitat conservation, restoration, and management in freshwater, estuarine and marine ecosystems across Southeast Alaska with consideration of economic, social, and cultural interests of local communities in its endeavors.

“The Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership did an outstanding job in preparing a well thought out partnership strategy in advance of coming to the Board seeking formal recognition.”  said Kelly Hepler, Chair of the National Fish Habitat Board.  “The Board will provide every opportunity possible to help this partnership grow and succeed in providing critical on-the-ground conservation in southeast Alaska. “

“We are delighted with the recent approval from the Board; this recognition will assist us in our efforts to foster cooperative fish habitat conservation across the many watersheds and waterways that make up the southern panhandle of Alaska.” Deborah Hart, SEAKFHP Coordinator

“We are pleased the Board formally recognized the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership as a member of the national network of Fish Habitat Partnerships. The Southeast Partnership along with other partnerships in Alaska and across the nation greatly expands the capacity of the Service and our state partners to conserve and restore habitat for the benefit of fish and aquatic species and the American public.” Geoffrey Haskett, Alaska Regional Director, USFWS

“Trout Unlimited is thrilled the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership has received formal recognition from the national board.  We look forward to continuing our work with other regional partners to collaborate on fish habitat conservation and restoration issues across the Tongass National Forest, the country’s largest and most salmon-rich national forest.  The National Fish Habitat Board’s decision to give the group formal partner status will definitely be a key step in that effort going forward,” said Mark Kaelke, Trout Unlimited, Southeast Alaska Project Director.

“The SEAKFHP will assist the Forest Service in Alaska to leverage support for our salmon habitat restoration efforts that strive to enhance one of the most productive fisheries in North America.” Wayne Owen, Director –Wildlife, Fisheries, Ecology, Watershed and Subsistence, Alaska Region, U.S. Forest Service

Below is a list of partners cooperating in on-the-ground conservation with the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership:

  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Juneau Habitat Restoration Team
  • U.S. Forest Service, Alaska Region/Tongass National Forest
  • NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Region, Habitat Conservation Division
  • Alaska Department of Fish and Game
  • Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
  • Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska
  • City and Borough of Yakutat
  • Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • Trout Unlimited
  • Sitka Conservation Society
  • Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center
  • University of Alaska Southeast GIS Library

More information on the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership can be found on their website:www.seakfhp.org

 

About the National Fish Habitat Partnership:

Since 2006, The National Fish Habitat Partnership has been a partner in 417 projects in 46 states benefiting fish habitat. The National Fish Habitat Partnership works to conserve fish habitat nationwide, leveraging federal, state, and private funding sources to achieve the greatest impact on fish populations through priority conservation projects. The national partnership implements the National Fish Habitat Action Plan and supports 18 regional grassroots partner organizations. For more information visit:

http://fishhabitat.org/
http://www.facebook.com/NFHAP
https://twitter.com/FishHabitat

http://www.scoop.it/t/fish-habitat

News

Great News…Introduction of National Fish Habitat Conservation Act in Senate


Sportfishing and Conservation Groups Hail Introduction of National Fish Habitat Conservation Act in Senate

Bipartisan Bill will help Conserve Aquatic Resources and support the National Fish Habitat Partnership

March 6, 2014 – Washington, D.C. – Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced S. 2080 the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act (NFHCA) on March 5, 2014. The bipartisan legislation authorizes the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP) – an unprecedented national partnership effort aimed squarely at protecting, restoring and enhancing the nation’s aquatic resources and fish habitat.

Both Senators Cardin and Crapo sit on the Environment and Public Works Committee – Senator Cardin is the Chair of the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee. Previous versions of NFHCA have enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Congress, including bipartisan approval by the Environment and Public Works Committee in two different Congresses. The language in the bill introduced today includes modifications to language in earlier versions of NFHCA that were made in consultation with several Senators and their staffs from both sides of the aisle.

“Choosing to protect our natural resources is good for our environment and our economy. Right now we need deliberate and targeted action to stem the loss of our precious aquatic habitats,” said Senator Cardin. “Our bill takes a comprehensive approach to stopping the single greatest cause of declining fish populations, by stemming the decline of healthy aquatic ecosystems that are critical to all fish species. We need to encourage healthier habitats for waterfowl and other wildlife as well as safer recreational waters for Americans to swim, boat and fish.”

“The legislation we’ve introduced stems from Senator Cardin’s and my shared goals of protecting, maintaining and improving our fish habitats,” said Senator Crapo.  “Instead of creating new regulations and mandates, our bill fosters partnerships between federal, regional and local stakeholders to work together to promote healthy and sustainable fish populations for our communities.”

A wide range of sportsmen’s and conservation groups has endorsed this legislation over the years. It is the hope of these groups and others supporting this historic piece of legislation that it be adopted as an amendment to the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2014 (S. 1996) – a package of legislation introduced by Senators Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).

“We truly appreciate the leadership of Senators Cardin and Crapo in the introduction of this Act,” said Gordon Robertson, Vice President of the American Sportfishing Association. “The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act would be a great addition to the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2014 as it does not have a fishery habitat conservation piece of any kind and we believe the Fish Habitat Act would not only round out the package of bills but solidify the benefits for the sportsmen and women’s communities.  The Fish Habitat Conservation Act will be a great compliment to the existing and long standing Sport Fish Restoration Act.”

“The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act is a critical piece of locally driven, common-sense legislation that will benefit local communities, and fish and fish habitat,” said Jen Mock Schaeffer, Government Affairs Director for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.  “Designed to replicate the continent’s preeminent and successful plan for conserving waterfowl, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act can provide the same kind of conservation benefits for fish and fish habitat across the country.

“The Nature Conservancy joins our partner organizations in supporting the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act introduced by Senators Cardin and Crapo,” said Kameran Onley, Director of U.S. Government Relations for The Nature Conservancy.  “After many months of negotiations, we are pleased with this version of the legislation which reinforces the importance of the role of states and better addresses concerns raised by ranching and agriculture communities.  This legislation is a model for the way conservation should occur – through voluntary, community-based, and from the-ground-up efforts.”

“The National Fish Habitat Action Plan is already working on the ground to make sport fishing better, from helping farmers manage livestock to protecting brook trout streams in West Virginia, to enhancing growth of native vegetation, improving water quality on Lake Conroe, Texas, to improving stream flows for coho salmon through a partnership with vintners on the Russian River, California” said Steve Moyer, Trout Unlimited.  “The new bill will ensure that farmers, ranchers and other landowners have a seat at the decision-making table and will ensure the long term sustainability of the program.”

In 2013 alone, National Fish Habitat Partnership projects opened nearly 200 miles of waterways to fish passage.  Efforts like this implemented by grassroots-led habitat partnerships are one of only a few ways the National Fish Habitat Partnership is making a difference in conserving fish habitats across the country.

About the National Fish Habitat Partnership:

Since 2006, The National Fish Habitat Partnership has been a partner in 417 projects in 46 states benefiting fish habitat. The National Fish Habitat Partnership works to conserve fish habitat nationwide, leveraging federal, state, and private funding sources to achieve the greatest impact on fish populations through priority conservation projects. The national partnership implements the National Fish Habitat Action Plan and supports 18 regional grassroots partner organizations. For more information visit:

http://fishhabitat.org/
http://www.facebook.com/NFHAP
https://twitter.com/FishHabitat

http://www.scoop.it/t/fish-habitat

Ryan Roberts

National Fish Habitat Partnership Communications Coordinator

Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies

444 N. Capitol St. NW (Suite 725)

Washington, DC 20001

O: 202.624.5851

C: 202.329.8882

www.fishhabitat.org

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News, Videos

Subsistence Fishing in Southeast Alaska

Subsistence in Southeast Alaska: The Tongass National Forest Services Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program

VIDEO LINK

 

Although we often associate our National Forests with trees and silviculturalists, BY FAR, the most valuable resource that the Tongass National Forest provides is in the production of all 5 species of wild Pacific salmon. Managing salmon habitat and the fish populations within the forest is one of the key roles of National Forest Service staff in Alaska. The Tongass National Forest is the largest National Forest in the United States. Its 17 million acres is home to 32 communities that use and very much depend on the resources that this forest provides. On this National Forest, fisheries and watershed staff are probably the most critical positions on the entire Forest and are responsible for the keystone species in the temperate rainforest ecosystem—Salmon–a $1 Billion per year commercial fishery that serves up delicious salmon to people around the nation and the world, not to mention subsistence harvests that feed thousands of rural community members in Alaska. These staff also carry the legacy of thousands of years of sustainable management on their shoulders.

Like nothing else, salmon have shaped the cultures and the lifestyle of the peoples and communities of Southeast Alaska. The Tlingit and Haida people who have called the Tongass home for thousands of years, have learned and adapted to the natural cycles of salmon. Deeply held cultural beliefs have formed unique practices for “taking care of” and ensuring the continuance of salmon runs. As documented by Anthropologist Thomas Thornton in his book, Being and Place Among the Tlingit, “the head’s of localized clan house groups, known as yitsati, keeper of the house, were charged with coordinating the harvest and management of resource areas” like the sockeye salmon streams and other important salmon runs.

The staff of the Fisheries and Watershed program has integrated Alaska Native organizations, individuals, and beliefs into salmon and fisheries management programs on the Tongass and have hired talented Alaska Native individuals as staff in the USDA National Forest Service. Through the efforts of the Fisheries and Watershed program and its staff, a variety of formal agreements, joint programs, and multi-party projects that manage and protect our valuable salmon resources have been developed. The programs on the Tongass are case-studies for the rest of the world where lands and resources are owned by the public while being managed through the collaborative efforts of professional resource managers in government agencies, local peoples with intimate place-based knowledge, and involve multi-party stakeholders who use and depend on the resource.
The Tongass is America’s Salmon Rainforest and the Forest Service’s Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program is a stellar example of how we manage a National Forest to produce and provide salmon for people across the entire country as well as the people who call this forest their home.

 

News, Partner Event, Trainings

AK Hydro Editing and Workflow Training – February 3-5, 2014

AK Hydro Editing and Workflow Training – February 3-5, 2014,  ADNR TIPS Training Room, Anchorage, AK

Please join in for a free, hands-on training of Alaska’s hydrography stewardship model, the Alaska Hydrography Database (AK Hydro).

Attendees will gain exposure to the standards and workflows required to participate in the statewide hydrography collaboration, as well as get hands-on experience editing and contributing updates to both AK Hydro and the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). If you’re interested in updating hydrography data in Alaska, then this training is for you!

This training is sponsored by the Alaska Hydrography Technical Working Group (AHTWG). For more information about AHTWG, please visit http://seakgis.alaska.edu/ahtwg/

For more information about the training or to sign up, please contact Becci Anderson at rdanderson@usgs.gov.

Becci Anderson, GISP

USGS Geospatial Liaison – Alaska Region
4210 University Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
907-786-7042 office
907-787-9211 cell
rdanderson@usgs.gov

AK Hydro Training_3-5Feb2014

 

News, Regional Publication, SEAKFHP Event, Slideshows

SEAKFHP shares draft strategic action plan at the 2013 SE AK Watershed Symposium and is looking for regional feedback!

The Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership (SEAKFHP), a candidate partnership under the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, works to foster cooperative fish habitat conservation in freshwater, estuarine and marine ecosystems across southeast Alaska.

The partnership formed under the belief that many benefits result when multiple partners come together to share resources, align strategic actions, and speak with a united voice about the conservation and value of productive and intact fish habitats at both local and regional scales. Partner expertise and focus is currently on populations of resident species and anadromous salmonids in freshwater systems as well as anadromous and marine species in estuarine and nearshore habitats. Our mission is to foster and facilitate regionally relevant strategies that will conserve and sustain the region’s fish habitat, fisheries-based economy, and culture.

To achieve this broad mission the partnership is working to develop a strategic action plan. During the 2013 Southeast Alaska Watershed Symposium the SEAKFHP Steering Committee shared a draft copy of the plan and is actively looking for regional input.  You can find a copy of the draft plan on our web site at this link:  SEAKFHPstrategicactionplan2014_2016_draft for 2013 SEAKWS_final or make a request directly to our coordinator at coordinator@sealaskafishhabitat.org.

The slide show above shares an overview of the SEAKFHP, provides background information on the National Fish Habitat Action Plan and the national fish habitat partnership architecture as well as includes a brief overview of the draft SEAKFHP Strategic Action Plan.

 

News, Partner Event, SEAKFHP Event

2013 Southeast Alaska Watershed Symposium Archive

Southeast Alaska Watershed Symposium

November 4th, 5th and 6th 2013!

The Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition and the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership are proud to have hosted the Southeast Alaska Watershed Symposium to share information about our local fish and their important habitats in Southeast Alaska.

Symposium archive information can be found here: http://alaskawatershedcoalition.org/southeast-alaska-watershed-symposiu/

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