Transcript Introduction

Presented by:
Jumana Vasi, Ruby Pap, Emma Hutchinson & Steve Higgs
NRE 517
April 8th, 2002
Kenai River Watershed: The Place
Natural features:
• Over 37 fish species, 5 salmon
species
• Other fuzzy, feathered, and giant
creatures: brown bears, caribou, bald
eagles, beluga whales
The local economy:
• Commercial & sport fisheries
• Logging private/public forests
• Recreational & tourism
Ecosystem Stresses/Issues
• Damage to streambanks due to sport-fishing
– Trampling of sensitive riparian corridors
• Increased non-point source water pollution
– Residential development
– Recreational parks
• Urban/residential growth along
river/wetlands
– Incompatible development
– High density recreational vehicle parks
• Habitat conversion, degradation,
fragmentation
– Wetland filling/draining
– Timber harvesting
Kenai River Project Begins
• 1993 – Local residents and Alaska FWS contacted TNC to
request their assistance in restoring the Kenai Watershed
area
• 1996 – TNC Alaska organized a community forum and
recommended forming a citizen-based group to protect the
watershed, the economy and the quality of life valued by
local residents.
• 1997-The Kenai Watershed Forum was created to bring
together all the stakeholders and interested parties
Stakeholders
Landowners (in order of size of land owned):
•
Federal agencies:
– USFWS – Kenai National Wildlife Refuge,
– USFS – Chugach National Forest, USEPA
•
Private residential landowners
•
State of Alaska
•
Native-owned lands
•
Townships: City of Kenai, City of Soldotna, Town of Stirling,
Town of Cooper Landing, Kenai Peninsula Borough
•
Commercial fishing industries
Other interested parties:
•
Alaska Conservation Foundation
•
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
•
Exxon Oilspill Trustee Council
•
Kachemak Heritage Land Trust
•
Kenai River Center
•
The Nature Conservancy
•
River Network
The Kenai Watershed Forum
Citizens working together for community vitality in a healthy watershed
• Composed of community
stakeholders, each with differing
priorities: commercial,
environmental, property
ownership, natural resource use
• Incorporated as a private, nonprofit community organization
• Initial funds provided by USEPA
• Currently funded through individual and business membership,
Federal, State, and Foundation grants as well as profits from the sale of
the Kenai River Nature Guide.
Initial Conservation Activities
• TNC Produced a report for EPA and other
stakeholders:
• An ecological model of region
analyzing watershed needs
• Detailed land ownership maps
• 1,000 person survey of watershed
residents to assess conservation
sentiment
• Established a Kenai River Region office
of the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust
• Townships began implementing
environmentally-sensitive riparian
developments
• Organized workshops and public
meetings to create public understanding
Additional Conservation Efforts
Kenai River
Festival
• Organized and
hosted by the
Kenai Watershed
Forum
• Provides great
opportunity to
educate the
public
Adopt-a-Stream
• Goal: “To teach
people to
become
stewards of
their
watersheds.”
• Provides handson education for
school children
“All Drains Lead to Kenai River”
• High school student group stenciled signs on water
drains to create public awareness
Conservation Accomplishments
• Created Killey River Brown Bear Preserve,
1997
• Trained over 75 volunteer quality monitors
• Instituted monitoring of macro invertebrates
(aquatic insects as indicator species)
through collaboration with Alaska Dept. of
Fish and Game
• Acquired trail easements to provide public
access across private property
• Removed Salt Pile which was contaminating
Soldotna Creek
EM Assessment
Five key elements of an ecosystem
management approach:
•
•
•
•
•
Ecologically-defined project focus
Complexity
Explicit definition of biological/social
goals
Collaborative decision making
Adaptive management
Ecologically Defined Borders
•
Project is watershed focused
–
Kenai Watershed Forum
•
Importance of interconnected
ecosystem recognized by participants
•
Stakeholders still focus on their main
interests
–
e.g.-commercial fisheries focused on fish
and habitat
Complexity
• Signs point to yes, but no
management plans to date
• Different permitting agencies
housed together in Kenai River
Center
• Emphasis on monitoring/data
collection to better understand
the needs of salmon
• Watershed scale project
indicates recognition of
complexity
Explicit Definition of Goals
•
KWF mission statement: “Citizens
working together for community vitality
in a healthy watershed.”
•
Long term goals of KWF:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Maintain the health of the Kenai River
Watershed
Promote Responsible Development
Ensure Quality of Life for Future
Generations
Seek Solutions to Local Issues
Enhance and Expand Learning
Opportunities
Improve Understanding of the
Watershed
Collaboration
•
Parties involved explicitly state that
collaboration is important.
•
In practice, much collaboration
appears to be more talk than action.
•
Exceptions:
–
–
–
Water quality monitoring – 14 groups
involved.
TNC and KWF have also been active in
attempts to involve community
stakeholders.
Funding from govt agencies for education
and community outreach work of KWF, as
well as stream bank restoration.
Adaptive Management
• Not clear that there is an actual
ecosystem management plan in
place yet, which leaves little role
for adaptive management.
• Still collecting baseline data on
water quality, fish populations etc,
which will prove helpful in future
adaptive management.
Summary/Future Prospects
• Stakeholders on board to a degree, but no
apparent consensus as to appropriate
actions.
• No explicit and coordinated management
plan across multiple stakeholders.
• Greater attempts are needed to reach
agreement on what types of actions are
required to prevent further degradation of
he Kenai River.
Resources Used for Assessment
• Various EMI Analyses.
• Newsletters of KWF.
• Telephone discussion with KWF
representative.
• Web Resources, including:
– TNC’s website on the Kenai River.
– AK Dept of Fish and Game Kenai
River Overview.
– EPA website on Kenai River.