Copper River Watershed Residents Working Together to Monitor Fish Habitat

Prepared by Becky Clausen, FishWatch Coordinator Copper River Watershed Project

Copper River Watershed Project’s

FishWatch Program

What’s the Problem?

� Trans-Alaska Pipeline crosses 4 primary tributaries, 76 fish streams total, 1/5 of TAPS travels through Copper River drainage

� Fragmented resource management

� Tourism and recreational growth:

� “Klutina: Like the Kenai 50 Years Ago!”, FishAlaska magazine, Nov./Dec. 2003

� “Fish Like there’s no tomorrow: Trials and Tribulations of the Wild & Scenic Gulkana”, FishAlaskamagazine, July 2002.

FishWatch Supporters

� Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation� American Seafoods� Alaska Fund for the Future� U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service� George H. and Jane A. Mifflin Memorial Fund� Norcross Wildlife Foundation� Patagonia� Ecotrust� U.S. Forest Service� Copper River Watershed Project members

FishWatch Volunteers� Allen, Suzanne and Jesse

Marquette� Dean Barlip� Linda, Tyee, Teal and Tree Lohse� Phil Collins� Mark Cummings� Staci Devenport, Gulkana Village

Council� Carl Fisher� Sam Greenwood� Kirsti Jurica� Adam and Emily Low� Vicky Penwell� Scott and Ladonna Rees� Danny, Arlene, Hannah, Garrett

and Dirck Rosenkrans� Smyke Family� Karen and Steven Swartzbart� NVE Water Resource Techs.

� Matt Obermiller� Carl Bowman, Rather Rough It

Charters� Lin Perry-Plake� The Voley Family� Dave Wellman and Kenny Lake

High School� Ruth McHenry� Janelle Eklund & Paul Boos� Joshua Hughes� Rex Henderson� Jim & Cathy Leonard, BLM

Campground Host� Guenter Maurer� Gary Martinek� Rick Young� Molly McCormick

FishWatch Planning Team

Copper Basin Representatives:

Eric Veach, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and PreserveTom Taube, ADF&G GlennallenLin Perry-Plake, ADF&G GlennallenKen Roberson, Private fisheries consultantJanelle Eklund, CRWP PresidentJoe Hart, Chitina CorporationDavid Finnesand, Chitina Traditional Indian Village CouncilWilson Justin, Mt. Sanford Tribal ConsortiumChantelle Pence, Mt. Sanford Tribal ConsortiumBruce Rogers, BLMRick Young, Tazlina Village CouncilStaci Devenport, Gulkana Village CouncilGary Martinek, PWSAC Gulkana Hatchery

Cordova Representatives:Ken Hodges, Chugach National ForestSteve Moffitt, ADF&G CordovaDan Ashe, ADF&G CordovaPaul Swartzbart, CRWP Habitat Restoration PlannerKeith VanDenBroek, Native Village of EyakDirk Lang, Chugach National ForestDan Logan, Chugach National ForestDeyna Kuntzsch, Chugach National ForestGordie Reeves, Pacific NW Research Station, USFS

FishWatch Study Questions

� What are the baseline fish habitat conditions in selected streams and lakes in the Copper River watershed?

� What are the current use levels of boaters and fishers on selected streams and lakes in the Copper River watershed?

� What is the amount of increase of boat traffic and fishing effort on selected streams and lakes in the Copper River watershed over a multiple year time frame?

� Are there sites that would benefit from restoration and further analysis?

Quality Assurance Project PlanQuality Assurance Project Plan

� Who will monitor?

� What parameters will be monitored?

� Where will sites be monitored?

� When will sites be monitored?

Approved by the

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

Volunteer TrainingsObjectives:

� Understand basic stream ecology � Collect water quality information� Identify aquatic insects� Record levels of human use

Parameters to Monitor

Water Quality Indicators

� Temperature� pH

� Dissolved Oxygen� Nitrate Concentration

� Macro-invertebrate survey� Riparian Vegetation survey

Human Use Indicators

� Number of vehicles at fishing holes

� Number of boaters/rafters on river

FishWatch Monitoring SitesWater Quality Monitoring Sites Human Use Monitoring SitesPaxson Lake Eyak Lake (3 sites) and River Paxson LakeGulkana River Tanada Creek Gulkana RiverCrosswind Lake Alaganik Slough Klutina RiverKlutina River 18 Mile Stream Copper River, Chitina - CordovaWillow Creek Eccles Creek Eyak RiverLittle Tonsina River Ahtel Creek Ibeck Creek

Long Lake Fish Creek Alaganik SloughKenny Lake Rufus Creek 18 Mile StreamSinona Creek Squirrel Creek Copper River, Chetaslina -

Tonsina

FishWatch Sites

FishWatch Monitoring Schedule

� Delta Human Use = Once per week

� Basin Human Use = 2-3 times per week

� Delta Water Quality = Once per month

� Basin Water Quality = Once per month

2004 Temperature

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

Alagan

ic S

lough

Eccle

s Cre

ekEya

k Lak

e #1

Eyak L

ake #

2Eya

k Lak

e #3

Eyak R

iver

18 M

il eAht

el Cre

ekFish

Cre

ek

Gulkana R

iverKenn

y Lake

Little

Tonsina

Long

Lake W

eir

Long La

ke C

reek

Paxon L

akeRuf

us C

reek

Sinona

Creek

Squirre

l Cre

ek

Tanad

a Cre

ekW

illow C

reek

June July August .Sept

2004 pH

slightly acidicslightly basic

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

Alagan

ic Slou

gh

2004 Dissolved Oxygen

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

Alagani

c Slo

ugh

2002 Macroinvertebrate Survey

Sit e June July August Septemb erEyak River 1 stonefly

2 ca dd isflies3 snails12 aqu atic m ites12 wor ms

1 mayfly1 ca dd isfly100 a qu aticmites11 wor ms

1 stonefly1 aquaticmite1 w orm

10 aqu aticmites1 bee tle1 w orm

Alaga nikSlough

20 cadd isflies20 0 mit es10 damse lflies25 wor mseul ach on,sockeye salmon

12 stoneflies10 aqu aticmites3 snails

10 aqu aticmites1 snail5 w orms

5 midges2 crane flies2 snails4 w orms

18 MilesStream

50 cadd isflies10 0 mit es10 snails50 clams40 wor ms

3 ca dd isflies12 aqu aticmites7 w orms1 leech

5 aquaticmites2 bee tles2 snails1 clam s

1 ca dd isfly15 aqu aticmites60 bee tles2 snails1 w orm

Klutin a Lake ,near outl et

6 may flies No sa mple 35 mayflies25 stoneflies40 ca dd isflies100 a qu aticmites50 wor ms

No sa mple

Willow C reek No sa mple 8 mayflies2 stoneflies3 ca dd isflies2 bl ack flies2 bee tles1 da ms elfly1 scud1 snail3 w orms

10 ca dd isflies1 aquaticmite2 bee tles3 snails1 beave r dam

No sa mple

2004 Human Use

Eyak River Boat Launch

0

5

10

15

20

25

6/6/04

6/13/0

46/2

0/04

6/27/0

47/4

/047/1

1/04

7/18/04

7/25/0

48/1

/048/8

/048/1

5/04

8/22/0

48/2

9/049/5

/049/1

2/04

9/19/0

4

# Vehicles# Boat Trailers# Boats in Water# Fishing on Shore

SilverSalmonSeason!

Eyak River Boat Launch

0

5

10

15

20

25

6/5/

2000

6/12

/2000

6/19

/2000

6/26

/200

07/

3/20

007/

10/2

0007/

17/2

0007/

24/2

000

7/31

/2000

8/7/

2000

8/14

/200

08/

21/2

000

8/28

/2000

9/4/

2000

9/11

/200

09/

18/2

000Vehicles#

Boat Trailers#

Boats in Water#

Fishing on Shore#

2004 Human UseGulkana at Sourdough

4th of July

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

5-J

un

12-J

un

19-J

un

26-J

un

3-Ju

l

10-J

ul

17-J

ul

24-J

ul

31-J

ul

7-A

ug

14-A

ug

21-A

ug

28-A

ug

Vehicles#

Boat Trailers#

Boats in Water#

Fishing on Shore#

FishWatch Results

� Baseline water quality data

� Baseline human use data

� Identified 1 restoration site: inlet stream to Trout Lake, Chitina

� Identified 1 site for further study: Long Lake

Volunteers Wanted!

� All ages welcome

� Free training workshops� CRWP supplies equipment� Learn more about a stream

in your backyard!

Next Steps for FishWatch?

Develop an Overall Habitat Conditions Index for the Copper River Watershed:

• Delineate sub-watersheds

• Stratify sub-watersheds by identified threats

• Zoom in on high-value sites within priority sub-watersheds

• Select indicators for high priority sites

• Plan rotation schedule for data collection in the three tiers of sub-watersheds

Fish Habitat Concerns Prioritized by Sub-basin

Habitat Conditions Index Development Future Work Steps:

• Analyze aerial photography of high value sites for coarse, first cut at site characteristics, summer 2005

• FishWatch Planning Team and contract habitat biologist draft list of indicators, fall 2005