The SEAWEAD web site

Every autumn, tens of thousands of Hudsonian Godwits and Whimbrels leave their breeding grounds in Arctic and Sub-Arctic Alaska and Canada and begin a 10,000 km migration to Chiloe Island, Chile. Here, the birds spend the next 7 months resting, completing a complete molt of their flight and body feathers, and fattening up for their return flight north to nest and, if lucky, raise young. Since 2008, SEAWEAD has participated in an international collaborative study that has focused on topics including estimating population size of godwits and Whimbrels in the region, investigating aspects of the species' foraging ecology, and creating an individually marked population to enable estimates of survival rates.  This year SEAWEAD will return to Chiloe to continue this ongoing work and to contribute to an exciting new process - the development of the region's first Conservation Action Plan for shorebirds.

For more information on this project and how to get involved contact Jim Johnson of the USFWS in Anchorage. Click here to see some photos from the 2010 expedition on Bob's facebook page.Click here to see a video of a successful canon netting event.

Several data sources indicate that the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) is declining across its North American range. The primary threat responsible for this decline is believed to be degradation or loss of critical habitats such as native grasslands and coastal wetlands; however, vehicle collisions, predation, and contaminants are also likely factors. Life history information, including migratory movements, is scarce for this species of conservation concern. In an attempt to fill in some of the gaps of our understanding of Short-eared Owls, SEAWEAD and USFWS biologist Jim Johnson began a satelite telemetry study on the southern Seward Peninsula. During June 2009, we attached small solar-powered satellite transmitters to 14 owls to determine the timing and routes of migration and to locate important wintering areas.
Owls have dispersed from the Seward Peninsula and are now distributed from the southern Prairie Provinces to Central Mexico and from California to Colorado - an area encompassing 30 degrees (insert degree symbol) of latitude and 20 degrees (insert degree symbol) of longitude. Transmitter life may exceed two years and we are anticipating an exciting spring migration as we follow these birds on their northward migration. You too can follow the movements of these owls by following this link http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=419

For more information on this project and how to get involved contact Jim Johnson of the USFWS in Anchorage.

The purpose of the Hoonah Community Forest project is to provide tools and recommendations for management of the landscape that is immediately accessible to the community of Hoonah, Alaska i.e. “The Hoonah Community Forest”. The emphasis in this project has been on assessment and site selection for restoration and maintenance of salmon and deer habitat because of their central role in Cultural and Traditional Uses and local economics. The community has also expressed an interest in the continued existence of value-added wood product mills (and the jobs that come with them). For that reason consideration was also given to the location and scale of old-growth harvest that could coincide along with high standards for fish and wildlife productivity.

Existing data, experiences from ground-truthing visits and interviews with locals were synthesized in the production of a management guide map that includes three general land use designations: Wilderness Opportunity, Fish and Wildlife Priority and Timber Opportunity. Check out the report.

Read more: Hoonah Community Forest Project

During the summer of 2005 we worked in cooperation with the Sitka Ranger District (USFS) on brown bear habitat assessments at several sites on Chichagof and Baranof Islands. The purpose of the field work was to collect high resolution habitat and signs of use data for a variety of wildlife and human use management questions. The areas surveyed ranged from pristine to highly modified watersheds and provided an excellent overview of existing brown bear habitat conditions on the northern Tongass National Forest. GIS analysis was blended with anecdotal naturalist observations in the final report.

Go to the reports page to download the final report.

Ground-truthing is a term used by foresters and geologists referring to field-verification of maps and aerial imagery. In 2005, SEAWEAD naturalists Bob Christensen and Richard Carstensen partnered with the Sitka Conservation Society to develop and support the Tongass Ground-truthing project . The purpose of this effort is to investigate past and proposed timber projects throughout Southeast Alaska and pass on our observations of the condition of the landscape, and what might be done to improve it, to the public at large.

“Ground-truthers” travel to remote watersheds where past and present timber activities are rarely observed by the public. We compile retrospective analyses of the character of logged forests and streams, and of existing old-growth stands inside future cutting units.

Ground-truthers are “eyes and ears in the woods” for Southeast’s conservation-minded community members. But we also take field documentation to the next level, analyzing patterns of logging in GIS (Geographic Information Systems), evaluating landscape connectivity for wildlife, assessing the opportunity for salmon and deer habitat restoration work, and critiquing Land Use Designations.

Read more: Ground-truthing

In the Spring of 2007 we helped US Fish and Wildlife Service ornithologist Brad Andres conduct a survey of Sitka Sound for Oystercatcher nest sites. Brad's interest was in revisiting islets and rocks that had been documented as active nest sites back in the 1940s. Anecdotal observations suggest there has been a decline in nest activity in Sitka Sound and Brad wanted to verify this possibility and investigate potential causes with a field visit.

On June 9th and 10th we skiffed the entire coastline of Sitka Sound scanning for oystercatcher's exhibiting breeding behavior and searched upwards of 30 exposed rocks, islets and rocky outcrops for nest sites. Brad is preparing a field trip report that we will make available as soon as it is ready.

The Tongass Land Management Plan (TLMP) is the primary document used to manage public lands in Southeast Alaska. A draft for the 2008 version of TLMP was recently released and is currently out for comment. 

A coalition of conservation groups (Southeast Alaska Conservation Society, Sitka Conservation Society, The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Alaska, Trout Unlimited, The Wilderness Society, Alaska Conservation Foundation, Alaska Wilderness League) is in the process of developing an alternate conservation strategy.

SEAWEAD naturalists Richard Carstensen and Bob Christensen recently wrote an independent opinion piece that compares and critiques these conservation strategies. The document covers a wide array of issues important to understanding the delicate balance between economic development and ecological integrity in Southeast Alaska. Although this document is not an official SEAWEAD report, we provide a link here for interested parties and encourage all who are up for digging a little deeper into Tongass conservation to check it out. The cover letter for this report follows...

Read more: Tongass Conservation Strategies

The Landmark Trees Project is an effort to find, describe and understand the most magnificent remaining forests of Southeast Alaska. Founded in 1996 by Sam Skaggs of Alaska Research Voyages, Inc, the project has documented 64 one-acre sites across the Tongass under the field direction of naturalist Richard Carstensen.

Landmark Tree sites are scored according to the dimensions of the largest tree and the wood volume of the surrounding acre. They are also assessed for ecological values such as winter deer and summer bear habitat. Originally conceived as an ecotourism venture which might help to bring trees the same standing as glaciers, bears and whales, (the industry's current advertising icons) the project now involves residents throughout the Tongass who seek deeper familiarity with their backyard treasures.

Landmark Tree researchers have found trees measuring 10 and 11 feet in diameter, and up to 250 feet tall Our highest scoring stand contains two spruces much larger than the official state record. It grows on limestone bedrock (karst), but most of our sites occur on stream and river deposits (alluvium).

Landmark Trees started by finding and documenting the cream of the Tongass big forest. Although that will continue, we have quickly reached stage two; now that we know a lot about the Tongass megaforest, can we provide some way for residents and tourists to experience it first hand? The answer is more complex than we anticipated!

Read more: Landmark Trees