Goal 3
Facilitate and increase the use & availability of scientific knowledge to inform priorities, policy development and management decision making.
JUSTIFICATION / EXPLANATION
This goal recognizes the need to consolidate, synthesize and summarize existing scientific knowledge of fish habitat as it relates to the partnership’s purpose and geographic area. The scientific and decision making community periodically needs a forum on aquatic ecosystems to share information about on-going research and restoration efforts. This information needs to be shared in the appropriate format among non-technical partners and with overlapping goals. In existing plans and literature, there are identified information and monitoring data gaps. The short-term objectives of this goal are to prioritize and begin to fill the known information and data gaps through research and monitoring with the anticipation that successful endeavors of Goals 1 & 2 may provide better direction for monitoring programs in three to five years.
Contact - Sue Mauger
Objectives
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Synthesize existing fish habitat information (compiling, summarizing, communicating)
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Identify existing plans and information sources.
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Create a metadata data base or annotated bibliography with links and post on Partnership website.
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Host science- based fish habitat symposiums for Partners to share relevant information.
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Fill Data Gaps identified in other goals and in existing fish habitat plans
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Establish gaging sites to measure water quantity in watersheds of concern with known data gaps, such as the Anchor River, Chuitna River, and potential hydro project sites.
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In concert with other on-going programs, develop and implement a strategic plan for stream gaging to characterize hydrology in a range of watershed sizes.
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In concert with other on-going programs, develop and implement a water quality monitoring program to address current, future and/or catastrophic threats.
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Monitor stream temperatures to identify watersheds at greatest risk to landscape and climate change.
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Map impervious cover in watersheds that have not been mapped and do a 10-year update on previously mapped watersheds.
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Map wetlands in watersheds that have not been mapped and seek to understand wetland functions as they relate to fish habitat.
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Monitor coastline and riparian development and assess impacts of shoreline alteration.
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Identify, monitor and evaluate the impact of invasive species on the health of aquatic ecosystems.
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Monitor recreational activities and evaluate impacts to fish habitat.
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Monitor existing culverts and road crossings to identify new fish passage problems.
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Survey streams to identify fish distribution and support Alaska’s Anadromous Waterways Catalog development.
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Survey biodiversity and biomass in freshwater and nearshore marine systems relevant to beluga whale habitat.
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Evaluate efficacy of past and current protection and restoration efforts to provide guidance to project design and development.
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Where fish passage restoration occurs, build on existing juvenile fish movement studies to evaluate the broad ecological changes before and after a suspect barrier is removed and replaced.
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Review and assess the effect of local and state regulations that are intended to provide fish habitat protections.
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Design and implement a study to monitor and evaluate current practices of commonly utilized streamside bank restoration.