Wetlands mapping could encourage fish and development both

A regional nonprofit will be conducting a survey of Wrangell’s watersheds this summer in an attempt to encourage wetlands conservation.

Angie Flickinger is the Wrangell area coordinator for Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, a regional consortium of community organizations interested in managing watersheds and resources. What the group would like to do is inspect streams, culverts and other aquatic habitats and identify opportunities for their improvement or restoration.

Under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, wetlands and watersheds are protected from the adverse impacts of various human activities. So as not to completely stymie development, compensatory mitigation is an allowable practice whereby a developer – be it a private citizen, municipal government or other organization – seeking a federal permit can set aside land or resources to compensate for dredging, filling or other related activities where wetlands are concerned.

With this particular project, Flickinger said SAWC would be focusing on restoration of area wetlands rather than preservation, as a means to encourage responsible development. Efforts to restore or improve existing watersheds can count as credit toward these 404 permits, she explained, which in turn can be of benefit to Wrangell, where developable land to exchange or set aside for projects is in limited supply.

“The Wrangell watershed assessment came about from some conversations with the city over time,” Flickinger explained.

What she would like to do this year is survey aquatic resources such as streams, muskegs, fish passage culverts and so forth found around the borough, including some in state forest lands. Existing data for aquatic resources on United States Forest Service lands will also be included in a final watershed assessment report, which would be publicly available for use.

Her prospective watershed assessment report would include updated maps of aquatic resources and an overview of their condition, recommendations for maintaining or improving their habitats, and potential project opportunities.

An example on an already-identified project would be the strategic placement of felled trees around the west fork of Pats Creek, in order to encourage fish habitat. Log jams buried along the creek’s banks would serve this purpose, using second-growth spruce.

Also at Pats at its east fork, another project would be to selectively breach an abandoned logging road at its crossing, as it has blocked off access to fish. This would renew access to “relic channels,” and would improve sedimentation downstream.

Flickinger will be investigating such watershed resources over the coming summer, conducting field work with a camera and global positioning system device.

“The first steps will be sort of ground-truthing the resources,” she said.

The compilation of her report is scheduled to occur this fall, with a community meeting to be set up at its completion explaining SAWC’s findings. All data would subsequently be made available to the public for use.