Wrangell Cooperative Association’s Earth Branch, Tl’átḵ, is working with the U.S. Forest Service to install temperature loggers (data recording devices) in selected salmon streams on Wrangell Island to help get a better understanding of the impacts of thermal variations on salmon populations.
The two agencies are planning to deploy three to six temperature loggers on the island. As of July 15, two had been installed.
Alex Angerman, Earth Branch coordinator, said “monitoring stream temperatures is crucial for assessing the health of salmon populations.” Salmon rely on specific temperature ranges for spawning and survival, she said, so gathering data on stream temperatures can help better manage and conserve the natural runs.
Angerman said community members have expressed concern for the low numbers of salmon spawning in the selected streams, adding that the data will hopefully assist with improving management of the runs and could help explain a cause of decreased salmon populations.
“The primary goal is likely to establish baseline temperature data in salmon streams on Wrangell Island,” said Angerman. “This data helps in understanding stream health, particularly how temperature variations might affect salmon populations and their habitats.”
Data recorded by the temperature loggers will be collected in the spring and fall, Angerman said, which will allow for a comprehensive understanding of temperature fluctuations over time. To collect the data, she said, crews will go back to the streams, retrieve the devices and download the data either by using Bluetooth or plugging the units into a computer.
The Forest Service is helping WCA with the project by providing logistical support and equipment, and might also help with data analysis and interpretation.
WCA also partnered with the Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition for the project, which provided two of the temperature loggers and is also collecting data from this project for its own ongoing work on stream temperature monitoring.
The WCA Earth Branch is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Indian Environmental General Assistance Program, which provides funds to federally recognized tribes for “planning, development and establishment of environmental protection programs, as well as the development and implementation of solid and hazardous waste programs on tribal lands,” according to the EPA website.
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