ALASKA MARITIME NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE HOMER, ALASKA ANNUAL NARRATIVE ...

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ALASKA MARITIME NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
HOMER, ALASKA
ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT
CALENDER YEAR 1989
u.s. Department of
Fish and Wildlife
NATIONAL WILDLIFE
HOMER OFFICE
ALASKA MARITIME NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Homer, Alaska
ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT
Calendar Year 1989
u.s.
Department of Interior
Fish and Wildlife Service
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM
REVIEW AND APPROVALS
ALASKA MARITIME NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Homer, Alaska
ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT
Calendar Year 1989
· ..
/6~?ta~r -~~ ~ A:'ocf~~Date-·
C/
Refuges & Wildlife
~~___#_._
Regional Off1ce Approval Date
INTRODUCTION
Homer Headquarters Office
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
The 3,500,000 acre Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
(Maritime Refuge} was established in 1980 by the Alaska
National Interest Lands Conservation Act (Lands Act}. This act
added 460,000 acres of additional lands to eleven existing
refuges combining practically all coastal refuge areas under
one office. There are about 3,000 headlands, islands, islets,
and pinnacle rocks within the refuge. These areas are used
annually by about 75 million nesting seabirds representing
about 80 percent of Alaska's seabird population.
Each of the eleven refuges included in the Maritime Refuge had
their own establishing authority and purposes, but the Lands
Act added to these stating management shall: 1} conserve fish
and wildlife populations and habitats in their natural
diversity; 2} fulfill the international treaty obligations of
the United States with respect to fish and wildlife and their
habitats; 3} provide the opportunity for continued subsistence
uses by local residents; 4} provide a program of national and
international scientific research on marine resources; and 5}
ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, water quality and
necessary water quantity within the refuge. The Lands Act also
established five distinct geographic refuge units: the Chukchi
Sea Unit, the Bering Sea Unit, the Aleutian Islands Unit, the
Alaska Peninsula Unit, and the Gulf of Alaska Unit (Figure 1}.
The five units which comprise the Maritime Refuge have
headquarters located in Homer, Alaska. Homer is situated on
the south end of the Kenai Peninsula about 220 miles by road
from Anchorage. There is a sub-headquarters at Adak which
administers the Aleutian Islands Unit.
The sea is common to all refuge areas, but each unit has its
own unique features. Lush rain forests dominate much of the
precipitous small islands in the Gulf of Alaska Unit; there are
mountains rising directly from the sea to over 9,000 feet on
the volcanic and treeless Aleutian Islands Unit; and areas of
permafrost and high coastal escarpments are found in the
Chukchi Sea Unit.
Overall remoteness, bad weather and accompanying rough seas,
swift currents, rocky shorelines, poor anchorages, and high
cost of transportation make administration of the refuge
difficult. Recent interests in the oil-rich areas off Alaska's
coast, increased demand for fishery stocks, increased
population, and increases in efficient and more comfortable
tourist transportation to remote areas are adding to management
responsibilities of the refuge.
Units of the
ALASKA MARITIME NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
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IN'1'T(OI'UCTION
TABLE OF CONTENTS i
A. HIGHLIGHTS 1
B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
1. Fee Title. .• Nothing to report
2. Easements. •. Nothing to report
3. Other •••••• •• Nothing to report
D. PLANNING
1. Master Plan ••••••••••• . .... . 1
2. Management Plan ••••••• . ..•..••• 2
3. Public Participation •• . • • • • • • . • • • . • • • 2
4. Compliance with Environmental and
Cultural Resource Mandates ••• • ••••••••• Nothing to report
5. Research and Investigations. • .Nothing to report
6 . Other . ...................... . •••••• Nothing to report
E. ADMINISTRATION
1. Personnel •••••• . • • • • • • . • • • • • . . • • 3
2. Youth Programs. • ••• Nothing to report
3. Other Manpower Programs •• • •• Nothing to report
4 . Volunteer Program ••••••• . . . . . . . . . • . . . 7
5. Funding . ............. . • • • • • • • • • • • • • ••• 7
6. Safety .............. . . • • . • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • . . • • 8
7. Technical Assistance. • ••••••• Nothing to report
8. Other • . . • • • • • • • . • . . . • • 9
F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT
. . . . . . . . . . .
1. General ••• . . . . . . . . ....... •••• Nothing to report
2. v\fetlands. ..... . . . . . . . . . • .Nothing to report
3. Forests •••• . . . . . . . . . . . .•• • Nothing to report
4. Croplands. . ....... • .Nothing to report
5. Grasslands. ..... . . . . . •••••••• Nothing to report
6 • Other Habitats •• . . . . . . . .... .. .. ... .. .. .. . Nothing to report
7. Grazing •••••••.• •••• Nothing to report
ii
F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT (cont.)
8. Haying . ............ • •• Nothing to report
9 • Fire Management •••• . . . . . . . . . . • •• Nothing to report
10. Pest Control ••••••••••• • •• Nothing to report
. . . . . .
11. Water Rights ••••••••••• • ••••• Nothing to report
12. Wilderness and Special Acres. • •••• Nothing to report
13. WPA Easement Monitoring •••••• • •••.• Nothing to report
G. WILDLIFE
1. Wildlife Diversity ••••••••••••• .Nothing to report
2. Endangered and/or Threatened
Species •••••••••••••••••• • ••••• Nothing to report
3. Waterfowl ...................... . • .Nothing to report
4. Marsh and Water Birds ••••••••••• . .Nothing to report
5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns and Allied
Species............................. .Nothing to report
6. Raptors............... • •••••• Nothing to report
7. Other Migratory Birds.. • ••••••••• Nothing to report
8. Game Mammals...................... ..Nothing to report
9. Marine Mammals........ •••••• • ••• Nothing to report
10. Other Resident Wildlife •••••••••••••••••• Nothing to report
11. Fisheries Resources ••••••••••.••••••••••• Nothing to report
12. Wildlife Propagation and Stocking •••••• Nothing to report
13. Surplus Animal Disposal........ ..Nothing to report
14. Scientific Collections......... ..Nothing to report
15. Animal Control ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Nothing to report
16. Marking and Banding............ • •••• Nothing to report
17. Disease Prevention and Control ••••••••••• Nothing to report
H. PUBLIC USE
1. General ••••••••••••••• .17
2. Outdoor Classrooms-Students. .19
3. Outdoor Classrooms-Teachers •••• • 2 0
4. Interpretive Foot Trails ••••••••• • •• Nothing to report
5. Interpretive Tour Routes ••••••••• •••••••• Nothing to report
6. Interpretive Exhibits/
Demonstrations ••••••••••••••• • .••••••.•..•••• 2 0
7. Other Interpretive Programs •• . ...•.•....••.•... 23
8. Hunting. . . . . ............. . • ••• Nothing to report
9 • Fishing •••••••••••••• • ••• Nothing to report
10. Trapping ....... ............... . • ••• Nothing to report
11. Wildlife Observation... • • • • • • • • • •••••••••••••••••• 24
12. Other Wildlife Oriented Recreation.. ..Nothing to report
13. Camping.............. • •••••••••••••••• Nothing to report
14. Picnicking ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Nothing to report
iii
H. PUBLIC USE (cont.)
15. Off-Road Vehicling •••••••••• .Nothing to report
16. Other Non-Wildlife Oriented
Recreation ••••••••••••••• . ••• Nothing to report
17. Law Enforcement •••••••••• • •••••••••••••••••• 24
18. Cooperating Associations. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 5
19. Concessions ••••••••••••••• ..Nothing to report
1. New Construction •••• . . . . . .Nothing to report
2. Rehabilitation •••••••. . . . . ••••• Nothing to report
3. Major Maintenance ••• .Nothing to report
4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 25
5. Communications Systems •• •••• Nothing to report
6. Computer Systems •••• .Nothing to report
. . . . . . . . . .
7. Energy Conservation. • .Nothing to report
8. Other . .............. ••••••• Nothing to report
J. OTHER ITEMS
1. Cooperative Programs •• • ••••.•• Nothing to report
2. Other Economic Uses. • ••• Nothing to report
3. Items of Interest. • •••••• 3 2
4. Credits •••••••••••••• . ....•..•........... 32
K. FEEDBACK
L. INFORMATION PACKET
1
A. HIGHLIGHTS
Exxon Valdez oil spill wreaks environmental and
administrative havoc.
Michael Blenden fills Deputy Refuge Manager position vacated
by Tom Early.
Eric Nelson fills Marine Machinery Mechanic position aboard
M/V ~lax.
Susan Schulmeister and Don Dragoo fill newly established
permanent intermittent Biological Technician positions.
Public visitation to Homer Visitor Center soars.
Refuge receives a Congressional appropriation to conduct a
concept study for a visitor center and headquarters in
Homer.
Supervisory Wildlife Biologist Nysewander and Wildlife
Biologists Nishimoto and Bailey detailed to Exxo~ Valdez Oil
Spill Assessment Task Force.
Regional Director Stieglitz and Assistant Regional Director
Rogers conduct inspections of Aleutians, Pribilof Islands
and St. Matthew Island.
Refuge Manager Martin detailed to Anchorage Regional Office
as Associate Manager from March 20 - May 1.
Mike Hedrick, Deputy Refuge Manager from Kenai National
Wildlife Refuge, detailed as Alaska Maritime National
Wildlife Refuge's Manager in Martin's absence.
D. PLANNING
1. Master Plan
The refuge's Comprehensive Conservation Plan which was signed
off on in October of 1988 called for establishment of a
permanent refuge headquarters and large visitor center in
2
Homer. In November of 1989, the refuge learned that Congress
had appropriated $100,000 for development of a concept plan for
the refuge headquarters and visitor center. Refuge Manager
Martin and Outdoor Recreation Planner (ORP) Benson traveled to
Anchorage to meet with the Regional Office (RO) engineering
staff and create a planning team. The team will be represented
by Refuge Manager Martin or Deputy Refuge Manager Blenden and
ORP Benson. Since the plan is due in Congress May 1, there was
little time to waste. The biological staff and administrative
staff met separately to delineate expected program activities
and resulting space needs for the year 2005. Other refuge ORPs
and RO educational staff met with Benson to brainstorm visitor
center ideas. Benson began public involvement activities (see
below) •
The American Society of Landscape Architects awarded one of
nine honor awards out of 323 entries for the refuge's
Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The plan had been submitted
to the annual competition by RO Chief of Planning and Landscape
Architect Leslie Kerr. A two page spread with photos in the
November issue of "Landscape Architecture" described the refuge
and the planning process.
2. Management Plan
The Kenai Fisheries Assistance Office continued preparation of
the Refuge Fisheries Management Plan, in cooperation with the
refuge. The plan was near completion at year's end.
ORP Benson created a working group to advise the refuge on
development of a visitor center in Homer. The city council,
the Chamber of Commerce, the Center for Alaskan Coastal
Studies, the Pratt Museum, the school district, and the tourist
industry were represented in the working group which met once
in December. Prior to this meeting, Benson had met with the
boards of all the above organizations to explain the visitor
center planning. In addition, she met with the tourism
committee of the Kenai Economic Development Council.