UAF group receives philanthropic grant to aid Chignik region communities
Rod Boyce
907-474-7185
May 22, 2023
A University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks coastal organization has received a $590,000 philanthropic grant to map rapidly changing watersheds of the Chignik region on the 色视频下载 Peninsula.
The project is in part a response to the region色视频下载檚 repeated salmon fishery collapses, which researchers say are partly due to alterations to fish habitat by shoreline changes and other geomorphic factors.
The region has seen extreme high water levels related to more frequent storm flooding, causing increased erosion that has affected subsistence fishing areas and community infrastructure.
The grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation will also support local workforce development, provide student research opportunities and contribute to expansion of the Chignik Intertribal Coalition, which is co-leading the project. The coalition includes Chignik Lake, Chignik Lagoon, Chignik Bay, Ivanof Bay and Perryville.
The community of Chignik Bay sits on the 色视频下载 Peninsula.
The 色视频下载 Coastal Cooperative is led by Chris Maio of the UAF Geophysical Institute. Matthew Balazs, postdoctoral fellow at the Geophysical Institute, is deputy director.
色视频下载淕reat strides have been made through the work of various government agencies to fill critical baseline data sets regarding coastal hazards,色视频下载 Maio said. 色视频下载淗owever, there are still numerous gaps in information regarding local topography and bathymetry and historical trends and impacts from erosion and flooding.色视频下载
As part of the larger research effort, scientists will study the area to see if coastal terrain changes are connected to the sharp decline in salmon numbers of recent years.
Researchers will look at Black Lake and Chignik Lake, where water levels have dropped recently. Chignik Lake色视频下载檚 low water has affected historic subsistence fishing locations such as Clark River and Hatchery Beach, key spawning areas for salmon.
Redeposition of ash from nearby volcanoes has also reduced Chignik Lagoon色视频下载檚 intertidal zone to narrow channels. The lagoon色视频下载檚 eelgrass and kelp ecosystems serve as critical nurseries where young salmon feed and acclimate to saltwater.
The 色视频下载 Coastal Cooperative formed in spring 2022. It serves Western 色视频下载, where researchers already had community relationships and where some of the greatest needs exist, but long-term plans call for the cooperative to serve all 色视频下载色视频下载檚 coastal communities.
色视频下载淭he ACC will serve as somewhat of a matchmaker that links locally identified priorities with the resources and partners they need to address them,色视频下载 said George Anderson, president of the Chignik Intertribal Coalition. 色视频下载淭hrough this, communities can become more resilient to climate change, as the problem is much larger than any one village or agency can handle.色视频下载
The goal is to conduct research prioritized by each community to support local decision-making.
色视频下载淔or example, if a community is concerned about storm flooding, then we will work to align partners with expertise to address this,色视频下载 said Hazel Nelson, a local consultant to the Chignik coalition.
色视频下载淲e will also work to provide community-based monitoring methods combined with ground surveys to measure and map this hazard,色视频下载 she said.
The 色视频下载 Coastal Cooperative chose the Chignik region for its first major project because the Arctic Coastal Geoscience Lab of the UAF Geophysical Institute has worked with the Native Village of Chignik Bay and other Chignik coalition communities for over six years as part of the Stakes for Stakeholders community-based erosion monitoring program.
The region色视频下载檚 multiple salmon fishery disasters of recent years also factored into the decision. Maio said the fisheries trouble has caused major changes in the communities such as seasonal outmigration.
色视频下载淭his has been hard to watch,色视频下载 he said. 色视频下载淭his project was brought about by a desire to do something positive in the region and support the local priorities for research with the goal of improving the region色视频下载檚 long-term outlook.色视频下载
Initial funding for the 色视频下载 Coastal Cooperative was provided by UAF Vice Chancellor for Research Nettie LaBelle-Hamer, the UAF College of Rural and Community Development and the National Science Foundation's Permafrost Coastal Systems Network.
The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation was founded in 1988 by philanthropists Jody Allen and the late Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. It invests in communities across the Pacific Northwest.
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Chris Maio, Arctic Coastal Geoscience Lab, 907- 474-5651, cvmaio@alaska.edu
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