Hello Friends,

This summer I have the great opportunity of interning with the Sitka Conservation Society and the United States Forest Service's Sitka Ranger District. I am excited for getting on with my duties revolving around visitor use studies in the Tongass National Forest and sharing my experiences.

So without further ado let me officially introduce my blog spot; I will share my travels into the TongassNational Forest's officially designated Wilderness and national forest lands, which yes indeed differs from a patch of unoccupied trees outside of town. With this glimpse into my summer I hope to paint pictures of interesting experiences with the people, land, and wildlife.

Let's get started with some background:

I have had the great fortune of residing in a variety of places throughout the country including Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Maine, California, and Alaska. Moreover, I've rambled into some of the most beautiful spots in America on road trips, vacations, and pure itchy feet adventures. Throughout my life I have been attracted to the wilder places, and at a certain point I found a need to help positively impact these most special places. In a nutshell this is how I find myself in my last semester studying Recreation Management at The University of Maine Machias and visitor use in Alaska's Tongass National Forest for the summer.

Thank you for following me through my travels and please remember the places I will discuss exist only in the visitor use capacities they currently hold due to previous public support and require public participation to remain at the current levels.

-Paul

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The Sitka Conservation Society field crews are doing remote field work throughout the Tongass this summer. Our field work this summer includes salmon-habitat restoration work at Sitkoh River and Sitkoh Lake, ecosystem conservation and connectivity work in Hoonah Sound, invasive plant removal in Wilderness Areas, helping teach a visiting University course on Alaska's Forests, Fisheries and Wilderness, and much more. On some of the trips, there are opportunities to jump on some of our flights or transport to get out to remote locations. We hope that SCS members can take advantage of these opportunities and get out to know and experience our Tongass backyard!

1) Kayak Drop Off at False Island in Peril Straits, July 13^th, $150: Have you ever wanted to paddle the coast of the infamous Deadman's Reach, watch for bubble-net feeding whales off Povorotni Island, walk through the majestic stands of Sitka Spruce in Ushk Bay, and ride the tidal currents through Segius Narrows? Next weekend could be your chance to do it!!! SCS is taking an Allen Marine transport boat that will be picking up a University Class at False Island on July 13th at 9am. We have room for a total of 9 kayaks and camping gear (can be double Kayaks). Reserve your spot on this transport and Kayak drop-off for $150 by contacting [email protected] or 747-7509 (fee helps pay for transport to the site. You are responsible for your own expedition, gear, etc. We will drop you off at the False Island dock)

2) Peril Strait Boat Cruise Ride-Along, July 13^th, $45: The trip from Sitka North through Peril Straits is a maze of twisting waterways, islands, mountains, treacherous tidal currents, and beautiful bays and coves. Ride along with SCS on an Allen Marine Boat for a pick-up at False Island. The boat will leave at 9am and will return at approximately 1pm. Bring your charts and see if you can follow-along with the route through the passage that separates Baranof and Chichagof Islands! There are only 2 spots available on this trip so if you are interested in this opportunity to travel through Peril Straits, get your tickets now at SCS Offices.

3) Float Plane Drop-off at Goulding Harbor in the West Chichagof Wilderness Area July 30^th or 31st ($150/person): Goulding Harbor is one of the most spectacular nooks in the West Chichagof Wilderness Areas. Its unique shoreline is dimpled and littered with islets and coves and the long sloping beaches make for great brown bear habitat. Two trail-heads depart from Goulding Harbor. One leads to White Sulfur Springs and the other follows an old mining rail-road to the Goulding Lakes. It is an amazing place for a wild and remote Wilderness Adventure. SCS has scheduled a float plane pick-up at Goulding Harbor for a crew that will be coming in from a Wilderness expedition. If you would like to take advantage of a float-plane drop off to explore the Goulding Harbor Area, this is your chance. Contact [email protected] (747-7509) for more information (This is a drop-off only. Participants are responsible for their own travel plans and arrangements after drop-off).

Keep watching for more opportunities to get out and explore the Tongass. SCS already has boat cruises scheduled and there may be more opportunities to piggy-back for travel to remote Wilderness Areas!

 

Saturday, June 9 and Sunday, June 10, 2012, 10am-5pm

ACA instructors Adam Andis and Darrin Kelly will teach all of the skills you need to be a safe and confident paddler, so that you can get out and enjoy our coastal wilderness areas and volunteer with the Sitka Community Wilderness Stewardship Project to collect needed baseline data. The class will include kayak skills for beginning to advanced paddlers, self and assisted rescue training, and Wilderness monitoring training, including an invasive plant ID lesson from Kitty LaBounty.

This two day course is open only to current SCS members so be sure to join or renew your membership when you sign up. Space is very limited, so sign up early!

To sign up or for more information, contact SCS at 747-7509.

Cost is $75 for the 2-day course (drysuits included). Kayak rental is $35 per day through Latitude Adventures. A 10% will be offered to participants who provide their own drysuit.

Skills Course Agenda:

Day 1

1000 Introduction (15 min)

• Intros- instructors, SCS, Wilderness Project
• Itinerary
• Site logistics- food, water, hot drinks, bathroom, changing area
• ACA
• outline course expectations
• safety briefing- PFD always on in water, helmets, hypothermia risk & mitigation, paying attention to each other and instructors)
• liability release

1015 On Shore Presentations (55 min)

• Equipment orientation – drysuits later
• Personal clothing and gear
• PFD's, wetsuits, spray skirts
• Safety equipment
• Basic boat design and kayak terminology
• Boat fit and adjustment
• Boat/body weld
• Foot brace adjustment
• Spray skirt attachment/release
• Dry land "wet exit" drill
• Paddle orientation and use
• basic paddle technique

1110 Break (5 min)

1115 Launching & Landing (30min)

• The paddling environment: wind, waves, weather, water (overview)
• Carrying kayak to and from water
• Entry/exit of kayak from shore or dock
• Boat stability, "hip wiggle,"
• Allow students a few minutes to paddle around and get oriented with their kayak

1145 Basic Strokes & Skills (60 min)

• Rafting up
• Sweep stroke (forward/reverse/pivot in place)
• Forward Stroke
• Reverse stroke and stopping
• Draw stroke

High and low braces (hip snap/boat lean/lower body control) – discussion, not practice

1245 Lunch (30 min)

• risk management triangle

1315 Rescues (3 hr 15 min)

• hi and low brace
• t-rescue demo (2 instructors)
• stirrup demonstration
• assisted rescue variations (stirrup, swamping the kayak)
• students practice
• paddle-float demo
• students practice
• paddle-float re-entry and roll (if time available)
• advanced bracing- sculling
• all-in practice

1630 Wrap up (20 min)

• get out of dry suits

1650 Debrief (10 min)

• tomorrow's itinerary

 

Day 2

1000 Monitoring Training (1hr 50 min)

• Plant ID Training (Kitty LaBounty) (40 min)
• Solitude Monitoring (20 min)
• History of Wilderness/Wilderness Character (10 min)
• LNT and Rec. Site (40)

1150 Paddling Environment (extended) (50 min)

• Tides- theory and practice
• Charts
• Weather
• Basic navigation

1240 Lunch (45 min)

• Expectations for the day
• Prepare to get on the water- get dressed, personal gear and snacks, fill water bottles

1325 Practice and tour (3 hr 5 min)

• Skills and limitations (next steps)
• staying together
• emergencies
• boat traffic
• skills- stroke refinement, edging, running draws
• continued LNT training and practice
• Communication- equipment and protocol
  • Signaling
  • Boat traffic/Rules of the Road
  • "What's in my PFD?" and "What's in my cockpit?"

1630 Return and Debrief (30 min)

• Return gear
• Thanks and continue to stay involved in SCS Wilderness Project

In the Tongass, people live with the land. We are constantly learning from it--learning how to build communities that are part of the landscape rather than a place away from it. In this blog we want to share with you some of those lessons we've learned and the experience of learning them first hand.

 

If you are not automatically redirected to the blog page, click here.

CALVIN CAVE is named for Jack Calvin one of the original founders of the Sitka Conservation Society who helped to protect West Chichagof as a Wilderness area. The following report and map were produced by Kevin Allred with the Tongass Cave Project. Kevin joined the SCS Wilderness crew on a trip to West Chichagof in the summer of 2011. See videos of the trip here.

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DESCRIPTION: Calvin Cave was discovered on June 19, 2011 by Kevin Allred, and the Sitka Conservation Society Wilderness crew: Adam Andis, Tomas Ward, and Ben Hamilton, while searching for caves as part of the Sitka Community Wilderness Stewardship Project. The cave is located at the lower edge of a large muskeg which provides acidic waters where it flows onto the band of Whitestripe Marble of Triassic age. After a meandering stream slot, the small stream enters the cave, which is a winding narrow crack downcut into the marble. Down the slope are a series of sinkholes which indicate the downstream course of the underground stream. After about 60 feet the cave ends in too tight constrictions at the bottom of the first of these sinkholes, and daylight is seen in several places. There is an excellent example of the underside of a "sealed" sinkhole with its characteristic humus plug here. The cave was surveyed by Kevin Allred and Tom Ward. Its vertical surveyed depth is 10 feet and it has 63.8 feet of surveyed passage. The resurgence of this cave stream is not known, but is probably somewhere adjacent or under the nearby gorge of Marble Creek.

BIOLOGY: Fungus gnat webs were noted throughout the cave, but no insects were seen. No bones were seen.

MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: Due to its remoteness, Calvin Cave is not likely to be negatively impacted by visitation. It is protected from logging under Wilderness Area regulation.

 

Interested in volunteering with the Community Wilderness Stewardship Project? Here are a couple of ways to get your hands dirty protecting you local Wilderness Areas:

Heading out into the Wilds on your own? If you are planning to get out hunting, hiking, fishing, paddling, etc. in a designated Tongass Wilderness Area (like West Chichagof-Yakobi or South Baranof) please consider downloading, printing, and filling out our Encounter Monitoring Form (PDF). Recording how, when and where folks are using our Wilderness Areas can give us a base-line to chart increases or decreases in human impact. Just follow the instructions on the form and record the boats, planes, people, and human impacts you find. Then, return the forms to us.

Want to join the SCS Wilderness Crew on a trip? Occasionally, we have extra room for volunteers to join the Wilderness Crew on research expeditions. If you would like to add your name to the list of volunteers we contact when such opportunities arise, fill out the Volunteer Form and Medical History Form below and return it to [email protected]. Also, be sure to take the short (10-15 min) course which allows volunteers to ride in Forest Service aircraft (most of our trips involve small plane flights) and watch the Boat Safety Video. Please keep in mind that only current SCS members can join a Wilderness trip, so make sure you join or renew your membership!

Volunteer Form (MS Word)

Volunteer Form (PDF)

SCS Volunteer Waiver and Medical History Form (PDF)

USFS Flight Protocols: A-102: USFS Alaska Region Fixed Wing Safety Course * see instructions at the bottom of this post.

Volunteer Gear Checklist (MS Word) If you will be attending a trip, be sure to check out this gear checklist.

 

* Aviation Training Instructions

1. Go to this link and register as a user: https://www.iat.gov/Training/user.asp Fill in the required boxes. For "Bureau/Agency/Unit" enter: Forest Service, Region 10 Alaska Region, Tongass NF.

2. Once registered, make note of your user name and password and log-in to the website.

3. Go to the "On-Line Courses" list and scroll down to USFS ALASKA/REGION 10 SPECIFIC COURSES. Click on "A-102: USFS Alaska Region Fixed Wing Safety"

4. Complete the course. At the end, click on the link to take a short quiz. After passing the quiz, you will receive an email from "IAT Admin" that includes some instructions for locating your completion certificate. Please email an electronic copy of your certificate to [email protected].

The Sitka Community Wilderness Stewardship Project seeks to connect communities with their local Wilderness areas by facilitating volunteer stewardship and monitoring. Over the past three years, the project has been an overwhelming success and will be continuing in to 2012 and 2013.

This is the Final Report for the 2011 Community Wilderness Stewardship Project. Components of the Data Report for the 2011 project can be found below. [issuu width=550 height=356 backgroundColor=%23222222 documentId=120427202650-a62bd04d7483481f9b436f16d3770f4b name=2011nff_report_web username=sitkawild tag=conservation unit=px v=2]

Can't see the report? Down load the pdf here: Wilderness Project 2011 Final Report

2011 Data Report

Cover sheet

Solitude Data Instructions

2011 Solitude Monitoring Data

2011 Plant List

2011 Plant Survey Map - West Chichagof-Yakobi

2011 Plant Survey Map - South Baranof

2011 Bird List

* Data is primarily for Sitka Ranger District. Data for other ranger districts can be found in the in reports specific to each Wilderness Area in thefull project file below.

Wilderness Stewardship Project 2011 - Full Project File- The full project file contains all photos, reports, data, radio interviews, videos, and products from the 2011 project. (This is a large file--3.5 Gb)

 

 

 

The Sitka Conservation Society is seeking an applicant to support the Sitka Community Wilderness Stewardship Project. The Wilderness Intern will assist SCS's Wilderness Project manager to coordinate and lead monitoring expeditions during the 2012 summer field season.

If interested, please review the position description below and submit a resume and cover letter to Adam Andis at [email protected]

 

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This position is now closed.

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Position Title: SCS Wilderness Project Internship

Host Organizations: Sitka Conservation Society

Location: Sitka, Alaska

Duration: 14 weeks, starting in May 2013. Specific start and end dates to be determined by intern and SCS

Compensation: $ 4664 plus travel

Benefits: Intern will receive no health or dental benefits. Intern is responsible for housing (SCS will try to assist in finding low-cost housing options). SCS will provide appropriate training for fieldwork in Southeast Alaska.

Organization: The Sitka Conservation Society (SCS) is a grassroots, membership-based organization dedicated to the conservation of the Tongass Temperate Rainforest and the protection of Sitka's quality of life. We have been active in Sitka, Alaska for over 45 years as a dynamic and concerned group of citizens who have an invested interest in their surrounding natural environment and the future well-being of their community. We are based in the small coastal town of Sitka, Alaska, located on the rugged outer west coast of Baranof Island. Surrounded by the towering trees of the Tongass National Rainforest, the community has successfully transformed from an industrial past and the closure of a local pulp mill to a new economy featuring a diversity of employers and small businesses.

Background: The Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska is the nation's largest National Forest totaling 17 million acres with almost 6 million acres of designated Wilderness Area (also the largest total Wilderness area of any National Forest). The Sitka Ranger District alone encompasses over 1.6 million acres of countless islands, glaciated peaks and old growth forests. In 2009, SCS partnered with the Sitka Ranger District (SRD) to ensure the two Wilderness areas near Sitka (the West Chichagof Yakobi and South Baranof Wilderness Areas) meet a minimum management standard by conducting stewardship and monitoring activities and recruiting volunteers. We will be continuing this project into its fifth year and extending the project to ranger districts throughout the Tongass National Forest.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Direction and Purpose:

In this position you will be expected to assist in organizing the logistics of field trips. Trips can range from just a few nights to three weeks. Backcountry field logistics include float plane and boat transport to and from field sites; kayaking, backpacking, and packrafting on location; camping and living in bear country; field communications via satellite phone, VHF radio, and SPOT transmitters. You will be co-leading trips with SCS Staff. Depending on experience, you may have the opportunity to lead short trips of volunteers on your own.

Working with SCS Staff, this intern position will assist in the following duties:

• · collection of field data
• · coordinating logistics and volunteers for field surveys
• · plan and conduct outreach activities including preparing presentation and sharing materials on Wilderness and Leave No Trace with outfitters/guides and other Forest users.

• prepare and submit an intern summary report and portfolio of all produced materials, and other compiled outputs to the Forest Service and SCS before conclusion of the residency, including digital photos of your work experience and recreational activities in Alaska. Reports are crucial means for SCS to report on the project's success.

Qualifications:

• · Graduate or currently enrolled in Recreation Management, Outdoor Education, Environmental Studies or other related environmental field
• · Current Wilderness First Responder certification (by start date of position)
• · Outdoor skills including Leave-no-Trace camping, sea kayaking, multi-day backpacking
• · Ability to work in a team while also independently problem-solve in sometimes difficult field conditions.
• · Ability to communicate effectively and present issues to the lay-public in a way that is educational, inspirational, and lasting

The ideal candidate will also have:

• · Experience living or working in Southeast Alaska
• · Pertinent work experience
• · Outdoor leadership experience such as NOLS or Outward Bound
• · Ability to work under challenging field conditions that require flexibility and a positive attitude
• · Proven attention to detail including field data collection
• · Experience camping in bear country
• · Advanced sea-kayaking skills including surf zone and ability to perform rolls and rescues

Fiscal Support: SCS will provide a stipend of $4,664 for this 14 week position. SCS will also provide up to $1,000 to cover the lowest cost airfare from the resident's current location to Sitka. Airfare will be reimbursed upon submittal of receipts to SCS.

INTERN RESPONSIBILITIES

With respect to agency/organization policy and safety, intern agrees to:

• · Adhere to the policies and direction of SCS, including safety-related requirements and training, including those related to remote travel and field work.
• · Work closely with the SCS Wilderness Project Coordinator to update him/her on accomplishments and ensure that any questions, concerns or needs are addressed.
• · Be a good representative of SCS at all times during your internship.
• · Arrange course credits with your university if applicable.

With respect to general logistics, resident agrees to:

• Seek lowest possible round trip airfare or ferry trip and book as soon as possible and before May 1st, working in conjunction with SCS whenever possible;
• Provide SCS with travel itinerary as soon as flight is booked and before arriving in Alaska. Please email itinerary to Adam Andis at [email protected]..
• Reimburse SCS for the cost of travel if you leave the intern position before the end of your assignment.
• Have fun and enjoy the experience in Sitka!

Timeline (Approximate)

May 20-June 1: SCS and Forest Service trainings; get oriented and set up in offices; begin researching and getting up-to-speed on background info (Outfitter/Guide Use Areas, patterns of use on the Tongass National Forest (subsistence, commercial fishing, guided, recreation), Wilderness Character monitoring, Wilderness issues).

June 4 - August 17: Participate in field trips and assist in coordinating future trips, contact Outfitter and Guides to distribute educational materials, assist SCS in other Wilderness stewardship activities.

By August 20-24: Prepare final report including any outreach or media products, trip reports, and written summary of experience to SCS. Work with Wilderness Project Coordinator on final reports.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply please submit a cover letter and resume that includes relevant skills and experiences including documentation of trips in remote settings to Adam Andis: [email protected]

Application will close March 31, 2013.

 

Sitka Community Wilderness Stewardship Project Expedition Grant Program

Description: The Community Wilderness Stewardship Project monitors the two Wilderness areas that the Sitka Conservation Society helped to create, the West Chichagof-Yakobi Wilderness and the South Baranof Wilderness. We conduct research expeditions to collect data ranging from botanical surveys to small mammal genetic mapping to glacial change research. These remote study areas are difficult and expensive to access. For this reason, we seek research partners to broaden the scope of the project and ensure that the trips are as effective as possible. Ideal candidates for Expedition Grants would include partnerships with other institutions, organizations, or agencies; focus on priority sites within Wilderness areas; incorporate an outreach component; and include additional outside funding.

Location: Based out of Sitka, Alaska. Research must occur within West Chichagof-Yakobi Wilderness Area or South Baranof Wilderness Area.

Dates: May - December 2012 Proposals due by: May 1, 2012

Compensation: SCS may fund up to $1000

To Apply: Submit proposal* and cover letter to Adam Andis- [email protected]

* Research in Forest Service Wilderness Areas requires a special permitting process. SCS staff will help facilitate the research permit application, but it is the responsibility of the applicant to complete all necessary forms and work with the Sitka Ranger District to receive a temporary research permit for the project. See useful resources below.

Resources:

Scientific Activities Evaluation Framework- Use this evaluation framework to apply for research permits. The actual application begins on page 54.

Guidelines for Scientists- The following guidelines are written for scientists who want to conduct scientific activities in wilderness. These are only brief guidelines intended to help scientists understand and communicate with local managers, thereby expediting the process of evaluating a proposal for scientific activities.

Example proposals:

Expedition Grant Proposal 2011- Establishing Baseline and Groundtruthing Data within the West Chichagof-­Yakobi Wilderness, Chichagof Island, Alaska

Project Proposal 2010- Glacial Change on Baranof Island: Quantifying Local-level Impact of Climate Change

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UPDATE 2/6: Listen to the KSTK story about the Scout's presentation at the Alaska Forum on the Environment.[/box]

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In June of 2012, members of Wrangell's Boy Scout Troop 40 joined forces with the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC), the Sitka Conservation Society (SCS), the United States Forest Service and local volunteers to help remove invasive plants from the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness Area. The objective of the trip was to remove the aggressive reed cannery grass from the banks of the Twin Lakes by hand pulling the plants as well as covering areas with sheets of black plastic. The group also helped remove an enormous amount of buttercups and dandelions from the lakes' shoreline.

However, the ultimate goal of the trip was to teach the Boy Scouts what it means to be good stewards of the land and the value of Wilderness areas like the Stikine. What better way is there to teach this lesson then to spend five days in the Wilderness learning these lessons first hand from the land and from each other?

After five days in the field, Troop 40 decided to adopt the Twin Lakes area as their ongoing stewardship project. They plan to return in the coming years to continue the work that they've started. It is community dedication like this that the Stikine and other wilderness areas require in order to remain pristine for future generations.

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