The Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition inspires Southeast Alaskans and supports community organizations working toward the wise management of our region’s watersheds.
Field Notes - Summer 2021
Updates from SAWC & our partners in Southeast Alaska's communities.
Healthy Watersheds
Team Work makes the Stream Work!
Restoring Sockeye Habitat in Klawock Watershed
The Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition hosted a training on using hand tools techniques and work crews to conduct in-stream restoration of fish habitat. The training took place in Klawock Alaska and included 19 participants and 6 different tribal organizations. A special thanks to the Hoonah Native Forest Partnership and US Forest Service for helping teach the training and the National Forest Foundation for support. Check out this video made by Ian Johnson at the Hoonah Indian Association to see more about this training!

Our Klawock Watershed work crew (pictured above) attended the training and are now restoring sockeye habitat.
Isn't that Swale? Controlling Stormwater Runoff at Jordan Creek
SAWC is partnering with the Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation and Juneau International Airport to reduce the impact of urban stormwater runoff on Jordan Creek in Juneau. We’re constructing a wet biofiltration swale in a greenbelt near the creek that will filter pollutants from runoff before it reaches salmon habitat.
Looks good from afar...but it's far from good!
Many types of non-native invasive plants have found their way to Alaska. While dandelions are everywhere and are here to stay, it’s not too late to eradicate some of the other invasive “outsiders” before they harm our economy, the environment, or human health. An easy way to help is by getting to know what’s native and what’s not. Check out this brochure to learn more about the European bird cherry, a tree that is spreading throughout Juneau and could harm wildlife and fish habitat. SAWC has been busy mapping bird cherry infestations in Juneau this spring and will be working with landowners to eradicate them.

The Results are in: Pats Creek Restoration a Success!
Greg Albrecht from ADF&G is pictured here using a drone to catch get high quality imagery to compare before and after conditions of the restoration work done in Wrangell’s Pats Creek. The monitoring we did this spring shows that by placing large woody debris in the stream we have restored fish habitat, including deep pools with good cover. Overall, the project has been a big success! 
Taiya Inlet Watershed Council
Fighting plants with plants
TIWC and Skagway Traditional Council have set up experimental plots along Pullen Creek in Skagway to determine whether arctic rattle (Rhinanthus minor), a native hemiparasite used in prairie restoration, could be effective in reducing the biomass of reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea). Skagway municipal code prohibits the use of herbicides within city limits and other methods of control must be used to prevent this invasive weed from further spread. 
Local Foods
Local Foods Challenge is Underway
The Southeast Local Food Challenge has launched! Participants in the Challenge join others in reshaping and fostering resilience within our local and regional food systems by increasing their knowledge, skills and connections to the food systems within their communities. We will host virtual meet-ups, workshops, skill shares, and information on local food topics throughout the summer. For more information, or to register, visit: bit.ly/LFC21Register
Do you like Mushrooms?
The Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition and the Sustainable Southeast Partnership (SSP) are interested in understanding the feasibility for locally produced mushrooms in Southeast Alaska. Supported by a USDA Specialty Crop grant, we are conducting a feasibility study to help inform current and potential commercial growers with identifying promising markets for locally-grown mushrooms and other considerations for establishing a successful mushroom cultivation business. We are currently collecting survey responses from retailers, cultivators, and consumers. If you would like to take the consumer survey, we would appreciate your feedback. The survey can be found here: https://forms.gle/F1JWYq6EWADGorn89 
The Salt & Soil marketplace 2021 season has kicked off. We started the season with loads of beautiful vegetable starts from Juneau Community Gardens. The marketplace will run weekly with distribution every Saturday at Panhandle Produce for the remainder of the season. We have started a sponsorship campaign for the marketplace, if you are interested in supporting us please reach out to meghan@sawcak.org.