The Kachemak Bay Watershed Assessment & ManaGEMENT Plan
The Kachemak Bay Fox River Watershed Climate Risk Assessment assessed the vulnerability of Palegic, Rocky Intertidal and Estuary/Wetlands habitats to climate change which is a major potential impediment to the success risk of salmon recovery in Alaska. The primary climate risk to salmon in the near term include temperature increases, altered precipitation patterns and ocean acidification. Climate change in which temperature increase of 2 degrees F have resulted in bird die-offs, altered snowpack in mountain ranges and drought throughout the Kachemak Bay watershed, more flash storm events, increased glacial melt, and changing water chemistry – Including ocean acidification.
In addition, Rivers and streams located within the Watershed are largely fed by snow melt. Therefore, due to increasing temperatures in the region, rain instead of snow is becoming more prominent in the fall and winter resulting in increased flood events in such rivers and streams threatening community infrastructure and scouring stream beds used by fish and wildlife.
Further, as in the past couple of years, after a winter with little snow and hot dry summers, many streams containing salmon habitat upon which the local communities rely for subsistence are beginning to run dry or heat up during critical spawning times. In early July, stream temperatures in Southcentral Alaska exceeded 81 degrees, breaking all prior temperature records. For spawning adults salmon or growing juvenile fish, temperatures above 80 degrees can be lethal to salmon due to the loss of oxygen in the water and heat stress.
At the same time the effects of climate change on salmon habitat can be exacerbated by existing non-climate stressors including marine-source pollution, oil and gas spills, energy production and resource extraction, development, population growth and aquaculture. Increased water temperatures can also interact with marine-source pollution spills, filling of wetlands and diverting of water courses as the result of development and road building to cause reduced resiliency and un-sustainable fish and wildlife populations. Climate change may exacerbate impacts of further stress fishery and other species sensitive.
Marine-source pollution can affect the local economy and human health and welfare, smother habitat and can stop biological processes over the long term. Development and population growth can impact habitat by increased land use activities including toxic effluents, increasing non-point pollutions including sedimentation, filling wetlands, water withdrawals and oil and gas development. Aquaculture impacts salmon habitat, particularly located in marine waters from increased competition on food sources.
As a means of addressing these impacts, KBWC is proposing the development of the Kachemak Bay Watershed Management Plan (Plan) that would include adaptation strategies that might reduce the vulnerability of salmon to climate change including tighter oil spill contingency planning and cruise ship regulations, better enforcement of land uses and recreational activity in critical habitat areas and increased municipality regulations for the protection of wetlands and watershed.
In order to implement the Plan, KBWC would work with state, federal, municipal and tribal entities, the legislature and other stakeholders to develop stricter wetlands and watershed regulations and cruise ship effluent laws and regulations. The Plan would also emphasizes ecosystem services in protecting and managing the entire Watershed.
In addition, the plan would focus on the following actions which affect fish and wildlife habitat in the Watershed:
1) Limit water withdrawals and diversions for mining, hydro-power and other development;
2) Preserve instream flows by collecting data and file instream flow water right applications for select streams;
3) Improve Connectivity of freshwater habitats;
4) Engage local, regional, federal, and international stakeholders in assessment of risk, scenario planning and integrate 12 leading practices as they apply to climate change impacts;
5) Incorporate the effects of climate change on habitats in management decisions and planning documents including amendments to Kachemak Bay State Parks and Critical Habitat Area plans and updating the City of Homer Climate Adoption Plan;
6) Develop a City of Homer Wetlands and Watershed Plan;
7) Base management of impacts of climate change on habitats on a Watershed Scale;
8) Conduct baseline studies and monitoring necessary to understand ecosystem process and changes that guide community and state decision-making and risk assessment;
9) Tighter point source, oil spill contingency planning, cruise ship, harbor, & docks regulations;
10) Improve non-point source best management practices;
11) limit land based and off-shore oil and gas affecting habitats;
12) Partner with municipalities re: climate adaption, storm water planning to decrease point & non-point source discharges;
13) Tighten wetland protection & water use regulations;
14) Participate in state & federal agency decision making & planning that affect habitats including off-site cumulative impacts analysis and
15) Collaborate with other levels of government, such as municipal and Alaska Native Regional and Village Corporations and international land and resource managers, to ensure an ecosystem approach, to identify disproportionately important areas, and to explore forming local and international co-management efforts like Marine Protection Areas.
