Anchor River Facts and Resources

ANCHOR RIVER FACTS

Although the Anchor River is often lost in the excitement over the Kenai River to the north and Kachemak Bay to the south, those who live along it are well aware of what it offers—its fisheries, wildlife, scenic beauty, and seasonal moods. Fortunately, in recent years interest in and appreciation for the Anchor River and its surroundings have been growing. As a result, much new information is becoming available, such as the information below, that can help us increase our understanding of the river and its environments and to convince others of the River’s significance. This compilation of Anchor River facts can be used as a tool to help those who live and play along the Anchor River to share their excitement for the River, so that proper attention is given to the long-term preservation of its special features.

The Anchor River Itself

• The Anchor River supports four species of Pacific salmon: king (chinook), coho (silver), sockeye (red), and pink, as well as anadromous Dolly Varden and rainbow trout (steelhead). A small number of resident rainbow trout inhabit the upper reaches of the river. King and coho are the most abundant salmon species. Anadromous Dolly Varden is the most abundant species in the Anchor River.

   

• The Anchor River is one of the best road-accessible, wild-stocked, steelhead trout streams left in the United States.

   

• By the time the Anchor River reaches the USGS gaging station in Anchor Point, it has drained 224 square miles of watershed, or 143,360 acres. (15) The river’s mainstem channel is about 27 miles long; the mainstem slope drops about 51 feet per mile before reaching sea level at Cook Inlet.

   

• At the Anchor Point gaging station, the Anchor River’s discharge (volume of flow per time) averages 298 cubic feet per second (cfs). The highest peak discharge so far recorded at that station was 11,000 cfs on November 30, 1983; the lowest was 28 cfs on July 28, 1953.

   

• The Anchor River has five main named tributaries. To the north, these are the North Fork and its main tributary, Chakok Creek. To the south, these are Beaver and Twitter Creeks and Twitter Creek’s main tributary, Bridge Creek. (The 35-acre Bridge Creek reservoir is the City of Homer’s main water source.) Anchor River is also fed by numerous unnamed tributaries.

   

• Melting snow, rain, and groundwater inflow drive the hydrologic system of the Anchor River and determine the timing of peak flows.

   

• In Anchor Point, mean annual snowfall is 80 inches on the Anchor River.

Anchor River Geology, Groundwater, and Wetlands

• Groundwater stored in wetlands is a very important water source that maintains [Anchor River] flow during dry months, and thus habitat for the fish and wildlife that thrive in riparian environments. Wetland drainage and filling can affect water flow from perennial streams because groundwater recharge keeps these streams flowing during low-flow period.

   

• Underlying geology largely determines how groundwater is stored. The southern half of the Kenai Peninsula, including the Anchor River watershed, is underlain by the Tertiary Beluga formation, which is composed of thinly interbedded layers of sand, shale, and coal. These layers have differing degrees of permeability and porosity, in other words, differing abilities to store and transmit groundwater.

   

• Many of the aquifers on the northern side of Kachemak Bay may not yield high quality water for domestic supply. The Cook Inlet lowlands, which are less than 500 feet above sea level, are underlain by a thick sequence of coal-bearing rocks of the Tertiary age (7-70 million years old), commonly referred to as the Kenai Group, which rest on Mesozoic (135-225 million years old) rocks up to 30,000 feet thick. The Kenai Group rock sequences contain most of the existing oil and gas reservoirs found in the Cook Inlet basin. The Tertiary rocks of the Kenai Group are found at the surface along beach cliffs from Clam Gulch to the head of Kachemak Bay, and occur within about 150 ft of the surface throughout most of the Kenai Peninsula and down to about 20,000 ft near Nikiski. An extensive aquifer system consisting of unconsolidated glacial outwash and alluvial deposits underlies much of the lowlands. Most wells obtain water from this aquifer system. Petrik identifies six main aquifers in the Anchor Point, Stariski Creek, and Happy Valley watersheds.

Anchor River Culture, History, and Economy

• The Anchor River area has been inhabited for at least 5,000 years.

   

• Before and into historic times, Tanaina [Dena’ina] villages were located on or near the major salmon-producing streams of Cook Inlet. Villages consisted of four or five large, semi-subterranean log structures, each occupied by several nuclear families belonging to the same clan. During the summer, families relocated to fish camps. In late summer and early fall, hunting groups traveled to the mountains and occupied traditional temporary campsites along established [wildlife] travel routes. Epidemics devastated the Tanaina population during the 1830s.

   

• Anchor Point was named in 1778 when one of Captain James Cook’s ships lost a kedge anchor offshore to tidal currents. In the 1890s, placer gold was mined along the beaches north and south of the Anchor River. In the 1920s, the population included 15 people in four families. In the 1940s, after World War II in particular, many families and individuals arrived to homestead. The beaches north and south of Anchor Point were the roadways to Homer, Ninilchik, and beyond.

   

• Completion of the Sterling and Seward Highways in 1950 and 1951 connected Anchor Point with other Kenai Peninsula communities and the city of Anchorage. Oil was found on the Kenai Peninsula in 1957. In 1958, Alaska became a state.

• According to the 2000 Census, the Anchor Point population is 1,845; 1,305 of whom are 18 years or older and 96.2% of whom are white. In 1991, the Anchor Point population was 905.

Growth trends in Anchor Point and nearby communities.

• In 1999, Anchor Point had 84 commercial fishing salmon permit holders, 105 commercial fishing salmon crew member permit holders, 4 timber industry business licenses, 23 retail business licenses (6.4% of the borough total), and 361 total business licenses.

   

• Stresses: Twenty percent growth in the area during the last decade has been a significant demographic stress. Growth in nearby Homer has introduced other stresses, including demand for gravel and transport of contaminated materials to the Anchor River area for remediation. Gravel pit development has changed viewscapes and water flows, flooding some homes. Spruce bark beetle kill and timber harvest of the same has changed the nature of local forests. Tourist and sportfishing numbers have increased, both in streams and offshore, introducing their own new kinds of stresses in the local area [as well as some economic benefits]. All-terrain-vehicle traffic in the upper reaches of the Anchor River watershed has been increasing, raising concerns about effects on anadromous streams. Gas development, production, and availability in the area has some potential to introduce its own stresses [and benefits].

Anchor River Land Uses

• The Anchor River/Fritz Creek Critical Habitat Area (CHA) was established in 1985 and encompasses 18,600 acres of Anchor River and Fritz Creek drainages. This area was created primarily because of its regional significance as a moose winter range and to control hunting pressure.

   

• In an average winter, stream drainages in the Anchor River/Fritz Creek Critical Habitat area provide willow browse for up to 500 moose, or about 20% of the Kenai Peninsula moose population. Winter densities of 23-28 moose per square mile have been documented in Beaver Flats and Fritz Creek, within the Critical Habitat area. Moose remain in the area through the spring and calve there as well.

   

• According to a 1997 data summary, 53% of the area of the 224-sq. mile Anchor River Basin was forested. Logging of trees killed by spruce bark beetle is decreasing this acreage rapidly. Most major outbreaks of spruce beetle have originated from stand disturbances—blowdown, logging, or right-of-way clearance. Stand susceptibility to beetle attack is influenced by stocking (tree density per area), with slow growth and moisture stress playing an important part in predisposing trees to attack.

   

• In the Ninilchik-Anchor Point area, undeveloped, privately owned parcels encompass 39,115 acres, while developed, privately owned parcels encompass 10,039 acres.

   

• In the Ninilchik-Anchor Point area, undeveloped, Native-owned parcels encompass 37,566 acres, while developed, Native-owned parcels encompass 4 acres. Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI) is a large landowner, with 1.6 million acres of subsurface estate. CIRI owns leases in and has been operator of the West Fork gas field, located east of Anchor Point.

   

• Several gravel pits exist near Anchor Point, particularly in the Lichen Road area; the potential for further gravel pit development is high.

   

• The North Fork gas field, located north of the Anchor River and Fritz Creek Critical Habitat Area, was discovered and drilled in 1965 by Standard Oil. The undeveloped North Fork Reserve is estimated to have 12 billion cubic feet of gas. Remaining gas reserves in Cook Inlet are estimated at 3,066 billion cubic feet.

The Anchor River is a spectacular resource that supports diverse wildlife species, productive fisheries, and sustainable economies. We have a unique opportunity now to chart the future for the special place, to ensure that its special qualities that we enjoy today will still be here for our children to enjoy in the future.

INFORMATION RESOURCES FOR ANCHOR RIVER LANDOWNERS

The information sources listed below may be of interest to Anchor River landowners. These resources can help landowners learn more about features and issues near their properties, including adjacent land owners, land designations, hydrology, geology, water quality, and more. These resources can also provide ways for landowners to get involved to ensure protection of their properties.

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. CIIMMS

CIIMMS is Alaska’s “Cooperatively Implemented Information Management System.” The system constitutes the most complete and comprehensive searchable online database for information on Alaska’s natural resources. It enables users to find and share information about these resources and those who manage them. It can be accessed at http://info.dec.state.ak.us/ciimms. Several ongoing studies of the Anchor Point/Anchor River area can be accessed through CIIMMS’ Project Database.

2. Community Rivers Profile, Anchor River, Stariski Creek, and Happy Valley Watersheds

This profile summarizes information on both environmental and socioeconomic features of the Community Rivers watershed area. The profile is currently in draft form. Upon completion, it will be available from the Community Rivers Planning Coalition and the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District (both of which are described below).

3. Kachemak Bay Ecological Characterization (KBEC)

Currently, the best compilation of information covering the Kachemak Bay environment, including the Anchor Point/Anchor River area, is the Kachemak Bay Ecological Characterization (KBEC). The KBEC will soon be available at no charge on a CD-ROM from the ADF&G, Habitat and Restoration Division (contact Coowe Walker, coowe_walker@fishgame.state.ak.us). In the meantime, it can be viewed on the Web at http://csc.noaa/lcr/kachemak/html/welcome.htm. The KBEC itself provides the following introduction: Establishment of the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) marked a new stage for research and education in the Kachemak Bay Watershed. The Kachemak Bay NERR’s long-term programs for research, monitoring, and education present unique opportunities to gather and share knowledge. In 1997, before the Kachemak Bay NERR was even designated, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) began gathering, synthesizing, and analyzing ecological information from diverse sources. The Kachemak Bay Ecological Characterization (KBEC) that resulted helps define and present the current state of knowledge about the Bay. The extensive review, research, interviews, and data synthesis help to answer two questions: 1. What do we know? 2. What do we need to know? The answers to these questions change in response to our changing environment, ongoing research projects, and emerging resource management issues. The Kachemak Bay NERR will use KBEC to inform research studies, environmental monitoring, and education programs and to serve as an information hub. The Kachemak Bay Research Reserve will update and maintain KBEC as a digital, “living” document so that it continues to be a useful compilation of the state of knowledge about the Bay’s biological resources, physical environment, and human dimensions. KBEC was developed initially through a cooperative partnership between the ADF&G’s Kachemak Bay NERR and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center. Funding was also received from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustees Council and the National Spatial Data Infrastructure Program.

4. The Kenai Area Plan (KAP)

Forty years after statehood, Alaska is close to receiving almost all its land entitlement within the Kenai Area Plan boundary. Although some of the most valuable state lands have already been conveyed to the Kenai Peninsula Borough and its citizens, the state is responsible for managing lands remaining in state ownership. To ensure that these lands are properly managed, the Department of Natural Resources developed the Kenai Area Plan, available on the Web at www.dnr.state.ak.us/land/kenap2/intro.htm The Kenai Area Plan directs how the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will manage state uplands, tidelands, and submerged lands within the planning boundary. There are approximately 14.8 million acres in the planning area under all ownerships. The plan applies to the following state acreages.

State-owned uplands; 2,117,000

State-selected uplands; 214,000

State-owned tidelands/submerged lands; 2,580,000

Total Acreage; 4,912,000

The Kenai Area Plan is designed to ensure that natural resources are developed, conserved, and enhanced on an ecologically sustainable basis for present and future Alaskans. The plan encourages cooperation with other landowners to better address conflicts caused by checkerboard land-ownership patterns. The plan also documents the state’s intent for land management so that both public and private interests know how the state plans to manage lands over the long term. The plan determines management intent, land-use designations, and management guidelines that apply to all state lands in the planning area.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

5. Alaskan Community Database

The Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) maintains an “Alaskan Community Database” website (www.dced.state.ak.us/mra/CF_COMDB.htm). This site discusses Anchor Point (and most other Alaskan communities) in terms of the following categories:

• general overview

• 1990 and 2000 population and housing characteristics

• economy, income, poverty and employment

• facilities, utilities and services

• schools

• municipal officials/employee directory

• community/regional contacts information

• municipal finances

• business licenses (rural communities)

• capital projects and grants

• ANCSA-Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

6. Anchor Point Advisory Planning Commission (APAPC)

The Anchor Point Advisory Planning Commission (APAPC) advises the Kenai Peninsula Borough on issues related to the Anchor Point/Happy Valley area. The commission can be accessed from the borough’s website at www.borough.kenai.ak.us/planningdept/AdvisoryComm/AnchorPt. Minutes of APAPC meetings are posted there and often contain discussions related to local resource issues.

7. Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce (APOC)

On its website (www.xyz.net/~apcoc), the APOC provides a brief introduction to the Anchor Point community, including a business directory and list of upcoming events and activities.

8. Community Rivers Planning Coalition (CRPC)

The CRPC is a volunteer gathering of self-organized, local residents of the Anchor River, Stariski Creek, and Happy Valley Creek watersheds. The group organized in 1998 “…to respond creatively and collaboratively to increasing growth and change” in its area. Its vision is that of a watershed…

• containing diversified communities that respect their past, protect their environment, and provide for sustainable local economies;

• where communities accept their responsibilities with respect for the freedom of their citizens and their property rights while promoting wise use and conservation of their resources;

• where we channel community change in a safe and welcoming atmosphere so that future generations have opportunities to support their families. The group is guided by the principles of “self-determination, collaboration, openness, and inclusiveness” and works to…

• maintain the quality of life that attracted us to this area,

• maintain a healthy environment, and

• help create a thriving sustainable economy.

In the spring of 1999, CRPC published a draft Community Rivers Sustainable Development Plan. The plan summarized community values identified during a 1999 workshop. It also summarized major goals related to each of six general issues: watershed, community development, education, recreation, economy, and lifestyle. Committees were established to pursue each goal. The Watershed Committee has been particularly proactive in obtaining and channeling funding to collect information needed for informed long-range planning. A groundwater study for which this Committee obtained EPA funding, with the help of the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District, is now being conducted by Coble Geophysical. CRPC can be reached care of Grace Poindexter, Box 32, Anchor Point, AK 99556, or through the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District, 235-8177, 4014 Lake St., Homer, AK 99603.

9. Homer Soil and Water Conservation District (HSWCD)

The Homer Soil and Water Conservation District (HSWCD) is a local, volunteer organization authorized by state law to promote wise, sustainable, and balanced use of natural resources within district boundaries. The HSWCD maintains a close partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (described below) and advises the NRCS on local resource issues and priorities. The NRCS and HSWD then work together, and with other partners, to collect needed resource information and disseminate this to interested individuals and organizations. Currently, the HSWCD is working in partnership with both the Community Rivers Planning Coalition and Cook Inlet Keeper to promote collection of groundwater and water quality information in the Community Rivers watersheds. The HSWCD can be reached at their office: 235-8177, 4014 Lake St., Homer, AK 99603.

10. Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB)

Anchor River landowners can find a variety of useful information at the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s (KPB’s) website (www.borough.kenai.ak.us). As the site points out: “The Assembly/Clerk site will provide you with insight into the workings of Borough government. There you’ll find Assembly agendas, minutes of meetings, and resolutions (both past and present). You can even research the Borough Code of Ordinances. At our GIS site you’re able to view Borough base maps. At the Assessing site you’ll be able to view assessed values of property in the Borough. The Planning Department’s site will keep you informed about land and resource issues on the Peninsula.” The Borough’s GIS (Geographic Information System) site may be particularly useful to landowners. By typing in a parcel’s 8-digit number, which can be determined from index maps at the site, an individual can determine who owns a particular parcel, its size, whether or not it’s developed, its assessed value, etc. This information is accurate as of the most recent assessment roll certification, which occurred in May 2001. Searches can also be conducted by typing in a landowner’s name, which will retrieve information about parcels owned by that individual or organization.

11. Kenai Peninsula Borough Coastal Management Program (KPBCMP)

The borough also maintains a site related to its participation in the state’s Coastal Zone Management Program (CZMP) at www.borough.kenai.ak.us/coastal. In 1972, Congress passed the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA). The CZMA encourages coastal states to develop, implement, and enforce management programs that achieve the wise use of coastal resources. Unlike other national environmental laws, participation in the federal Coastal Zone Management Program is voluntary. To encourage state participation, incentives include grant programs and expanded state powers in coastal areas. Since over 60% of Alaska’s land is in federal ownership, the opportunity to influence federal decision-making was a powerful incentive for the state. In 1977, the state passed the Alaska Coastal Management Act (ACMA). Like the national CZMA, Alaska’s Coastal Management Program (ACMP) is voluntary. Rather than develop a separate permit process, Alaska developed a networked program that relies on the existing regulatory authority of state agencies and coastal districts. The coordinating agency for this networked program is the Division of Governmental Coordination (DGC). The Kenai Peninsula Borough is one of 35 eligible coastal districts in the state, of which 33 have approved programs. As incentives to participate, the state passes on federal grant funding, and the coastal districts participate in project reviews and state permit decisions. Each district develops CMP policies to further define and protect resource values that are unique to its area. After approval by the state (CPC) and federal government (NOAA), district policies become an enforceable component of the Alaska Coastal Management Program and have the same status as the statewide standards. Although the program gives the coastal district a voice in state and federal actions, it is also used to guide local land management and permit decisions. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Coastal Management Program (KPBCMP) was adopted by the Borough Assembly in June 1990. The program allows the borough to provide local input and guidance to state and federal agencies involved in developing projects, issuing permits, or managing lands and resources in the coastal zone. The program also provides an information base and policies to assist the borough in managing borough lands and in making local land and resource decisions. The program is not intended to duplicate or assume management or permitting authority for resources and activities managed by state or federal agencies. Instead, the program is intended to provide background information and a system for both coordinating federal, state, and local decisions and insuring that local input is considered. The Kenai Peninsula Borough coastal district encompasses all lands under 1,000 feet in elevation, as well as waters seaward to the three mile limit of state jurisdiction. As a result, much of the Anchor River watershed is within the borough’s coastal zone. The KPBCMP website provides a useful map of the coastal zone management area. The map allows users to locate towns interactively and offers a photo tour of the region. The KPBCMP staff is responsible for reviewing borough actions (land subdivisions, timber harvests, right-of-way vacations, gravel permits, land classification petitions, etc.), as well as projects requiring state and/or federal permits, for consistency with KPBCMP enforceable policies.

12. Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District, Inc. (KPEDD)

While not generally in the business of collecting natural resources information, EDD’s mission “to serve Kenai Peninsula Borough residents by enhancing the quality of life through responsible and sustainable regional economic development” certainly relates to the sharing and use of such information. The EDD can be reached via its website: www.kpedd.org.

SOILS INFORMATION

13. Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Surveys (NRCS)

Soils affect ecosystems and human uses of an area in significant ways. The importance of soils to land use planning is reflected in the National Cooperative Soil Survey Program (NCSS). This program is a partnership—led by the NRCS—of Federal land management agencies, state agricultural experiment stations, and state and local units of government that provide soil survey information necessary for understanding, managing, conserving, and sustaining the nation's limited soil resources. Soil surveys provide an orderly, on-the-ground, scientific inventory of soil resources. They include maps showing the locations and extent of soils, data about the physical and chemical properties of those soils, and information derived from that data about the potentials and problems related to using specific soils for specific land uses. This information allows soils to be managed sustainably. Soil surveys also provide information needed to protect water quality, wetlands, and wildlife habitat. In 1971, the NRCS (then the Soil Conservation Service) published a soil survey of the Homer-Ninilchik area. That survey is now being updated. The Western Kenai Peninsula Soil Survey will provide much more detailed information on soils and plant communities between Homer and Point Possession. Soils are being mapped at a scale of 1:25,000, and approximately 90% of the sites where soils data have been collected also include plant information (species, percent cover, etc.). Although the survey is not scheduled for completion until 2006, about 90% of the southern peninsula has been mapped, including the Anchor River watershed. This preliminary information is available from the NRCS office in Homer (235-8177, 4014 Lake St.). When completed, the survey will be available on the Web.

WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY INFORMATION

14. Cook Inlet Keeper (Keeper)

The Cook Inlet Keeper website at www.inletkeeper.org provides the following background on this organization. Keeper is a private nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the vast Cook Inlet watershed and the life it sustains. Keeper’s programs unite individuals and groups through water quality monitoring, environmental education, and effective advocacy, to give citizens the tools they need to promote clean water in the 47,000-square mile Cook Inlet watershed. Since its inception in 1995, Keeper has become a leading advocate for watershed-based protections in the rich but threatened streams, lakes, and estuaries of the Cook Inlet watershed. Cook Inlet Keeper trains citizens to monitor water quality at many sites in the Cook Inlet watershed. The Citizens Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) training follows rigorous guidelines outlined in a training manual, a field procedure checklist and a quality assurance project plan (QAPP) developed by Keeper and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Both a Technical Advisory Committee and Citizens Advisory Panel provide input to the Citizens Environmental Monitoring Program. Collected data are entered into a relational database (which can now be queried online), and compared to federal and state water quality standards. Periodically, Keeper publishes progress reports on this ongoing effort. Keeper also employs a stream ecologist who monitors water quality in four watersheds. This effort is part of the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District’s Lower Kenai Peninsula Watershed Health Project, which looks at four high-value salmon streams now experiencing increasing human use. The goal of the project is to collect professional-level, baseline water quality data on the four streams of interest: Anchor and Ninilchik Rivers and Stariski and Deep Creeks. Current and potential changes in land use and natural resource management within these watersheds will have an unknown impact on water quality. Citizens, industry, and resource managers need a comprehensive and ongoing inventory of water quality in order to track changes and understand potential impacts.

Keeper has been very proactive in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) as a tool to compile and present spatial environmental data in useful ways. The Keeper website provides a valuable map of the Anchor River watershed showing general categories of land ownership, contaminated sites identified by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), USGS measurement sites, and sites where Keeper monitors water quality as part of its Citizens Environmental Monitoring Program and the Lower Kenai Peninsula Watershed Health Project.

15. USGS Water Resources of Alaska

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the motherlode of water resources information. On USGS’s Alaska website (http://ak.water.usgs.gov/), you can obtain a wide variety of hydrologic data for the Anchor River area. Some of the local sites for which the USGS has data are:

Station ID; Stream name; Drainage area (sq. miles)

15239970; North Fork Anchor River; 18.4

15239900; Anchor River near Anchor Point; 137

15239840; Anchor River above Twitter Creek; 105

15240000; Anchor River at Anchor Point; 224

15239810; Anchor River above Beaver Creek; 63.2

Depending on the site, available data may be “real-time” (collected at 5- to 60-minute intervals), “recent” (collected within the previous 18 months), or “historic.” Statistics are available for some parameters (e.g., discharge) on a daily, monthly, or annual basis, and data on peak flows can also be retrieved. The KBEC, discussed above, lists several other websites related to local hydrology at their website (see “Hydrology” in the “Physical Environment” section.

WETLANDS INFORMATION

16. The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI)

Because of the ecological value of wetlands and their extensive destruction throughout much of the U.S., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was directed by Congress to map and classify these critical ecosystems. This effort is called the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). The inventory produces information on the characteristics, extent, and status of the nation’s wetlands and deepwater habitats. This information is used by Federal, state, and local agencies, academic institutions, U.S. Congress, and the private sector in a number of ways. Information about the program can be found at http://wetlands.fws.gov. The NWI has mapped 89% of the lower 48 states and 31% of Alaska, including the Kenai Peninsula. The Emergency Wetland Resources Act of 1986 also requires the Service to produce a digital wetlands database for the United States. About 39% of the lower 48 states and 11% of Alaska have been digitized. Digitized wetlands maps of the Kenai Peninsula will be available on the Web in the future. Congressional mandates require the NWI to produce status and trend reports for Congress at ten-year intervals. In 1982, the NWI produced the first comprehensive and statistically valid estimate of the status of the nation’s wetlands and wetland losses, and in 1990 produced the first update. In the Anchor River area, NWI maps at a scale of 1:63,360 are being refined by correlating them with more detailed NRCS soils maps (at a scale of 1:25,000) and plant data. In addition, wetland positions in the landscape (geomorphic context) are being identified. Based on this information, wetlands will be categorized in terms of their larger ecosystem functions. This study is an outgrowth of the efforts of the Community Rivers Planning Coalition

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

In the Anchor River/Anchor Point area, many technical reports have been prepared for professional resource managers. This information is often narrowly focused, addressing a specific site or area at a particular point in tie. Many of these technical reports focus on local hydrogeology. This is in large part because Anchor Point had a significant problem with benzene-contaminated groundwater in the 1980s, and a number of studies were undertaken to map contaminated areas and identify safe alternative water sources. In addition, a number of technical publications discuss geology, often with an eye on oil and gas potential. More recently, several studies have examined the effects of spruce bark beetles on local timber resources. Although these reports are usually prepared with technical audiences in mind, local landowners may be interested in reviewing them. Two recently compiled bibliographies list many of the studies related to the Anchor Point/Anchor River area.

17. Community Profile Index, Studies and Data Sources with Information Pertaining to the Community Rivers Area. This reference list was compiled by Dan and Heidi Chay for the Anchor River, Stariski Creek, and Happy Valley watershed areas.

18. Bibliography for the Kachemak Bay Ecological Characterization (KBEC). As stated in item three above, the KBEC is a new interactive publication recently prepared by the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve. This comprehensive, interactive, and user-friendly synthesis of southern Kenai Peninsula information is currently available on the Web and is discussed at length below (reference 3). Its bibliography contains over 1,100 entries searchable by title, author, publication date, and keyword. Nearly 700 of the citations include abstracts.

Information compiled by Devony Lehner of the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District for use by Kachemak Heritage Land Trust. Photos courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Image Library.