Alaska Native landowners leverage USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program to maintain healthy streams and forests
By Samia Savell and Tracy Robillard, NRCS Alaska
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Photo by Bethany S. Goodrich, Sustainable Southeast Partnership.
Generations of Alaska Native people have thrived upon the land and all that it supports: clean water, fresh air, abundant fish and game, and plants that provide sustenance, medicine, and building materials. A common cultural thread weaves Alaskans together in this enormous state: Alaskans are hunters, harvesters, gatherers, and fishers.
In the remote village of Hoonah, located near the capital of Juneau in Southeast Alaska, the Huna Tlingit people and local residents have cultural roots that are deeply entwined in the land and waters surrounding their community.
An Ancient Way of Life...
With access to fresh berries, wild game, and several types of salmon, the people of Hoonah have built a life around the delicious, valuable resources that the forests and streams surrounding their town provide.
These resources are predominately what fill the freezers and bellies of residents in Hoonah, not only because of the cultural and long-established ties to traditional harvest-based living, but also because living in rural Alaska requires it.
Natural resources here are the basis for generations of art, songs, and storytelling; they provide food and jobs; and they are valued as part of the community itself. The importance of maintaining healthy watershed conditions is critical for the lives and livelihoods of residents.
Photo by Bethany S. Goodrich, Sustainable Southeast Partnership.
Hoonah Native Forest Partnership
Recognizing the importance of protecting, conserving and maintaining the stream and forest habitats that are so integral to the Hoonah way of life, the Hoonah Native Forest Partnership (HNFP) was formed in 2015. The primary partners include:
- Hoonah Indian Association (Federally recognized tribe)
- Sealaska (Southeast Alaska’s Regional Native Corporation)
- Huna Totem (Alaska Native Corporation for Hoonah)
- City of Hoonah
- The Nature Conservancy
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game
- U.S. Forest Service
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
This “All Hands, All Lands” partnership is an alliance of landowners, organizations and stakeholders advocating for the Hoonah area. The HNFP works to assess resource conditions and identify projects intended to improve fish and wildlife habitat, ensure long-term timber production, and support sustainable watershed management.
A mix of new and mature vegetation on forest lands in Hoonah. Photo by Bethany S. Goodrich, Sustainable Southeast Partnership.
While these partners form the core of the HNFP, many organizations and entities have provided their expertise and assistance to the partnership such as the Sustainable Southeast Partnership, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Southeast campuses, the University of Washington, the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Relationships and collaborative projects continue to form and grow through the HNFP, building upon the ideas that inspired the partnership. And through it all, feedback from local Hoonah residents has been critical for prioritizing conservation on the land.
USDA's Regional Conservation Partnership Program
The initial source of startup funds for the HNFP came from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, via its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
RCPP was introduced in the 2014 Farm Bill and made pivotal changes to the way NRCS conservation programs are implemented. The RCPP program relies heavily on partner organizations to spearhead projects and provide matching contributions
The partners came together to submit a proposal for the very first RCPP funding competition in 2014, and the following year their project was selected for funding!
By putting partners in the driver’s seat, RCPP helps implement conservation projects across the landscape while leveraging significant support and funding from both public and private sector organizations.
The total RCPP investment for the HNFP project is $2.4 million. USDA contributed $1.9 million and partners provided additional matching funds and in-kind services, including technical assistance.
“The pace and scale of a watershed-scale project of this magnitude simply could not be achieved by NRCS alone, or by any one group," said NRCS Alaska State Conservationist Alan McBee. "That's the biggest benefit of RCPP. It allows us to co-invest with multiple partners across the landscape and capitalize on everyone's unique expertise, staff, funding and resources."
An aerial view of crew members performing a stream assessment. Photo courtesy of Sustainable Southeast Partnership.
Equal Opportunity for Historically Underserved Landowners
NRCS worked directly with three private landowner entities, the Hoonah Indian Association (a Federally recognized Tribe), Sealaska (Southeast Alaska's Regional Native Corporation), and Huna Totem (Alaska Native Corporation for Hoonah). All three of these entities are considered Historically Underserved audiences under USDA Farm Bill programs.
As part of USDA’s equal opportunity mission, Historically Underserved participants receive higher payment rates and additional incentives that help make its programs more accessible and achievable on-the-ground.
"One of Huna Totem’s guiding principles is to 'Maintain our land in perpetuity.' As such, we put a high priority on the management of its lands and resources, which includes ensuring the sustainability of subsistence resources such as fish, game, edible products such as berries, as well as potential future timber crops," said Amber Henderson, Director of Project Administration, Huna Totem Corporation.
"The experience of working with the NRCS RCPP has been beneficial in providing funding, leadership, and continuity for the HNFP projects across four land ownerships. At every step of the way, RCPP has been there to help with coordinating sources of expertise, funding, and guidance on meeting schedules and project goals."
“Our Elders’ beautiful words inspire Sealaska to be a better company. We live by — and lead with — our Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian values, knowing the work we do today will benefit our grandchildren," said Anthony Mallott, Sealaska President and CEO.
"These values inspire everything we do. We put community first, build strength and resilience, and act with courage and curiosity. We embrace Haa Aaní, committing to care for our oceans and lands because they have always been — and always will be — the foundation of our people."
Crew members perform a stream assessment. Photo by Ian Johnson, Sustainable Southeast Partnership.
Resource Inventory and Assessment
The HNFP project area encompasses about 205,000 acres in and around the community of Hoonah on northern Chichagof Island, a village of 745 people – the majority of whom are Alaska Native.
Managing resources on such a large landscape required data collection, resource inventories and assessments that would help natural resource managers make informed decisions about where to prioritize projects.
“It would take years and years to do all of this data collection by any other means—driving, walking or boating. It simply wouldn’t be feasible with a project of this scale,” said Samia Savell, NRCS District Conservationist based in Juneau. “We capitalized on the innovation and expertise of our partners to create a watershed-scale assessment so we could focus on where to best implement the conservation practices.”
Innovation at Work
With the project area spanning more than 200,000 acres, partners relied on innovative data collection strategies to aid in resource assessment.
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a remote sensing technology, provided the basis for the HNFP’s resource assessment. Using lasers aimed at the ground while flying at low elevation, computers calculate the distance from a plane to the ground and vegetation surfaces.
Each calculation results in a “point,” which when used in relation to adjacent points, results in a “cloud” that can be used to create two- or three-dimensional models of the ground and what is above it.
LiDAR data can be used to model and/or evaluate resource conditions across the landscape. Resources can be classified in a variety of ways when LiDAR is combined with field data collection. This map shows forest conditions in the HNFP area. Areas in pink and red are high priority for forest and wildlife habitat management.
Field Surveys
Field data collection was combined with LiDAR to develop and refine resource models, include stream hydrology, forest condition, non-forest vegetation types, and the extent of salmon habitat.
The resulting information helped partners prioritize their time, effort, and resources on specific areas across the landscape that showed the greatest need for habitat improvements.
The project capitalized on expertise from all partners, and included developing a local workforce that not only conducts field work, but also helps link the partnership with the local community.
Working collaboratively with the Hoonah Indian Association, the Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy mentored and trained crew members employed by the Tribe, working side-by-side with them to inventory stream habitat, conduct fish sampling, evaluate road and forest conditions, and collect vegetation data to refine LiDAR-based models. Once a high level of confidence in the models was achieved, they could be applied across the landscape to help resource managers prioritize where to focus field evaluations or conservation projects on the landscape.
Salmon fry. Photo by Bethany S. Goodrich, Sustainable Southeast Partnership.
Core Areas for Conservation
Community surveys conducted by the Tribe and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game made it clear that Hoonah residents and landowners prioritized resource management that would improve conditions for wild game, fish, and berries.
Using this feedback, the HNFP established five core focus areas for restoration activities:
- Forests, shrubs and meadow plant communities
(Subsistence is a term used to describe fishing, hunting and gathering practices for personal use and traditional and cultural harvest activities).
Each watershed in the HNFP area was evaluated according to past resource extraction activities, resource values to the local community, and current conditions, which assisted the partners to identify resource management opportunities for each watershed. Both a public-facing document and full technical report were created.
Prioritizing Conservation Work
Because of its past resource extraction and importance as a local subsistence and recreational use area, Spasski Creek watershed was designated as a "Priority Watershed" for restoration by the Forest Service and became the initial focal point for conservation projects implemented by the HNFP. Stream habitat and forest stand improvement projects were initiated by the Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy in 2017.
Watch More:
Video - Spasski stream restoration pilot project (3:28)
Video - Spasski stream restoration 2019 (4:18)
The primary landowners, Sealaska and Huna Totem, worked with NRCS through both RCPP and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to conduct forest stand improvement and slash treatment, road closure, streambank stabilization, and stream habitat improvement.
Additional stream habitat improvement projects have been installed by the Tribe’s crew with guidance provided by the Forest Service. Due to these conservation efforts, Spasski Watershed was designated as one of the National Fish Habitat Partnership's Waters to Watch in 2019.
NRCS District Conservationist Samia Savell (center) with HNFP forest crew members. Photo by Ian Johnson, Sustainable Southeast Partnership.
NRCS Conservation Practices...
NRCS "conservation practices" are specific activities that landowners can implement on-the-ground to address resource concerns. The following conservation practices have been applied as part of the HNFP to help provide habitat for fish and wildlife, prevent soil erosion and water quality degradation, and improve overall forest conditions for the long term.
- Forest Stand Improvement: Some of the trees in overcrowded, dense forest stands are cut down or killed by a process known as "girdling" to improve the growth of remaining trees and understory vegetation. Applied or under contract in the HNFP area: 3,942.3 acres since 2017, through RCPP and EQIP.
- Woody Residue Treatment: Cutting woody debris ("slash") produced during Forest Stand Improvement into smaller pieces helps make it easier for people and wildlife to walk through managed forest stands, and can increase the rate of decomposition so that conditions similar to pre-harvest can be achieved in a shorter time frame. Applied or under contract in the HNFP area: 981.7 acres through RCPP and EQIP.
- Road / Trail Closure: This practice involves removing clogged or poor-functioning culverts and closing a logging road or trail to prevent negative impacts of continued use, such as soil erosion, reduced water quality, or blocked fish passage. Applied through RCPP: 3,677 feet.
- Obstruction Removal: Structures that may be negatively impacting fish habitat or preventing fish passage can be removed using this practice. Depending on the materials, they may be removed and disposed of (as in the case of culverts), or salvaged and used to create habitat features elsewhere (as with collapsing log stringer bridges). Instances applied: 6.
- Aquatic Organism Passage: This practice involves installing new infrastructure in waterways that allows the safe passage of fish and other aquatic species. Seven engineering designs for culverts or bridges to improve aquatic organism passage have been completed for streams on private land in the Spasski and Game Creek watersheds. The private landowners are seeking funding for implementing these projects in the next few years.
- Stream Bank and Shoreline Protection: This practice helps stabilize stream banks and shorelines to protect reduce erosion and improve water quality and fish habitat. Instances applied through RCPP: 4.
- Stream Habitat Improvement: Installing large woody debris, managing riparian areas for desired species composition and long-term wood recruitment to the stream, or placing rocks in the streambank or streambed can improve habitat features for fish, invertebrates, birds, or other wildlife that live near streams. Applied through the RCPP and with Forest Service support: >1 mile of fish habitat.
Economic and Community Development
The overarching vision of HNFP is to integrate resource management with economic and community development opportunities that are important to residents. This project is increasing the local workforce capacity in Hoonah by creating jobs and providing specialized training that will help the community maintain this type of work into the future.
"I think the biggest achievement of the HNFP is finding that intersection of resource stewardship, economic opportunity, and community development – the “triple bottom line” that is so critical to sustainability," said NRCS District Conservationist Samia Savell.
The HNFP partners have been able to find innovative ways to assess natural resource conditions and prioritize projects while integrating local workforce development and community interests into the short and long-term plans for resource management in the Hoonah area. With the continuation of RCPP support for the HNFP, many more conservation projects are planned for implementation over the next several years - improving resource conditions for fish, wildlife, and local residents who live and thrive in Hoonah.
Published October 2020 by NRCS Alaska.
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