The Chugach Regional Resource Commission (CRRC) is forming a Kachemak Bay Watershed Collaborative (Collaborative) to gather Traditional Native Knowledge and review scientific findings regarding the impacts of climate change and development activities on salmon populations to better protect and manage salmon habitat. You have specifically been identified as someone vital to this effort. The Collaborative will include tribal, Federal, state, research, conservation, and other stakeholders. Members of the Collaborative will work with land management agencies to protect salmon streams and develop plans to sustainably manage local freshwater resources. CRRC has contracted with Water Policy Consulting, LLC to help collaborate this process.
The goal of the Collaborative will be to increase subsistence resource resiliency to climate change throughout the Watershed. In addition, the Collaborative will improve the inclusiveness of the management process by including tribes and other smaller Kachemak Bay area communities as participants, as well as state and federal land and water management agencies.
What Engagement Looks Like:
In the initial phase, the Collaborative will: 1) Develop by-laws, a mission statement, file for non-profit status, and conduct other organizing activities; 2) Share knowledge about the Watershed and brainstorm and prioritize research needs and projects to mitigate the impacts of climate change and development activity on subsistence resources and local communities; and 3) contribute to pre-planning activities including sharing data gathered, identify data gaps, outlining a watershed restoration plan, researching existing plans related to the watershed, collecting baseline information, and identifying restoration needs.
Eventually, the Collaborative will participate in implementation of existing watershed management plans and climate change adaption planning programs, including drafting a watershed restoration plan;
Join the Collaborative:
If you are interested in the welfare and sustainability of Kachemak Bay as a federal, state, or tribal entity, conservation group, or individual, please join our Collaborative.
WE HAVE IDENTIFIED TWO DATES: MAY 3RD or MAY 4TH FROM 10am – 11:30am FOR AN INITIAL MEETING. PLEASE REPLY TO THIS EMAIL IF ONE OR BOTH OF THESE DATES WORK FOR YOU. IF NEITHER DATE WORKS FOR YOU BUT YOU WOULD STILL LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COLLABORATIVE, PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE WILL KEEP YOU ON THE CONTACT LIST.
If you have any questions, contact Hal Shepherd at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; (907) 491-1355. For more information, see the WPC website at: www.waterpolicyconsulting.com.
