Alaska

Alaska Geographic Association
Connecting Anchorage Residents to their Watershed through Monitoring, Restoration and Education (AK)
Remove 20 acres of invasive European bird cherry from the Anchorage Bowl Waterways, providing opportunities for urban youths and families to connect and become better stewards of local natural resources through recreation and restoration. Project will help break down barriers for Anchorage’s diverse urban neighborhoods to access the waters by engaging 700 volunteers and 350 students through environmental education and training activities while addressing priority habitat restoration.
$48,946

Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association
Expanding Best Fishing Practices to Strengthen Innovation Uptake (AK)
Enhance uptake of best fishing practices to improve the viability of small-scale fishing using a multi-tiered training program. Project will expand efforts to strengthen uptake of innovative tools and strategies through direct outreach to fishermen and by developing local expert trainers to continue the outreach.
$69,994

Aleutians East Borough
Implementing Electronic Monitoring for the Pollock Trawl Fishery in the Western Gulf of Alaska
Increase electronic monitoring for discard compliance in the small vessel Pollock mid-water trawl fleet in the Western Gulf of Alaska. Project will install electronic monitoring systems onboard vessels, develop compliance plans for these vessels, conduct shore based counts of salmon bycatch, and develop cost-effective data management tools.
$531,217

Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association
Assessing Mortality of Chinook Salmon During Freshwater Migration in Western Alaska (AK)
Estimate the prevalence of heat stress and pre-spawn mortality in migrating western Alaska adult Chinook salmon using natural biomarkers in the tissues of living individuals. Project will identify specific locations and populations where heat stress mortality is more likely in order to prioritize conservation efforts.
$67,936

Chordata 
Electronic Monitoring Data Quality, Integration, and Cost in Alaska’s Fixed Gear Fleet
Analyze the cost associated with, and data quality provided by, current electronic monitoring review in Alaska for the benefit of the National Marine Fisheries Service, the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, and industry. Project will examine how electronic monitoring and observer data streams can be integrated to reduce costs, improve consistency, quality and usability of information collected.
$119,100

City of Point Hope
Identifying Priority Restoration Sites for Resilience in Point Hope, Alaska
Assess potential shoreline sites that are vulnerable to coastal erosion, flooding, and storm surge for adaptation and resiliency projects in and around Point Hope, Alaska. Project will apply native knowledge and expertise in the scoping of projects, and will involve site assessments, modeling, and preliminary design development.
$214,761

College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Test and Implement Commercial Grade Biodegradable Hinges on Dungeness Crab Traps (AK, VA, WA)
Employ commercial-grade biodegradable hinges on dungeness crab traps to minimize adverse impacts when the traps become derelict. Project will test the durability of the hinges in both the active fishery utilizing watermen and in a simulated derelict trap mode to ensure the function as needed to be functional for fishermen and protect marine ecosystems.
$130,579

Kenai Watershed Forum
Baseline Assessment of Hydrology and Water Quality within the Vogel Lake Complex (AK)
Establish baselines for hydrology and water quality parameters throughout the Vogel Lake complex on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska to develop a treatment plan for invasive northern pike for the benefit of native coho salmon, sockeye salmon, and rainbow trout. Project will conduct a hydrologic connectivity assessment, establish a stream discharge station to capture outflow, and perform water quality monitoring on three sites.
$102,745

Native Village of Shaktoolik
Shaktoolik Alaska Storm Surge Berm and Restoration
Build a storm surge berm between Shaktoolik and the Bering Sea using 100-percent, nature-based local materials, restoring coastal dune habitat. Project will prevent the destruction of the community, thereby avoiding contaminating marine habitat and coastal wetlands and rivers with fuel and other hazardous and biological waste.
$1,000,000

Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition
Engaging the Community to Restore Habitat for Sockeye Salmon in the Klawock Watershed (AK)
Restore sockeye salmon habitat and engage with local community groups to build capacity for the management of Sockeye salmon. Project will improve fish habitat quality and quantity; conduct stream habitat assessments; and develop and implement a best management practice plan for watershed landowners.
$59,318

Takshanuk Watershed Council
Water Quality Monitoring in Chilkat Valley to Assess Chinook Salmon Population (AK)
Produce comprehensive, scientifically valid, and legally defensible current baseline water quality data for the Chilkat and Chilkoot watersheds in Alaska. Project will conduct baseline water data collection into its third year; engage state and federal regulators on permitting and water quality issues; and build capacity and engage with the Chilkat Indian Village, Chilkoot Indian Association, and the Village of Klukwan.
$42,570

Trout Unlimited
Monitoring and Habitat Assessment of Pacific Salmon in the Eklutna River (AK)
Conduct monitoring on four sites on the Eklutna River in Alaska, post-barrier removal, for the benefit of Pacific salmon. Project will determine the adequate amount of water to be returned to the Eklutna River to restore fish passage, and document the historical use of salmon by the Eklutna tribe to quantify the true cultural cost of salmon loss in the Eklutna River.
$101,086

U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service
Assessing Impact and Effects of Elodea on Sockeye Salmon in Eyak Lake (AK)
Assess the impact and effects of Elodea, a nonnative aquatic plan, on sockeye salmon within Eyak Lake in Alaska to fill information gaps and provide insight on Elodea impacts on other Pacific salmon and native fish. Project will conduct three studies to inform relevant management agencies and stakeholders on cost-effective techniques to address Elodea control and eradication.
$127,078

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Engaging Native Communities in Emperor Geese Conservation for Subsistence Hunting Opportunities (AK)
Conduct outreach in rural coastal Alaskan communities on Kodiak Island and in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Region to educate and engage Native Alaskan residents in emperor geese conservation to ensure future recreational and subsistence hunting opportunities. Project will initiate a broad-scale public education and outreach initiative to deliver a timely, clear, and consistent message about emperor goose ecology, harvest management, and conservation need.
$50,000

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge
Population Assessment and Development of a Statewide Monitoring Framework for Aleutian Tern (AK)
Continue a collaborative study at a suite of Alaska study sites during the 2020 field season to address conservation-critical information needs of the Aleutian tern. Project will produce a statewide monitoring framework, gain information on breeding season movements in a new sub-region of Alaska, continue colony level monitoring, and initiate a study on population genetic structure.
$150,000

United Catcher Boats
Implementing Electronic Monitoring for Compliance in the Mid-water Trawl Pollock Fisheries (AK)
Implement operational testing to evaluate the feasibility and cost efficiency of using electronic monitoring systems in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska Pollock mid-water trawl catcher vessels. Project will expand previous efforts to improve data quality, timeliness, and cost-efficiency for salmon bycatch monitoring compliance with retention regulations.
$435,168

University of Alaska Anchorage
Community Engagement with Federal Fish and Wildlife Projects on the Copper River (AK)
Facilitate an Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) student internship with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service relating to pacific salmon conservation projects on the Copper River, Alaska. Project will give an ANSEP student field work experience to support their pursuit of conservation careers, and the student will serve as liaisons between federal managers and local communities.
$9,266