Restoring Impacted Streams in Alaska National Parks

Authors: Burger, Paul A. National Park Service; Coykendall, Shannon National Park Service; Hults, Chad National Park Service; Simmons, Trey National Park Service

Video Presentation

Abstract

While generally unaltered, there are many rivers and streams in Alaska National Parks that have been impacted by past mining, oU-road vehicle use, and other activities. For more than a decade, the National Park Service has been working to identify and characterize these sites to develop statewide restoration priorities. Over the past several years, the Park Service in collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management, have focused on collecting physical, chemical, and biological data from unimpacted reference streams and those that have been impacted by past actions. These data are used to characterize how altered impacted streams are and which ones have the most potential for functional uplift. Restoration potential is being used by Park managers and resource staU to identify what projects may provide the best return on investment as funding becomes available. Two streams in Denali National Park, Friday and Eureka Creeks in the Kantishna Hills area, and Coal Creek in Yukon Charley National Preserve have been targeted for restoration funds under the recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. Both areas have their own unique logistical and management challenges and the Park Service is working with outside groups, design experts, and restoration professionals to evaluate a range of design alternatives. The long-term goals are to restore habitat, reduce flooding and erosion hazards, and to build resiliency into these systems.

Citation

Please use the following citation when citing this presentation: