Resurrection Bay is precious. Glaciers spilling out of both the Harding and Sargent Icefields push down to treeline or tideline, unnamed peaks recede along the horizon and in the Bay itself, sea mammals, pelagic birds, and salmon do their thing. Perched on an alluvial fan at the head of the Bay, Seward hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors drawn by the same natural beauty and wildness that keeps locals here throughout the year.
Since the establishment of Kenai Fjords National Park in 1980, Seward's economic base has shifted toward tourism. Tourism relies on an intact ecosystem and all its attributes. That's what we try to protect.
Seen any insults or crimes against our environment that need to be addressed? Call our hotline 224-4621 or 224-7607. Anonymity guaranteed!
1000 jetskis might be headed for Seward and beyond. Your are comments needed.John Lang of Lang Enterprises, Anchorage has proposed a 2000 mile Jetski race from Whittier to Illiamna in 2013. More info.
Fall newsletter is available!
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RBCA v City of Seward lawsuit frequently asked questions. Click here to go to our activism page.
Update on the proposed dam on Grant LakeThe proposal to dam Grant Lake remains active. Most recently (August 24, 2011), the HEA board of directors (who are the de facto operators of Kenai Hydro Limited) voted unanimously to give their general manager the authority to apply to the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) for 4 million dollars for construction funding for Grant Lake hydro dam proposal. This despite that HEA hasn’t even finished their field studies or are even close to getting a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Yet HEA is eager to tie up $4 million in limited state funds - funds that could be used for worthy projects.
Moose Pass resident Mike Cooney wrote to the HEA board of directors concerning their continued use of public funds. His letter is an exhaustive summary of why the dam is a bad idea and it includes a petition signed by eastern Kenai Peninsula citizens. You can download it here.
Status of bear-resistant garbage cans in the Seward communityIn 2009, the Seward Wildlife Community Conservation Program (WCCP) and Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance (RBCA) provided low cost ($50) bear-resistant garbage cans (BRGC) to the community because of some generous grants (which are no longer available). Since then, there have been discussions on how best to deal with negative bear-human interactions including using BRGCs. As mentioned previously in SCN, BRGCs can currently only be obtained by purchasing them from Costco or Home Depot for $300 to $330.
Another option could be to lease them from Alaska Waste with the costs being folded into monthly City utility bills (see 2011 Seward WCCP recommendations). We estimate that residents who decide to lease a BRGC would have to pay between $5 and $8 per month for their BRGC. We would really like to get public comments on this idea. Please post your comments on SCN or contact RBCA at info@rbca-alaska.org
Make your own!
Cool video of RBCA and partner's marine debris clean up efforts.In 2009, RBCA volunteers led by board member Tim Johnson, gathered marine debris - commercial fishing-related debris like floats and buoys and hawsers and recreation-related debris like bags and plastic bottles.
This great video is the product of Jim Pfeiffenberger, Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center (OASLC) Education Coordinator and Acting Director.
CEMP annual report now availableAll the data for all the sampled local rivers and creeks is presented in this report on the progress of RBCA's Citizen's Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) annual report for 2010. We monitor water quality parameters on streams throughout the watershed including Spring Creek, Scheffler Creek, Salmon Creek and others. Parameters like temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and conductivity all measure the health of our watershed. To find out all that we monitor and why, download the report.
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Be Bear Aware!
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