Hetta Lake Annual Report May 2013.pdf
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Tribal Conservation Program:
The HCA staff is entering their second year of projects for the community. Staff focuses on the projects that were identified through a partnership with the Nature Conservancy. HCA staff time focuses on three primary projects, while supporting various community projects.
The three main projects that the Conservation Program staff focuses on are: 1) Reorganization of the management tools. 2) Marine Debris monitoring and Cleanup. 3) Salmon stream assessments and reclassifications.
The management tools that are being reorganized and redrafted are key to the protection of local subsistence harvest. The Coastal Zone Management Plan has been redrafted; a great deal of thanks is owed to the community residents who drafted the first Coastal Management Plan, which was adopted in 1984. Hydaburg has experienced a lot of growth since the original plan was written, a majority of the anticipated projects at that time were completed and the document needed to be updated to reflect current community statistics.
The Japanese Tsunami created a large potential for additional debris to wash up on the shores in what is the Hydaburg Cultural Territory. Staff has worked with other Marine Debris Cleanup Organizations to work towards a long - term cleanup plan. In 2012, HCA staff and volunteers removed approximately 2 tons of debris from the beachfronts. This coming year, HCA staff will coordinate two cleanup events while monitoring catch beaches, providing a steady tracking system is key to maintaining clean beaches.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, HCA staff has worked to identify salmon habitat in what we know to be salmon producing stream systems. Staff trained for and executed the data collection of how far into the watersheds the salmon fry are evident. In 2012, staff trans versed the entire Eek Lake and Hetta Lake providing a more accurate mapping of the systems and salmon habitat. In 2013. HCA staff has expanded their project to include four more salmon streams. Those streams are; Kasook, Nutqwa, Keetes, and Natzuhini. The data collected will help us to better understand the salmon habitat, helping to provide protections for one of our traditional food sources.