Thank you in advance for your review and input!

The Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership (SEAKFHP) works to foster cooperative fish habitat conservation in freshwater, estuarine and marine ecosystems across southeast Alaska. Partner expertise and focus is currently on populations of resident species and anadromous salmonids in freshwater systems as well as anadromous and marine species in estuarine and nearshore habitats.

Our mission is to foster and facilitate regionally relevant strategies that will conserve and sustain the region’s fish habitat, fisheries-based economy, and culture. To achieve this broad mission our draft strategic action plan focuses on three priority conservation goals supported by four core functions of the partnership. These goals, core functions and supporting action strategies make up this abbreviated draft strategic action plan. A more detailed plan is in the works to provide robust strategic planning considerations in respect of the unique geographic setting of southeast Alaska as well as provide an information archive of fish habitat needs in the region.

The intent of this plan is to identify long-term goals, strategies, and voluntary actions that the partnership and others can undertake to protect and restore fish habitat in southeast Alaska. Fostering regional strategies, strengthening and advancing multi-entity partnerships, elevating work accomplished and planned by entities throughout the region, incorporating science-based information, and articulating key priorities and needs shared across mixed-ownership watersheds and in estuarine and nearshore areas throughout southeast Alaska will achieve improved on-the-grounds conservation outcomes across the region. Beneficiaries of these actions will include southeast Alaska communities and the numerous fish species that rely on these healthy habitats for all or a portion of their life cycle.

SEAKFHP is currently a candidate partnership under the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP). As such our conservation goals and proposed partnership actions are closely tied to this national plan. In addition to guidance offered through the national plan, success of the partnership relies on the collaboration, cooperation, and support of our regional partners including federal, state, local and tribal governments, academic and research institutions, industry, nonprofit organizations, and citizens.

The SEAKFHP Steering Committee (Committee) anticipates revisiting this plan in approximately 3 years. Before finalizing this plan the Committee is soliciting regional input to the draft plan as part of the 2013 Southeast Alaska Watershed Symposium and through this survey. Regional input will be used to strengthen the plan and raise awareness of it across the region.

The strengths of the draft plan are in articulation of the shared conservation goals of SEAKFHP partners, the objectives and actions for the strategies of growing and strengthening the partnership and in articulating the services that partners feel the SEAKFHP can provide in the region. The partnership’s conservation strategy should be considered a work in progress and input from this regional review will greatly shape this important strategy.

A copy of the plan can be found on the SEAKFHP website at http://www.seakfhp.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/SEAKFHPstrategicactionplan2014_2016_draft-for-2013-SEAKWS_final.pdf
For context the geographic scope of southeast Alaska includes the broad area from Icy Bay north of Yakutat to Dixon Entrance at the southern end of Prince of Wales Island, a distance of about 845 km/525 mi consisting mostly of a narrow 193 km/120 mi strip of land and mountains on the mainland and over a thousand islands – collectively known as the Alexander Archipelago.

Habitat areas under consideration include freshwater lakes, rivers and streams, riparian buffers, estuaries, intertidal marsh and flats, and nearshore areas including subtidal habitats.

General fish species under consideration are broad; however, due to limited capacity and focus for the initial SEAKFHP action plan, focus is on freshwater and anadromous fish species as well as other fish species reliant on nearshore marine habitats.

The SEAKFHP is seeking your input on its strategic action plan. Your opinions are important. Please complete all of the following questions. Use as much space as necessary to answer narrative questions. Your responses will be treated confidentially. A consolidated summary of replies will be made available to the SEAKFHP Steering Committee and will be archived on the SEAKFHP website.

Thank you again for your time and input to this survey!

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* 1. My PRIMARY relationship with the SEAKFHP is:

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* 2. Please identify the descriptor that best represents your affiliation:

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* 3. What geographic descriptor best describes your regional area of interest?

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* 4. During initial planning sessions SEAKFHP Partners identified a broad list of stressors and contributing factors that may impact the current or future condition of fish habitat in southeast Alaska. Please review the list and consider how important you think these may be. Also, include additional stressors you would like to see the SEAKFHP consider in the other box provided.

  Very Important Important Not very important Unimportant Don't Know
• Changing Environmental Conditions (Climate change/Changing ocean conditions)
• Community development/Urban development
• Roads/stream crossings (culvert needs/connectivity)
• Contaminants from abandoned (or private in-holding) industrial sites
• Catastrophic events (ex. tsunami debris)
• Mining Development
• Shoreline dredge and fill
• Marine Vessel Transportation (contaminants, mixing zones)
• Energy development/Hydro and tidal projects
• Timber harvest and logging activities
• Invasive species
• Mariculture, aquaculture, hatcheries
• Economic development diversification for SE Communities
• Changes to current regulations and permitting criteria

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* 5. In the draft strategic action plan (page 3) the SEAKFHP has articulated its vision, mission and 3 broad priority conservation goals. Please rank your support for each of these and provide any comments or considerations you'd like to share with the SEAKFHP Steering Committee in the box provided.

  Strongly Support Support Weakly Support Do Not Support Don't Know
• SEAKFHP Vision Statement
• SEAKFHP Mission Statement
• Conservation Goal - to protect fish habitat in freshwater systems, estuaries and nearshore/marine areas in southeast Alaska
• Conservation Goal - to maintain water quality and quantity in those areas
• Conservation Goal - restore and enhance fragmented and degraded fish habitats in impacted areas

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* 6. In the draft strategic action plan (page 5) the SEAKFHP has outlined 4 core functions the partnership will work on for the next 3 years. Please rank your support for each of these and provide any comments or considerations you'd like to share with the SEAKFHP Steering Committee in the box provided.

  Strongly Support Support Weakly Support Do Not Support Don't Know
• Grow diversity and capacity of SEAKFHP linking natural resource science and management with regional interests, local and traditional values and community needs.
• Build organizational strength and perseverance of the SEAKFHP for long-term sustainability and functionality.
• Provide services to partners that foster regional cooperation and understanding that result in improved on-the-grounds conservation efforts across southeast Alaska
• Facilitate regionally relevant fish habitat conservation actions across southeast Alaska

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* 7. Specific partnership strategies with objectives and actions steps for each of the SEAKFHP's core functions have been identified in the draft strategic plan (pages 6-14). Please rank your support for each of these and provide any comments or considerations you'd like to share with the SEAKFHP Steering Committee in the box provided.

This first question addresses the SEAKFHP organizational development strategies - to grow and diversify the partnership as well as develop strength and perseverance of the partnership (pages 7-9):

  Strongly Support Support Weakly Support Do Not Support Don't Know
Partnership Growth and Diversity Strategy (overall)
Objective A1.1: Ensure composition of the SEAKFHP represents the landowners and stakeholders of southeast Alaska
Action A1.1-1. Identify stakeholder networks in southeast Alaska
Action A1.1-2. Recruit and retain regional partners and by 2016 achieve partner representation across geographic scope of partnership.
Action A1.1-3. Inform the public on the composition of the SEAKFHP.
Objective A1.2: Provide exceptional support to our SEAKHFP Steering Committee, SEAKFHP Coordinator and all established SEAKFHP sub-committees to attain partnership vision and goals.
Action A1.2-1. Recruit and maintain an actively involved SEAKFHP Steering Committee.
Action A1.2-2. Recruit and retain a SEAKFHP Coordinator.
Action A1.2-3. Establish SEAKFHP sub-committees as needed to advance the mission and goals of the partnership.
Action A1.2-4. Promote a strong team approach between partner members, SEAKFHP Steering Committee members, SEAKFHP Coordinator and representatives on SEAKFHP sub-committees.
Action A1.2-5. Provide SEAKFHP Committee members with sufficient resources to perform assigned work.
Partnership Strength and Perseverance Strategy (Overall)
Objective A2.1: Ensure sufficient funding resources to meet SEAKFHP mission and strategic priorities.
Action A2.1-1. Seek regional funding opportunities through existing national (NFHAP, NOAA, USFS, NFWF, etc.), regional (AKSSF and Northern Fund), and local granting programs.
Action A2.1-2. Foster standing cooperative agreements through federal/state agencies to support efforts of the partnership.
Action A2.1-3. Identify corporate partners that are interested in providing financial support to the partnership.
Objective A2.2: Ensure partnership has sufficient management systems and structures in place to meet SEAKFHP mission and strategic priorities.
Action A2.2-1. Work with partner affiliates such as the UAS GIS Library and ACRC to identify potential for shared infrastructure resources for science and data needs of the partnership.
Action 2.2-2. Work with agency partners to identify data management systems and structures the partnership can leverage in advancing its conservation strategies.
Action 2.2-3. Leverage partner management systems and other assets to advance partnership conservation strategies
Objective A2.3: Promote strong constituent relationships in southeast Alaska for broad regional support of the partnership.
Action A2.3-1. Communicate with municipal, regional and legislative entities to share accomplishments of the partnership and elevate fiscal needs the region.
Action A2.3-2. Host broad public outreach events to share accomplishments of the partnership and identify fiscal needs of conservation efforts in the region.

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* 8. Continuing with the questioning above - this question specifically addresses the partnership's service strategy (pages 10-11). Please rank your support for each of these and provide any comments or considerations you'd like to share with the SEAKFHP Steering Committee in the box provided.

  Strongly Support Support Weakly Support Do Not Support Don't Know
Partnership Service Strategy (overall)
Objective B1: Facilitate communication and interagency coordination of fish habitat conservation activities among natural resource practitioners and stakeholders in southeast Alaska.
Action B1-1. Facilitate interagency communication and coordination among agencies, NGO’s, user groups and all other constituents/stakeholders in southeast Alaska.
Action B1-2. Facilitate regional dialogs on projects of interest.
Action B1-3. Host or co-host annual fish habitat conservation symposium.
Objective B2: Facilitate alignment of regional habitat assessment, protection and restoration practices and prioritizations in southeast Alaska.
Action B2-1. Coordinate regional meetings and events that increase the awareness and coordination of regional assessment, protection and restoration methodologies, prioritizations and activities.
Action B2-2. Produce a document that outlines current regional assessment, protection and restoration methodologies in practice in southeast Alaska.
Action B2-3. Develop a collaborative interagency process for alignment of regional assessment, protection and restoration methodologies and activities in southeast Alaska.
Objective B3: Provide regional fish habitat conservation funding awareness and project proposal coordination opportunities.
Action B3-1. Develop a clearing house for regional funding opportunities for fish habitat conservation efforts and archive on the SEAKFHP website.
Action B3-2. Facilitate regional dialogs on regional funding programs (AKSSF, NF, NOAA, USFS, ACWA) .
Action B3-3. Facilitate regional dialogs on projects proposals of interest.
Objective B4: Serve as regional data/resource facilitator.
Action B4-1. Maintain an active website with robust archive of fish habitat conservation information for southeast Alaska.
Action B4-2. Facilitate the long term maintenance of a data repository to hold historical and relevant agency and partner aquatic resource information for southeast Alaska (fish habitat assessments, methodologies, publications, etc…).
Action B4-3. Coordinate with the National Fish Habitat Partnership Science and Data Committee on updates relevant to data resources available for southeast Alaska as needed for the National Fish Habitat Assessment.
Objective B5: Serve as a regional on-the-grounds project funding provider.
Action B5-1. Develop an action plan for the SEAKFHP that outlines steps to develop needed funding resources that would enable the partnership the opportunity to become a viable regional fish habitat project funding provider.
Action B5-2. Explore the infrastructure need SEAKFHP will require to provide on-the-grounds project funding.
Action B5-3. Develop request for proposal and evaluation criteria processes and materials the SEAKFHP can use to distribute on-the-grounds project funding to potential proposers.

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* 9. To complete the questioning above - this question specifically addresses the partnership's current conservation strategy (12-14). Please note, as described in the executive summary in the draft strategic plan, this strategy is and will be a continually developing strategy. The partnership is engaging in a Conservation Action Planning (CAP) effort to refine and revise this strategy and rankings from this survey and overall input on this section of the strategic plan will inform the CAP effort as well as shape the short-term focus the partnership commits to conservation actions in the region.

Please rank your support for each of the conservation goals, objectives and actions and provide any comments or considerations you'd like to share with the SEAKFHP Steering Committee in the box provided.

  Strongly Support Support Weakly Support Do Not Support Don't Know
GOAL C1: Protect fish habitat in freshwater systems, estuaries and nearshore/marine areas in southeast Alaska
Objective C1-1. Foster regional support necessary to maintain and expand the existing conservation reserve network to include additional intact watersheds throughout southeast Alaska and the Tongass National Forest.
Action C1-1.1. Elevate assessment work and conservation strategy recommendations completed as part of The Coastal Forests and Mountains Ecoregion in Southeastern Alaska and the Tongass National Forest, edited by J. Schoen and E. Dovichin
Action C1-1.2. Facilitate regional discussions that consider establishing additional critical habitat areas surrounding state lands and waters that include high-value and/or sensitive fish and wildlife habitats and where multiple land or water jurisdictions overlap, consider developing co-management agreements to safeguard fish and wildlife habitat values.
Action C1-1.3. Facilitate regional discussions to raise awareness and understanding of current habitat protection initiatives such as the Tongass 77 initiative sponsored by Trout Unlimited.
Objective C1-2. Foster regional support to ensure that all anadromous fish habitat in southeast Alaska is included in the Anadromous Waters Catalog and thus given basic protections afforded under state law.
Action C1-2.1. Foster regional support for projects that can improve upon the identification of waters important for salmon and result in additions to the Anadromous Waters Catalog.
Objective C1-3. Facilitate regional support and funding of the evaluation of potential effects for development projects for which there is not a permitting agency that has funding and regulatory responsibility. For example, this funding source is particularly significant for transboundary development projects (e.g., Canadian mining projects) that do not require State of Alaska permits, but in which the State and southeast Alaska communities have a significant habitat protection interest.
Action C1-3.1. Facilitate regional support for a technical review panel to oversee review of transboundary river development projects proposed adjacent to southeast Alaska and support regional discussions on potential impacts to fish habitats.
Action C1-3.2. Facilitate funding support for baseline evaluation of potential effects for transboundary development projects.
GOAL C2: Maintain water quality and quantity in freshwater systems, estuaries, and nearshore/marine areas in southeast Alaska.
Objective C2-1. Foster regional support for baseline and water quality monitoring programs to track and manage changes across southeast Alaska.
Action C2-1.1. Request SEAKFHP Science and Data Committee review water quality monitoring efforts across southeast Alaska and assess the need for a regional water quality monitoring approach.
Action C2-1.1. Work with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) through the Alaska Clean Water Actions program and with other SEAKFHP partners to promote development of a long-term water quality monitoring and tracking program for southeast Alaska.
Action C2-1.2. Facilitate regional support for monitoring stream temperatures at key locations across southeast Alaska
Action C2-1.3. Evaluate and support recommended projects that monitor and track changes to biotic communities that can be indicators of degrading water quality or physical habitat.
Objective C2-2. Foster regional support of projects that quantify flow requirements for life stages of salmonid species and secure reservations of water on important salmon- and steelhead-producing systems.
Action C2-2.1. Elevate the need to develop and/or improve water quantity estimation models that will provide sufficient accuracy to meet Alaska Department of Natural Resources (ADNR) requirements for filing a Reservation of Water application.
Action C2-2.2. Support regional projects that provide preparation and adjudication of Reservation of Water applications which includes collection of water quantity and quality data to obtain five years of record.
GOAL C3: Restore and enhance fragmented and degraded fish habitats in southeast Alaska.
Objective C3-1. Foster activities that protect and restore fish habitat connectivity at road/stream crossings in SE AK.
Action C3-1.1. Coordinate reauthorization of ADOT/ADFG MOU.
Action C3-1.2. Encourage adoption of fish passage design guidelines for municipalities.
Action C3-1.3. Coordinate development of interagency fish passage inventory mapper and database.
Action C3-1.4. Coordinate regional fish passage barrier/restoration prioritization schema.
Action C3-1.5. Evaluate effects of partial fish passage on salmon movements.
Action C3-1.6. Characterize salmon movement within watersheds to inform and improve fish passage models and structure design.
Action C3-1.7. Develop interagency guidance/acceptance for fish friendly ORV road-stream crossing structures, once problem sites are identified.
Action C3-1.8. Apply USFS upstream fish habitat assessment protocol to state and private land road-stream crossings, to prioritize crossings for remediation.
Action C3-1.9. Complete fish passage barrier inventory on ADOT road/stream crossings.
Action C3-1.10. Convene fish passage remediation workshop.
Action C3-1.11. Facilitate SE AK fish passage interagency coordination meeting.
Objective C3-2. Foster activities that restore and enhance fish habitat function and complexity and informs future restoration activities through adaptive management.
Action C3-2.1. Support development and dissemination of reference watershed condition data that informs establishment of restoration and enhancement objectives.
Action C3-2-2. Coordinate and participate in the review and analysis of effectiveness of mitigation and restoration projects to continue to improve mitigation and restoration techniques.
Action C3-2-3. Support fish habitat utilization response to common bank stabilization techniques (eg. rip rap).
Action C3-2-4. Support development of fish habitat response for in-stream restoration/enhancement activities.
Action C3-2-5. Support development of fish production response models/tools/protocols for in-stream restoration/enhancement activities.
Action C3-2-6. Support public outreach to convey regional restoration practices and value.
Action C3-2-7. Convene regional restoration symposium.
Action C3-2-8. Support alignment of regional restoration prioritization and best management practices.

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* 10. Overall do you support SEAKFHP's role and purpose?

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* 11. Do you see any major omissions in scope that the SEAKFHP should consider in drafting its first strategic action plan? Example suggestions following the 2013 SE AK Watershed Symposium are to add a core function on education and outreach and a specific conservation objective and actions that would focus effort on invasive species concerns in the region.

  Agree Do not agree
Need to add education/outreach function
Need additional objective/actions on invasive species

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* 12. Any other comments about SEAKFHP or the strategic plan that you would like to share?

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