
Welcome to the seventh annual Prince William Sound Natural History Symposium!
We hope you enjoy the videos and resources from this year's event! Session recordings from this and previous years are also available our page on YouTube.
Paul Twardock and Kim Aspelund, Welcome and Land Acknowledgment
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Paul Twardock welcomes participants to the seventh annual Prince William Sound Natural History Symposium. Kim Aspelund gives a land acknowledgement and blessing.
Jack Blackwell and Tim Lydon, “Management of Public and Private Lands Surrounding Prince William Sound”
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Jack Blackwell provides an update on Chugach Alaska Corporation. Tim Lydon shares a brief overview of the Chugach National Forest with a focus on the Wilderness Study Area of western PWS.
Jack Blackwell is the Vice President of Lands and Resources for Chugach Alaska Corporation. After a 32-year career with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, which included serving as the Superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound State Parks, he retired from state service to work for Chugach Alaska Corporation. Jack was raised in Southeast Alaska and has a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management from the University of Alaska – Fairbanks.
Tim Lydon is the U.S. Forest Service wilderness manager for the Nellie Juan-College Fiord Wilderness Study Area in western Prince William Sound. He arrived on the Chugach National Forest in 2011, after nearly 20 years in wilderness management on the Tongass National Forest in Juneau. He spent many years guiding rafting, kayaking, and snow machine tours. Tim is also a freelance writer, the assistant editor of Alaska magazine, and the author of a book on sea kayaking in British Columbia and Alaska. He is a founding member of the Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation and with his wife, Barbara, enjoys showing their young daughter the wonders of the Sound.
Peter Haeussler, “Geohazards, glaciers, and gold - Understanding the landscape and geology of Prince William Sound”
Peter Haeussler describes the origin of the rocks in Prince William Sound, the development of the mountains and landscape, and the geohazards associated with the environment. A goal is for the listener to understand how the specifics of the geology of the Sound apply to the entire southern Alaska coastline.
Peter Haeussler has been a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey for the last 33 years, with a focus on the evolution of Alaska, and earthquake and tsunami hazards. Many of these studies have focused on the Prince William Sound region. He has been an author on more than 240 publications.
Lily Grbavach, “Interpreting Terrestrial Wildlife”
Spotting wildlife is exciting! Lily shares fun facts about commonly seen wildlife to help you wow your guests. Learn why we share what we share, with tips on educating for a lasting impact and tools for meeting your educational objectives.
Lily Grbavach is an Alaska transplant who first moved to Alaska to attend University of Alaska Fairbanks. While earning her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology and minor in Outdoor Recreation and Guiding Management, she was an intern at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. After completing her degree, she gained experience in education working as a camp director, wildlife associate, community college instructor, and program manager developing educational programs for all ages. Lily now serves as the Director of Education at AWCC, where she oversees educational and interpretive programs, tours, and wildlife encounters along with research collaborations.
William Melton, Michelle Lang, Tori VanderBrandt, Zoe Woods, “Guide Panel”
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Join seasoned guides and interpreters William, Michelle, Tori, and Zoe for an engaging and informal panel where your questions about Prince William Sound take center stage. Drawing from years of experience guiding and working in the region, each panelist kicks things off by answering one of the most common questions they've received—like “What altitude are we at?" or "Where are the glaciers?”—before opening the floor for a lively Q&A. With different backgrounds and a shared passion for the Sound, this group offers a unique, firsthand perspective on living and working in Prince William Sound.
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William Melton is a Filmmaker and small business owner based in Anchorage, Alaska. He serves as Board Chair for the Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation. For over a decade, William has worked as a Sea Kayak Guide in Prince William Sound, sharing its unique beauty with visitors from around the world. He made his first documentary, Stewards of the Land, about Prince William Sound in 2016. He has also developed outdoor education and conservation programs operating in the Sound while working with Alaska Geographic and the U.S. Forest Service. In May of 2019, he paddled solo from Chenega to Whittier in what he describes as “the trip of a lifetime.”
Michelle Lang is a captain for Lazy Otter Charters and has captained and guided for the last ten years: three in Whittier, the rest in Seward, Juneau, Hawaii, New Zealand, and Australia.
Tori VanderBrandt has lived in Anchorage for 15 years, after moving to Alaska from Tennessee. For the past ten years, she has worked as a hiking and kayaking guide with Discovery Voyages out of Whittier, which offers overnight cruises through Prince William Sound with a focus on ecotourism and natural history interpretation. She is currently completing her Master’s degree in Biology at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Tori recently began a new role as Tribal Court Administrator for the Aleut Community of St. Paul, but she still plans to get out into the Sound every chance she gets!
Originally from Colorado, Zoe Woods has worked as an interpretive ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park and a hiking and backpacking guide in Glacier National Park. She moved to Alaska to work with the Forest Service and now staffs the Begich Boggs Visitor Center, where she gives interpretive programs to visitors about Portage Valley and Prince William Sound.
Kim Aspelund, “Roots of the Land: Exploring the Medicinal and Nutritional Power of Alaskan Plants”
Kim shares the years of traditional knowledge passed to her through her many teachers. She shares:
Honoring our Traditional Wisdom for Health and Healing
Harvesting Guidelines
Stages of Growth
Look-a-like Plants
Spiritual Connections
How to use the plants for foods or medicine
Sharing our Stories
All this knowledge is meant to be passed on. So we can all take care of each.
Kim Aspelund is a Holistic Health Educator. Kim has been recognized by the late Dr. Rita Blumenstein as a Traditional Plant Educator after working as her apprentice for several years. Kim will to continue to share her passion of Alaskan plants and how to use them for foods and medicines.
She was born and raised in Cordova, Alaska.
Her parents are Bill and Irene Webber.
Her maternal grandparents are Susie Macheegan and Alec Donaldson.
Her paternal grandparents are James Webber and Stella Hansen.
She is Sugpiaq (Alutiiq) originating from the Prince William Sound village of Ellamar, but whose ancestors resided in many villages in the Sound, including Chenega, Tatitlek, and the historic village of Kiniklik.
On her father's side, she is Kwáashk’iwáan Nu Hit (Fort House), a Tlingit/Eyak Raven Clan originating from old Yakutat prior their life from Katalla, but with ancestors inhabiting the Kaliakh River and Khantaak Island.
She has worked in Health Education and Traditional Healing on the Alaska Native Medical Center Campus in Anchorage for about 12 years.
Kim’s compassion and dedication to the past five Alaskan Plants as Food and Medicine Symposiums has been an important part of her life for as well as keynote speaker at the Tikahtnu Plant Symposiums. She works with the Native Village of Eyak in Cordova as a contract employee to teach Regional Plant Symposiums and small group workshops.
Kim received her community wellness degree from the University of Alaska Southeast in Sitka. Kim is nationally board certified through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP); certified in reflexology, healing touch, polarity, and acupressure. She is certified through American College of Sports Medicine as well as through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition as a Holistic Health Coach, ACE Personal Trainer, Yoga Instructor and Sound Bath Practitioner.
Kim recently retired but continues to share wholesome body, mind, spirit connection and Alaskan plants education as much as she can. It is truly her passion.
Paul Twardock, Dave Borg, Chris Stewart, “Welcome to Day Two”
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Paul Twardock, Dave Borg, and Chris Stewart welcome participants to the second day of the PWS Natural History Symposium. Dave provides updates on the City of Whittier.
Paul Twardock is the author of Kayaking and Camping in Prince William Sound and Professor Emeritus of Outdoor Studies at Alaska Pacific University.
Dave Borg is the Whittier Harbormaster.
Chris Stewart is the District Ranger of the Glacier Ranger District on the Chugach National Forest.
Robin McKnight, "Land Acknowledgement and Introduction to the Chugach Regional Resources Commission"​
Chugach Regional Resources Commission, the natural resource entity for the Chugach region, gives a brief overview of their organization. They begin the day by presenting the land acknowledgement used by the CRRC Board and employees, followed by a brief conversation about the importance and purpose of land acknowledgement. They also discuss CRRC's mission and provide information on ongoing projects that support Tribal communities in the Chugach region, including those in Prince William Sound.
Robin McKnight is the Chugach Regional Resources Commission's Education and Outreach Specialist. She was born and raised in Seward, Alaska. Robin received her Environmental Studies and Geography undergraduate degree at Florida State University. She spent two years in the Westfjords of Iceland, attending grad school for Coastal and Marine Management before returning to Alaska. Before working for CRRC, Robin was an Alaska Sea Grant Fellow working on mariculture outreach and development. In her role with CRRC, she implements and supports Indigenous natural resource education programs that integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Western science. Robin coordinates communication between CRRC, communities, and partner entities while co-coordinating the Collective Alaska Native Perspectives training. Additionally, she represents CRRC in the CORaL Network.
Gabby Brown and Halley Werner, “Anchored in Stewardship: The ASLC’s Marine Mission”
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The Alaska SeaLife Center’s (ASLC) mission is rooted in three key pillars – Education & Community Engagement, Conservation Research, and Wildlife Response & Rehabilitation – each serving as a foundation for environmental responsibility and long-term sustainability. As the only public aquarium dedicated to marine mammal rehabilitation in the state of Alaska, the ASLC fosters a deep connection between people and the Alaskan marine ecosystem through cutting-edge science, community outreach, and emergency medical care for injured marine life.
Gabby Brown is an Education Specialist, with a background in environmental science and marine science. She has spent most of her professional life sharing the outdoors with people from all over the world, and helping people build connections to the natural world through hands-on experiences.
Halley Werner found her home in Seward in 2009 when she moved across the country for an internship at the Alaska SeaLife Center. With a passion for animals and the great outdoors, she has dedicated her career to rehabilitating wildlife in need. She feels a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that each of the animals she has cared for has contributed to our collective knowledge and understanding of Alaska's marine ecosystem.
Ben Wilkins, “Estimating Abundance and Spatial Distribution of the Giant Red Sea Cucumber (Apostichopus Californicus) in Prince William Sound”
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Ben Wilkins discusses habitat associations and distribution of sea cucumbers in PWS. He covers basic biology, range and life history of the species (Apostichopus californicus), followed by information about various sea cucumber fisheries around the world. He then discusses our habitat and distribution findings from 419 underwater scuba transects throughout PWS.
Ben Wilkins grew up in Colorado, where he eventually attended the University of Colorado at Boulder for his undergrad degree in Environmental Biology. After that, he became a dive instructor and taught in the Florida Keys, Northern California, and then in Hawai’i for ten years. He came to Alaska in 2015 to attend graduate school and drive boats for Lazy Otter Charters and has been here ever since. He now manages the Fisheries, Aquatic Science and Technology (FAST) Lab at Alaska Pacific University, where he’s also the Diving Safety Officer and teaches Scientific Diving. He also works seasonally for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG), where he runs logistics, training, and underwater surveys for the Southcentral Dive Team.
Alissa Cole, “Commercial Fisheries in Prince William Sound: Sustaining Industry and Environment”​
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Prince William Sound has a diverse array of commercial groundfish and shellfish fisheries, spanning both large- and small-scale operations. Each harvested species has a unique life history, shaping the dynamics of these fisheries. Alissa highlights several key fisheries in the region, the data collected to monitor them, and the management strategies that ensure their sustainability.
Alissa Cole was born and raised in Homer, Alaska, where her deep connection to the natural world shaped her passion for resource management. She started with Alaska Department of Fish and Game in 2021. She quickly developed a strong appreciation for its mission of ensuring the sustainable management of Alaska’s invaluable resources. She loves almost all things outdoors, whether it’s enjoying a day on the water or climbing up a mountain.
Jenni Morella,“ADF&G Salmon Research and Monitoring in PWS”​
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Join Jenni Morella as she shares current salmon research and monitoring efforts conducted by ADF&G Commercial Fisheries Division in Prince William Sound. This talk will dive into the science behind key management tools, including how biologists: monitor salmon escapement across the Sound, differentiate hatchery and wild fish through otolith marking and recovery, and use salmon scales to estimate age, set escapement goals, and forecast future returns. We'll explore how these projects support sustainable fisheries management in PWS.
Jenni Morella is the Commercial Fisheries Division area research biologist for salmon and herring for PWS and Copper River. Jenni has called Cordova home since 2017, and brings a wide range of experience from prior fisheries work that spans from the southern hemisphere to Alaska’s North Slope. When she’s not analyzing data or in the field, you’ll likely find her exploring the outdoors around Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta with her dog, Buck.
Maia Draper-Reich, “An Era of Stewardship Following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill”
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The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill shaped this region in countless ways including instigating a wave of community involvement and stewardship that continues to this day. In this session, you’ll learn about the spill, its aftermath, and how the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council amplifies the voices of the people who live and work in the impacted region to advocate for robust oil spill prevention and response measures.
Maia Draper-Reich is the Outreach Coordinator for the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council where she communicates about oil spill science and community oversight to the region impacted by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Before joining the Council staff in 2022, Maia worked as an environmental educator and naturalist for the Chugach National Forest, Kenai Fjords National Park, and the Bureau of Land Management Campbell Creek Science Center.
Jeff Lachowski and Lucy Pitto, “Beatson Mine Remediation on Latouche Island”​
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Rio Tinto presents an overview of the mining history at the Beatson Mine Site, on Latouche Island, Prince William Sound, Alaska, including an overview of existing conditions and information on recent technical studies performed by Rio Tinto to understand the extent of metals contamination from historic mining waste rock source material. Rio Tinto has submitted a cleanup plan in coordination with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and other stakeholders. The planned cleanup will result in significant improvements to the environment including removal of waste rock piles and metal and timber debris, as well as removal of a derelict aboveground storage tank and piping. Surface water and groundwater are expected to improve through removal of known sources of metals leaching. The cleanup project will revegetate areas of the site where waste rock and debris are removed, aiding in restoring the land to its prior state. This presentation will provide members of the Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation with information that will support future public comment periods held by DEC and/or other permitting agencies as part of the regulatory process.
Jeff Lachowski is an Asset Manager with Rio Tinto Closure, leading remediation, and final closure efforts at multiple legacy mine sites throughout the western United States. He is a professional engineer with a Master of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Watershed Science. Jeff has over 20 years of experience with Rio Tinto spanning environmental, closure, land management, and water management roles. In his free time, Jeff enjoys skiing, mountain biking, river running, and basically anything outdoors. Jeff is a frequent visitor to Alaska spending time with family who reside in Kasilof.
Lucy Pitto is Athabaskan and an enrolled member of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe in Kenai, Alaska. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Arts in Communications and Leadership. Lucy began her career in Native American Affairs with Nevada Gold Mines, operated by Barrick, where she worked closely with ten Tribal Nations through a Collaborative Agreement grounded in partnership and mutual respect. She now serves as a Communities & Social Performance Specialist with Rio Tinto Closure, supporting sites across the Americas Region. In this role, she leads initiatives in stakeholder and Tribal engagement, social risk and impact assessment, and cultural heritage management. Lucy is passionate about building respectful, long-term relationships with Indigenous communities and embedding Indigenous leadership and knowledge throughout the project lifecycle.
Kelly Bender, “Whittier Tourism Best Management Practices (TBMP) Program”
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Kelly Bender shares the latest on the spring rollout of the Whittier Tourism Best Management Practices (TBMP) program, including how organizations can become signatories. The Whittier TBMP is a voluntary set of guidelines administered by the Greater Whittier Chamber of Commerce, with help and support from the Prince William Sound Economic Development District, Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation, the City of Whittier, and others. Valuable input is provided by the Chugach National Forest, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries, and others.
Kelly Bender is co-owner of Lazy Otter Charters with her husband Mike. Kelly started her career in Prince William Sound in the 80s working on tour boats between Valdez and Whittier. After working small cruise ships and tour boats throughout the Pacific Northwest, Southeast Alaska, and Kenai Fjords, she returned to Whittier and her first love, Prince William Sound, where she joined Mike at Lazy Otter. Mike and Kelly raised their family in Prince William Sound and both continue to work preserving the wilderness quality of the Sound. Kelly is the President Greater Whittier Chamber of Commerce.
Charla Hughes and Tim Lydon, “Volunteering with PWSSF and Friends”
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In addition to putting on the annual PWS Natural History Symposium, the Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation coordinates a number of volunteer opportunities each year. Learn more about PWSSF, their growing network of partners, and opportunities to get involved.
Charla Hughes is the Executive Director of the Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation. She joined PWSSF in 2021 after a decade in academia. Charla has a Ph.D. in English from Louisiana State University, and her writing–on everything from mid-century American poetry to backpacker fashion–has appeared in various popular and academic publications.
Tim Lydon is the U.S. Forest Service wilderness manager for the Nellie Juan-College Fiord Wilderness Study Area in western Prince William Sound. He arrived on the Chugach National Forest in 2011, after nearly 20 years in wilderness management on the Tongass National Forest in Juneau. He spent many years guiding rafting, kayaking, and snow machine tours. Tim is also a freelance writer, the assistant editor of Alaska magazine, and the author of a book on sea kayaking in British Columbia and Alaska. He is a founding member of the Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation and with his wife, Barbara, enjoys showing their young daughter the wonders of the Sound.
Dennis Staley, “The Science behind Monitoring Operations at the Barry Arm Landslide, Northwestern Prince William Sound, Alaska”
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Nestled in the northwest corner of Prince William Sound lurks the Barry Arm landslide–a large, slow-moving landslide with the potential to generate a regionally impactful tsunami should it catastrophically fail into the water. Since 2020, a multi-agency team of scientists has been conducting research and monitoring operations in Barry Arm for the purpose of better understanding the hazard potential of the landslide and to support an experimental warning system at the National Tsunami Warning Center. This presentation focuses on the science behind the landslide monitoring effort, and how the tools we use to track landslide activity can be used to advance our understanding of landslide processes while simultaneously providing situational awareness of evolving hazard and supporting emergency management plans and warning.
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Dennis Staley is a Research Physical Scientist in the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory where he is the USGS lead on a multi-agency project focusing on the diverse landslides and their hazards in Alaska.
Terri Lomax and Maryann Fidel, “Assessment of EVOS Impacted Beaches: Lingering Oil Listing Methodology”
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Terri and Maryann discuss the immediate and lasting impacts of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. They share the new listing methodology the DEC is developing specific to lingering oil, which is needed because of lingering oil’s unique sequestered nature. This methodology is used to evaluate data to determine areas that are impaired so they can be prioritized for conservation, restoration, or protection and focuses on whether the uses (wildlife or human health) are met. In cases where the data aren’t clear or are incomplete, it allows for multiple lines of evidence to be considered. EVOS impacted beaches are the first test case, and the methodology will apply to other sites in Alaska as they are identified.
Terri Lomax oversees the Water Quality program within the Division of Water, this includes non-point source pollution prevention, water quality standards, and ambient water quality monitoring. She has been with DEC, specifically the Division of Water, for 21 years. Terri has worked all over the state, from the Arctic to the Aleutians conducting freshwater, wetland, and marine surveys.
Maryann Fidel manages water quality monitoring in ports and shipping lanes for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Before that, she provided science support for Alaska Native nonprofits on a variety of different research topics, often with a focus on water quality. She has a BIG love for Prince William Sound that began while growing up in Anchorage and grew while guiding kayak trips out of Valdez, working on her thesis at APU, and as a Wilderness Kayak Ranger for the Glacier Ranger District.
Dave Snider, “I'd like to forget about the Tsunami in my backyard”
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The beauty of Alaska and infrequency of a hazardous wave from the ocean make it easy to forget about one of nature's most powerful geohazard events. Caution, preparedness, and a plan are part of living, working, and playing in Prince William Sound.
Dave Snider's unwavering commitment to public service has been recognized and awarded. He was crucial in the initial November 2018 magnitude 7.1 earthquake response and previous record-breaking wildfire seasons. Dave has been recognized for decades of community service with Alaska’s youth in the Scouting America program, and holds the American Meteorological Society’s Broadcast Seal of Approval. Before joining the National Tsunami Warning Center, Dave was NWS Alaska’s “Alaska Weather” TV Program Leader. Dave supplied Alaska’s mariners and aviators with a daily heads-up for travel, work, and critical weather decisions around Alaska for those who don’t receive adequate weather information through weather apps, television shows, or web services from contemporary sources. With 25 years of award-winning broadcast weather and social media work in Colorado, North Carolina, Missouri, and Alaska, Dave has provided the public and decision-makers with crucial safety information during blizzards, hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, and tornado outbreaks.
Jamie Loan, "From the Ground Up: How Grassroots Growth is Transforming Our Community"
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Jamie shares the impacts of Whittier Parks & Recreation’s grassroots volunteerism through a range of projects that participants can join.
Jamie Loan is an active Whittier community member and small business owner.
Pete Johnson, “Seeds of Knowledge, Harvesting Wild Collected Seed”
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Have you ever been out exploring and came across a beautiful wildflower or extraordinary plant that you wish you could see each day? Do you love the smell of elderberry in the spring and wish your own landscaping smelled that way? Many of us may have contemplated collecting that flower or digging up that plant, but didn’t have the heart to do so. Well, what if we collected the propagative material to establish our own native sanctuary in our backyard?
Pete explains some of the benefits and difficulties you can expect while harvesting and planting native seed from plants collected in our National Forest. Components of this process include determining harvest timing, processing, species selection, storage, and pre-planting work.
Pete Johnson studied as an agronomist (whatever that is) before moving to Alaska. He has worked across Alaska in the Federal, State, and Private sectors studying various habitats and the plants that inhabit them. He has planned and executed mine reclamations, revegetation projects, streambank restorations, and habitat improvements utilizing wild collected and propagated native plant seed.
His role as an Ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service in the Prince William Sound provides him the opportunity to serve as a steward for the forest, preserving the health, diversity, and longevity of the ecosystems within the Prince William Sound.
Douglas Causey, “Where Have All the Fish Gone?”
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Doug shares about the nearly 10 years of salmonid surveys that he and his students have been doing in Portage Valley, and how in the past 2 years the numbers of salmonid smolt (< 2 years old) have decreased dramatically, with some species (eg., Coho) no longer being detected.
Douglas Causey is Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage and Associate of Harvard’s Arctic Initiative. An ecologist and evolutionary biologist by training, he has authored over two hundred publications on the environmental correlates of Arctic climate change, the ecology of breeding seabirds and waterfowl of the Bering Sea region, and most recently, on the disease ecology of Alaska bats. He and his students are actively conducting research in the Chugach NF, the northern Bering Sea, and Northwestern Greenland. He has published extensively on policy issues related to the dynamics of Arctic One-Health, Arctic environmental security, and Arctic biosecurity and public health.
Douglas Causey, “Hidden but Everywhere! Little Brown Bats of Chugach National Forest”
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Doug focuses on the 10 years of bat surveys he and his students have been doing in Portage Valley, and–good news!--they are numerous, active, and just emerging right now. He talks about their natural history, and importance in our natural environments.
Douglas Causey is Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage and Associate of Harvard’s Arctic Initiative. An ecologist and evolutionary biologist by training, he has authored over two hundred publications on the environmental correlates of Arctic climate change, the ecology of breeding seabirds and waterfowl of the Bering Sea region, and most recently, on the disease ecology of Alaska bats. He and his students are actively conducting research in the Chugach NF, the northern Bering Sea, and Northwestern Greenland. He has published extensively on policy issues related to the dynamics of Arctic One-Health, Arctic environmental security, and Arctic biosecurity and public health.
Charla Hughes, "Closing Remarks and Group Poem"
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PWSSF Executive Director Charla Hughes shares our group poem, assembled from words and phrases submitted by participants. She thanks PWSSF’s many sponsors, who make the PWS Natural History Symposium possible.