To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Alaska. Dept. of Environmental Conservation.
Journal articles on the topic 'Alaska. Dept. of Environmental Conservation'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 journal articles for your research on the topic 'Alaska. Dept. of Environmental Conservation.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Huntington, Henry P. "Conservation and Abundance in Alaska." Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 56, no. 1 (December 23, 2013): 30–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00139157.2014.861678.
Full text
2
Bisbal, Gustavo A., and Chas E. Jones. "Responses of Native American cultural heritage to changes in environmental setting." AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples 15, no. 4 (May 10, 2019): 359–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1177180119847726.
Full textAbstract:
Cultural expressions of American Indian and Alaska Natives reflect the relationship between American Indian and Alaska Natives and the plant and animal species present in an area. Different forces that modify that relationship and influence those expressions can potentially shape American Indian and Alaska Natives cultural heritage and even compromise their cultural identity. Herein, we propose seven modalities to illustrate how American Indian and Alaska Natives cultural expressions may respond to changes in environmental settings that alter the relationship between plant and animal assemblages, and Native peoples. Each modality provides insight into the vulnerability, resilience, and adaptive capacity of American Indian and Alaska Natives cultural expressions to changes in environmental settings. Future research may delve deeper into these modalities and help identify appropriate methods for managing culturally important resources. More culturally sensitive management approaches may strengthen conservation practices and safeguard the cultural legacy of indigenous groups.
3
Conway, Michael A. "A HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF OIL DISPERSANT GUIDELINES FOR ALASKA." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1987, no. 1 (April 1, 1987): 189–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1987-1-189.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT The Oil Dispersant Guidelines for Alaska, Cook Inlet Section, were implemented on August 6, 1986, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation signed a Memorandum of Agreement. State and federal agencies, private industry, commercial fishermen, and environmentalists had to work together toward this achievement. Without this cooperative effort, there would be no planning for effective dispersant use in Alaska as a spill control method.
4
Dietrick, Larry, Geoff Harben, and Mark Burger. "ALASKA NEARSHORE DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1995, no. 1 (February 1, 1995): 1035–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1995-1-1035.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) was appropriated $1.2 million to design and conduct nearshore demonstration (NSD) projects in the Gulf of Alaska and southeast Alaska. The objective of these projects was to demonstrate response equipment positioned in coastal communities using local resources and local vessels of opportunity to contain and recover oil from orphan spills or spills that have escaped primary containment efforts. Depending on the coastal communities involved, the vessels of opportunity may be seiners, trollers, gill-netters, crabbers, or tenders. The NSD project successfully served as a prototype for the development of a statewide nearshore coastal oil spill response capability.
5
Schuler, Alicia R., and Heidi C. Pearson. "Conservation Benefits of Whale Watching in Juneau, Alaska." Tourism in Marine Environments 14, no. 4 (December 18, 2019): 231–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.3727/154427319x15719404264632.
Full textAbstract:
An increasing number of visitors to Juneau, AK, alongside a predictable population of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), has supported the substantial growth of its whale-watching industry. The industry provides benefits to the community through economic gains, while the experience can foster environmental awareness and support for protection of whales and the environment. However, the sustainability of the industry could be jeopardized if increasing whale-watching vessel pressure affects the health of its resource, the whales. This study investigates whether participation in whale-watching tours in Juneau, AK can support conservation of whales and the environment. Participant knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors were obtained from 2,331 respondents in surveys before, after, and 6 months after a whale-watching tour during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Following a whale watch, the percentage of participants that indicated whale watching as a knowledge source increased (p = 0.022), awareness of guidelines and regulations doubled (p < 0.001), and strong support for regulations increased (p = 0.016). Six months later, these responses remained significantly higher than before the whale watch. Despite knowledge of distance threshold increasing after a whale watch (p = 0.003) and 6 months after (p = 0.021), getting close to whales remained an important factor in a participant's whale watch. Participants had a higher likelihood of strongly supporting guidelines and regulations if they indicated that boats can have a negative impact on whales or were aware of guidelines and regulations. Lastly, participants that acknowledged negative effects on whales from boats had higher overall proenvironmental attitudes. This study indicates that incorporating messages that facilitate participant awareness of guidelines/regulations and the purpose of those measures can support conservation and protection of local whale populations through managing participant expectations and ultimately encouraging operator compliance.
6
DCD and A. R. DeGange. "A Conservation Assessment for the Marbled Murrelet in Southeast Alaska." Colonial Waterbirds 20, no. 3 (1997): 630. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1521621.
Full text
7
Vidrine, Grant, Larry Dietrick, Carl Lautenberger, and Charlene Hutton. "Integrated Incident Management System." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1999, no. 1 (March 1, 1999): 867–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1999-1-867.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT The North Slope of Alaska Oil Operators—ARCO, (Alaska), Inc.; BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc.; and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company—and their governing agencies—Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)—currently use some form of the Incident Command System (ICS) to manage oil spill incidents and exercises. Although the ICS principles are similar, the structure, terminology and forms are diverse. The North Slope operators and regulatory agencies in Alaska are “thinking out-of-the-box” these days with the development of a new, all hazards, systems to maximize the use of resources on the North Slope. The new integrated Incident Management System (IMS) was designed to offer benefits such as standardized processes, forms and nomenclature, integrated organizational structures, common management/training, enhanced interactions, shared learning's, central coordination, standard Emergency Operation Center layouts, and access to equipment and personnel.
8
Young, Harry, Larry Dietrick, Arthur Pilot, Geoff Harben, and Mark Burger. "DEVELOPING THE STATE ON-SCENE COORDINATORS' COURSE FOR ALASKA." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1995, no. 1 (February 1, 1995): 1019–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1995-1-1019.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT Before the development of the state on-scene coordinators’ course, spill response training available to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation focused on technical aspects, safety, and the incident command system. To function in a unified command and carry out legislatively mandated tasks, a program was needed to instruct responders in the department's duties. As the course evolved, a synergistic relationship developed, which is redefining the response program.
9
Trudel, Ken, Peter Armato, Brad Hahn, Leslie Pearson, Dennis Maguire, Sharon O. Hillman, Ron Morris, and D. D. Buzz Rome. "Dispersant Use In Alaska: An Update1." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1999, no. 1 (March 1, 1999): 807–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1999-1-807.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT A decade ago, Alaska became the first region in the United States to implement detailed dispersant use guidelines and to develop a system for making dispersant use decisions rapidly. Currently, within the state, there exists the largest single dispersant response capability in the United States, and preparations are in place to use this capability when needed. Recognizing that there has been considerable progress in dispersant knowledge over the intervening 10 years and that certain stakeholder groups have expressed concerns over the potential effectiveness of dispersants and the environmental risks associated with their use, a group of stakeholder organizations sponsored a conference to review the new information and reassess these issues. The sponsors included the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Alyeska Pipeline Services/SERVS, Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council, Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute, and the U.S. Coast Guard. From a technical perspective, the conference focused on four aspects of dispersant use in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska: (1) the potential effectiveness of available dispersant products against Alaska North Slope crude oil under the range of environmental conditions that exist in PWS; (2) the potential short- and long-term fate of chemically dispersed oil in the Sound's deep, basin-like fjord system; (3) the state of knowledge concerning environmental risks and trade-offs associated with dispersant use in PWS; and (4) the needs and methods for monitoring the effectiveness and environmental effects of dispersant operations. This paper synthesizes information concerning the major issues as identified and discussed by conference participants.
10
Starsman, Jessica, Ashley Adamczak, and Tom DeRuyter. "Alaskan North Slope Legacy Wells: Case Study." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2014, no. 1 (May 1, 2014): 697–710. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2014.1.697.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT Various State of Alaska agencies, including the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), are currently investigating 136 legacy wells within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) and surrounding lands. These legacy wells were drilled between 1944 and 1981 by federal agencies, including the United States Navy and United States Geological Survey, to explore oil reserve potential and to develop drilling techniques for Alaska's arctic. In 2004, 2010 and 2013 the Bureau of Land Management released preliminary studies describing potential environmental risks at each site. Many wells include historic reserve pits, flare pits, crude and diesel oil releases, and discarded solid waste. Tundra damage and potential residual contamination are of great concern. Due to their remote locations, information on the current status of waste is limited. Regulatory agencies are developing a cleanup plan that is appropriate for their remote, Arctic environment.
11
Crosby, Clara, John Bauer, and Dale Gardner. "THE ALASKA SHORELINE CLEANUP GUIDANCE AND STANDARDS MANUAL." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2008, no. 1 (May 1, 2008): 1209–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2008-1-1209.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) Spill Prevention and Response Division is compiling a Shoreline Cleanup Guidance and Standards Manual that captures statewide standards for oil-impacted shoreline cleanup and the lessons learned from previous spill response efforts, including the MIV Selendang AYU (2004), the M/V Kuroshima (1997), and the T/V Exxon Valdez (1989) oil spills. Important elements of the manual include the capture of cleanup endpoint criteria and prescribed controls required for specific techniques. The criteria and controls have been developed as a result of experience from previous oil spill cleanups. The criteria, reviewed and approved by State resources agency representatives from the Alaska Departments of Environmental Conservation, Fish and Game, and Natural Resources, now sets the statewide standard for shoreline cleanup of persistent oiling. The manual presents not only the State of Alaska'S shoreline endpoint standards but also the State'S requirements, policies, and expectations for cleanup of oil-impacted shorelines, including: the cleanup approval process; prescribed controls required for specific techniques; and the identification of current, ‘alternative’, or chemical shoreline treatment techniques that may be considered during shoreline cleanup operations. The manual describes many common shoreline cleanup techniques and outlines “best-use” practices, but does not identify new techniques or technologies. Conditions specific to Alaska are summarized, including primary shoreline types and primary oil types that are transported in bulk or most likely to be of concern. In most instances, the primary users will be incident management teams facilitating development of incident-specific shoreline cleanup plans. The manual will also serve ADEC staff, Responsible Parties, State and federal trustee agencies, and land managers.
12
Knorr, John R., Nancy Lethcoe, Andy Teal, Sharon Christopherson, and John Whitney. "The Interagency Shoreline Cleanup Committee: A Cooperative Approach to Shoreline Cleanup—the Exxon Valdez Spill." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1991, no. 1 (March 1, 1991): 189–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1991-1-189.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT Following the spill of 11 million gallons of North Slope crude oil by the Exxon Valdez in Alaska on March 24, 1989, a major cooperative effort to plan for the cleanup of Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska shorelines was undertaken in Valdez, Alaska. All aspects of the spill response—the lightering of oil remaining on the stricken tanker, the containment of free-floating oil, and the unknown miles of remote shoreline to be cleaned up—were much larger than anything in American experience. The event provided unprecedented organizational challenges in shoreline cleanup planning and execution. The scope of the shoreline cleanup and the extended cleanup time anticipated, due to geography, weather, logistics, and other factors, required an organization not specifically identified in the National Contingency Plan or the Alaska regional contingency plan. The Interagency Shoreline Cleanup Committee—an interdisciplinary, interagency cleanup planning group—evolved in Valdez concurrently with the larger response organization implemented under existing contingency plans. As a day-to-day working group serving the needs of the federal on-scene coordinator, it included Exxon, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, federal and state land and resource management agencies, Alaska natives, and commercial fishing and environmental groups. The planning model that evolved was refined and streamlined in early 1990 and carried through the remaining cleanup seasons.
13
Haycox, Stephen. "The Trans-Alaska Pipeline Controversy: Technology, Conservation, and the Frontier. By Peter A. Coates." Environmental History Review 16, no. 2 (1992): 93–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3984932.
Full text
14
Lim, Jonathan S., Sean Gleason, Hannah Strehlau, Lynn Church, Carl Nicolai, Willard Church, and Warren Jones. "Alaska Native Allotments at Risk: Technological Strategies for Monitoring Erosion and Informing Solutions in Southwest Alaska." Land 12, no. 1 (January 13, 2023): 248. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land12010248.
Full textAbstract:
After the United States’ purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, Alaska Native lands have existed in a legal state of aboriginal title, whereby the land rights of its traditional occupants could be extinguished by Congress at any time. With the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in 1971, however, Alaska Native individuals were given the opportunity to select and secure a title to ancestral lands as federally administered ANCSA 14(c) allotments. Today, though, these allotments are threatened by climate-change-driven erosion. In response, our article provides an erosion monitoring tool to quantify the damage caused by coastal and riverine erosion. Using the Yup’ik (pl. Yupiit) community of Quinhagak as a case study, we employ high-precision measurement devices and archival spatial datasets to demonstrate the immense scale of the loss of cultural lands in this region. From 1976 to 2022, an average of 30.87 m of coastline were lost according to 9 ANCSA 14(c) case studies within Quinhagak’s Traditional Land Use Area. In response, we present a free erosion monitoring tool and urge tribal entities in Alaska to replicate our methods for recording and quantifying erosion on their shareholders’ ANCSA 14(c) properties. Doing so will foster urgent dialogue between Alaskan Native communities and lawmakers to determine what measures are needed to protect Alaska Native land rights in the face of new environmental challenges.
15
Bayliss, Randolph, John H. Janssen, Albert Kegler, Marshal Kendziorek, Daniel Lawn, Erich Gundlach, and Arthur D. Little. "Initial State of Alaska Response to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1991, no. 1 (March 1, 1991): 321–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1991-1-321.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT The first weeks of the Exxon Valdez oil spill were critical to the defense of state resources. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) implemented the state spill response plan upon notification in the early hours of March 24, 1989. A local ADEC representative boarded the vessel within three and one-half hours of grounding. Experienced ADEC spill response staff, other state agencies, and two cleanup contract firms were notified that morning and were arriving through the first day. The Governor of Alaska and the Commissioner of ADEC surveyed the wreck that same day. Within 33 hours, ADEC had 30 persons on site. The state notification procedure and plan functioned effectively. Key roles undertaken initially by the state were aerial and computer spill tracking; liaison with fishing groups and local villages; and protection of sensitive habitats, especially salmon hatcheries. Notably, ADEC worked with the Cordova District Fishermen United (CDFU) to defend a critical salmon hatchery directly in the path of the spreading oil. Using the Alaska Air National Guard, two Alaska state ferries, and fishing boats, CDFU volunteers, local Chenega villagers, ADEC staff, and contractors used miles of boom to defend the hatchery. The hatchery was spared from oiling just as millions of salmon fry were released.
16
Taylor, Elliott, Lee Egland, and Stephen Wilson. "SPILL RESPONSE CAPABILITIES IN REMOTE WESTERN ALASKA." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2001, no. 2 (March 1, 2001): 1411–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2001-2-1411.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT The Alaska Petroleum Distributors and Transporters (APD&T) group formulated a proposal to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) for a realistic and reasonable marine response capability throughout Alaska's waters. USCG requested the proposal in an effort to reach a mutually satisfactory alternate compliance solution to the planning standards enacted as part of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). A final agreement for oil spill prevention and discharge planning compliance was reached in June 1999, initiating a 5-year preparedness development implementation program. Economically and operationally realistic planning standards are at issue in coastal Alaska, where more than 30,000 miles of coastline have practically no road access. The APD&T proposal first assessed the exposure or perceived risk of oil transport operations in each of the nine coastal ADEC planning regions (subareas) in Alaska by studying the oil volumes transported along specific routes, frequency and locations of oil transfers, and environmental conditions. The assessed risk and level of response capability were then used as a basis by oversight agencies to identify the areas in which additional resources and logistical infrastructure were required. The key components of the Agreement for Final Compliance in Alaska, are as follows: oil barge operators will maintain a strict tow-wire maintenance program and utilize only twin-screw tugs; spill response equipment for response to average and maximum most probable discharges will be maintained onboard each barge; emergency lightering pumps, independent of oil offloading pumps, will pre-located to ensure their availability within 24 hours; a minimum shoreside response capacity, including boom, sweeps, vessels, personnel, and wildlife and beach kits, will be emplaced in each subarea to supplement the onboard equipment; a logistical infrastructure will be developed at a hub within each of seven subareas to support the planned response capabilities; and a training and exercise program, following National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (NPREP guidelines, will be conducted in each subarea to ensure in-region readiness by personnel and equipment. This poster presentation discusses the risk study, strategies, and committed approach to implement a response capability throughout Western Alaska.
17
Miner, Lydia, Robert Klieforth, and Eppie Hogan. "Two-Volume Contingency Plans in Alaska Provide Focused Information for Responders & Regulators." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2014, no. 1 (May 1, 2014): 299651. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2014-1-299651.1.
Full textAbstract:
Oil discharge prevention and contingency plans (ODPCPs) have been required under Alaska statutes and regulations for oil exploration, production, storage, and transportation facilities since 1992. BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. (BPXA) has prepared and submitted their North Slope ODPCPs (Milne Point, Endicott, Greater Prudhoe Bay, and Northstar) as a single volume for each facility under these requirements. However, in 2011, when the four plans were renewed, BPXA elected to present their ODPCPs in two volumes for each facility. The purpose of this organizational change from one to two volumes was to focus information in each volume; the first volume is a stand-alone Emergency Action Plan for spill responders, dedicated to spill response planning and preparedness, and the second volume is dedicated to spill prevention requirements and procedures. The 2-volume edition allows BPXA's plan writers, operators, and regulators to concentrate on specific response or prevention topics and regulatory compliance. The 2-volume plan is easier to use and revise through the amendment process. This approach is allowed under Alaska regulations and was embraced by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Federal regulators (Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Coast Guard, and US Department of Transportation) have reviewed and approved the 2-volume response plans as well. According to regulators, with such large ODPCPs, the effort to maintain publication efficiency during public review creates a potential risk of confusion or lack of sufficient detail, which may lead to comments that focus on form or style, rather than content. Working with two volumes circumvented this potential problem. Due to the size and lengthy history of the facilities, an comprehensive Alaska regulations governing the contents of ODPCPs, two volumes allowed BPXA to include all of the necessary information for the plans without creating a storage or ergonomic problem for the reviewers. Regular users of the ODPCPs at the BPXA facilities have found that working with a smaller, more focused volume is more efficient.
18
Mighetto, L. "In Darkest Alaska: Travel and Empire Along the Inside Passage. By Robert Campbell. Illustrations, notes, and index and Pioneering Conservation in Alaska. By Ken Ross. Illustrations, maps, tables, notes, bibliography, and index." Environmental History 13, no. 4 (October 1, 2008): 786–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/envhis/13.4.786.
Full text
19
Loring, Philip A., S. Craig Gerlach, David E. Atkinson, and Maribeth S. Murray. "Ways to Help and Ways to Hinder: Governance for Effective Adaptation to an Uncertain Climate." ARCTIC 64, no. 1 (March 9, 2011): 73. http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic4081.
Full textAbstract:
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">This paper compares two case studies in Alaska, one on commercial fishers of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region and the other on moose hunters of Interior Alaska, to identify how governance arrangements and management strategies enhance or limit people’s ability to respond effectively to changing climatic and environmental conditions. The two groups face similar challenges regarding the impacts of a changing climate on wild fish and game, but they tell very different stories regarding how and under what conditions these impacts challenge their harvest activities. In both regions, people describe dramatic changes in weather, land, and seascape conditions, and distributions of fish and game. A key finding is that the “command-and-control” model of governance in the Alaska Interior, as implemented through state and federal management tools such as registration hunts and short open seasons, limits effective local responses to environmental conditions, while the more decentralized model of governance created by the Limited Access Privilege systems of the Bering Sea allows fishers great flexibility to respond. We discuss ways to implement aspects of a decentralized decision-making model in the Interior that would benefit hunters by increasing their adaptability and success, while also improving conservation outcomes. Our findings also demonstrate the usefulness of the diagnostic framework employed here for facilitating comparative crossregional analyses of natural resource use and management. </span></p>
20
Bauer, John, Jean Cameron, and Larry Iwamoto. "PLACES OF REFUGE GUIDELINES." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2005, no. 1 (May 1, 2005): 311–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2005-1-311.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT The Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force (Oil Spill Task Force) and the Alaska Regional Response Team (RRT) are collaborating to develop decision-making and planning guidelines which “operationalize” the International Maritime Organization's Places of Refuge guidelines. These guidelines will incorporate the authorities of the US and Canadian Coast Guards, state, provincial, local, and tribal governments, and resource agencies. The decision-making section of the guidelines provides step-by-step procedures and checklists to analyze the risks of allowing a ship in need of assistance to proceed to a place of refuge. The planning section of the guidelines provides a process to pre-identify information necessary for responding to requests for places of refuge and identifying potential places of refuge prior to an incident. The Oil Spill Task Force effort involves a workgroup of regional stakeholders co-chaired by the Task Force agencies and the US Coast Guard, Pacific Area. The separate Alaska initiative is being accomplished by a workgroup of the Alaska RRT co-chaired by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) and US Coast Guard, District 17. Both projects are developing concurrently and include persons serving as liaisons between the two efforts in order to promote consistency and share information. The Oil Spill Task Force Guidelines provide a template for member states and the province to use in developing decisionmaking and pre-incident plans tailored to their area. The Alaska guidelines were drafted concurrently with the Oil Spill Task Force process, and sections of their guidelines were modified to reflect area-wide conditions. The Oil Spill Task Force's final guidelines are to be used as a planning annex to US Area Contingency Plans on the West Coast. Alaska will include their guidelines in the Federal/State Unified Plan and subarea plans. Transport Canada and Canadian Coast Guard authorities will adapt the guidelines as appropriate for Canada.
21
Gibeaut, James C., and Ernest Piper. "SHORELINE OIL FROM EXXON VALDEZ: CHANGE FROM 1991 TO 19931." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1995, no. 1 (February 1, 1995): 972–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1995-1-972.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT During summer of 1993, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation surveyed 45 sites in Prince William Sound that were oiled by the March 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The data describe the oil's visual properties and extent. Comparisons provide estimates of oil reduction since 1991. From 1991 to 1993, an estimated 50 percent reduction in the amount of asphalt, surface oil residue, and mousse was largely caused by manual removal and raking. Subsurface oil reduced by about 65 percent. Sites mechanically tilled or from which oiled sediment was removed improved the most, but natural reduction was still greater than 50 percent.
22
Mengerink, Kathryn, David Roche, and Greta Swanson. "Understanding Arctic Co-Management: The U.S. Marine Mammal Approach." Yearbook of Polar Law Online 8, no. 1 (February 8, 2017): 76–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/22116427_008010007.
Full textAbstract:
Co-management is an effective tool through which Alaska Native communities can pursue self-governance and self-determination in regards to marine mammal resources. In the Arctic, co-management typically aims to promote environmental conservation, sustainable resource use, and equitable sharing of resource-related benefits and responsibilities. This paper traces a variety of co-management regimes and other international management frameworks, and posits that co-management of subsistence resources is not just a legal issue or a governance issue, but rather, it is an issue of human rights and environmental justice. It concludes that co-management regimes are most successful when they integrate frameworks for shared responsibility, and build long-term relationships on mutual trust and strong legal agreements.
23
Popovich, Mike, Tim L. Robertson, and Gary Folley. "NEARSHORE OPERATIONS RESPONSE STRATEGY: Overcoming Spill Response Challenges in Remote Areas." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2014, no. 1 (May 1, 2014): 300126. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2014-1-300126.1.
Full textAbstract:
Conducting oil spill recovery operations in remote regions/environments is a daunting challenge. Increased shipping and oil exploration in the Arctic drives the need for developing innovative ways to mitigate oil spills in remote regions. This includes bolstering near-shore spill response to protect coastal resources. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard, and Alaska oil spill response organizations, has developed a Nearshore Operations Response Strategy (NORS) that provides planners and responders with a framework to plan for and carry out long-term oil removal and shoreline protection strategies in the Alaskan near-shore environment. NORS addresses the logistical challenges that exist when considering sustained operations in remote areas without shore-based support facilities. This strategy begins with tactics developed using best available technology to recover oil and protect resources in the near-shore environment. The components of a Nearshore Response Group designed to implement these tactics over a ten mile radius are described. Finally, the elements of a marine logistical base to support the Group for up to 21 days in remote regions are developed.
24
Janssen, John H., and Douglas L. Kane. "THE UNDERGROUND OIL SPILL AT KOTZEBUE, ALASKA: UNKNOWN CAUSE, ELUSIVE CURE." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1987, no. 1 (April 1, 1987): 593–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1987-1-593.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT In 1980, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) became aware of a problem with oil seeping into the elementary school basement of the northwest Alaska coastal community of Kotzebue. After initial investigation, it was determined that 100,000 to 200,000 gal (378,000 to 756,000 L) of #1 fuel oil (diesel) was contaminating an underground area estimated at up to 10 acres (4 ha). The fuel had been in the ground for 25 to 30 years, and may have been associated with fuel storage or handling in the 1950s. ADEC learned that many local residents had been collecting fuel from backyard sumps for years. Many gathered enough to heat their homes, and others sold their excesses of recovered oil. More recently, oil has been observed leaching into Kotzebue Sound from time to time, posing a potential threat to local fisheries. ADEC has since been involved in recovering the oil, using the limited funds available to mitigate the potential environmental and safety problems. Problems experienced in collection of the fuel included a seasonally frozen groundwater aquifer above the permafrost and inconsistent monitoring of the primary collection sump in the school basement. By the fall of 1984, about 40,000 gal (151,000 L) of fuel had been recovered by a variety of methods. A large quantity of oil remains underground, but recovery has been severely reduced, mainly by recent funding constraints and sporadic collection conditions associated with the cold climate and permafrost. The 1986 Alaska state legislature appropriated $50,000 so that ADEC could install monitoring and collection wells and conduct pressure tests of all fuel lines that might be still contributing to the problem. Continuing this cleanup depends on future funding.
25
Zabihi, Khodabakhsh, Falk Huettmann, and Brian Young. "Predicting multi-species bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) occurrence in Alaska: First use of open access big data mining and open source GIS to provide robust inference and a role model for progress in forest conservation." Biodiversity Informatics 16, no. 1 (July 3, 2021): 1–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.17161/bi.v16i1.14758.
Full textAbstract:
Native bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are a multi-species complex that rank among the key disturbances of coniferous forests of western North America. Many landscape-level variables are known to influence beetle outbreaks, such as suitable climatic conditions, spatial arrangement of incipient populations, topography, abundance of mature host trees, and disturbance history that include former outbreaks and fire. We assembled the first open access data, which can be used in open source GIS platforms, for understanding the ecology of the bark beetle organism in Alaska. We used boosted classification and regression tree as a machine learning data mining algorithm to model-predict the relationship between 14 environmental variables, as model predictors, and 838 occurrence records of 68 bark beetle species compared to pseudo-absence locations across the state of Alaska. The model predictors include topography- and climate-related predictors as well as feature proximities and anthropogenic factors. We were able to model, predict, and map the multi-species bark beetle occurrences across the state of Alaska on a 1-km spatial resolution in addition to providing a good quality environmental dataset freely accessible for the public. About 16% of the mixed forest and 59% of evergreen forest are expected to be occupied by the bark beetles based on current climatic conditions and biophysical attributes of the landscape. The open access dataset that we prepared, and the machine learning modeling approach that we used, can provide a foundation for future research not only on scolytines but for other multi-species questions of concern, such as forest defoliators, and small and big game wildlife species worldwide.
26
Cater, T. C., M. T. Jorgenson, S. C. Bishop, and C. L. Rea. "Erosion Control and Restoration of a Sand Dune on the Colville River Delta, Northern Alaska." Ecological Restoration 25, no. 4 (December 1, 2007): 238–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.3368/er.25.4.238.
Full text
27
Majors, Lee, and Tracey Huhndorf. "RESPONDER QUALIFICATIONS - KEEPING IT SIMPLE." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2008, no. 1 (May 1, 2008): 229–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2008-1-229.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT Many spill response organizations have encountered problems when requesting personnel resources during a spill event. Besides a HAZWOPER certification, how do you determine the proper training level and communicate this to the outside resource providers. Alaska Clean Seas developed a simplified catagorization for spill response personnel. The catagories are: General Laborer Skilled Technician Team Leader Vessel Operator- Nearshore Vessel Operator- Offshore Each of these catagories have minimum training requirements. The regulatory agencies in Alaska approved the catagories for use in describing responder needs in member company contingency plans. The State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation adopted the catagories in the development of their Spill Tactics for Alaska Responders (STAR) manual. This manual was developed with input from the OSRO'S in Alaska and the catagories were approved by all of them. With these spill responder catagories, ACS is able to train the North Slope volunteer spill response teams, the Village Response Teams, and the Auxilliary (contract) Response Teams to these levels to meet member company contingency plan requirements. ACS is also able to request personnel during drills and events in a quick and efficient manner. Of course, these levels do not meet all the proficiencies needed during an event. ACS has also developed proficiency checks (PC'S) for each piece of equipment. These check lists provide the method for someone to demonstrate they now how to start and operate a piece of equipment such as skimmers, pumps, boom, etc. Some of the equipment is more complicated and requires a higher level of competency such as bobcats, front end loaders, airboats, etc. The PC'S for these types of equipment have 3 levels: Level 1 familiarization; Level 2 competent operator; Level 3 instructor qualifed. Other qualifications are regulatory driven such as Bird Hazing, Bear Hazing, and Wildlife Capture and Stabilization. With all of these catagorizations and tracking, ACS is able to easily identify response personnel for the tasks required.
28
Parsons, Kim M., Meredith Everett, Marilyn Dahlheim, and Linda Park. "Water, water everywhere: environmental DNA can unlock population structure in elusive marine species." Royal Society Open Science 5, no. 8 (August 2018): 180537. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.180537.
Full textAbstract:
Determining management units for natural populations is critical for effective conservation and management. However, collecting the requisite tissue samples for population genetic analyses remains the primary limiting factor for a number of marine species. The harbour porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ), one of the smallest cetaceans in the Northern Hemisphere, is a primary example. These elusive, highly mobile small animals confound traditional approaches of collecting tissue samples for genetic analyses, yet their nearshore habitat makes them highly vulnerable to fisheries by-catch and the effects of habitat degradation. By exploiting the naturally shed cellular material in seawater and the power of next-generation sequencing, we develop a novel approach for generating population-specific mitochondrial sequence data from environmental DNA (eDNA) using surface seawater samples. Indications of significant genetic differentiation within a currently recognized management stock highlights the need for dedicated eDNA sampling throughout the population's range in southeast Alaska. This indirect sampling tactic for characterizing stock structure of small and endangered marine mammals has the potential to revolutionize population assessment for otherwise inaccessible marine taxa.
29
Overland, James E. "Arctic Climate Extremes." Atmosphere 13, no. 10 (October 13, 2022): 1670. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos13101670.
Full textAbstract:
There are multiple extreme events underway in the Arctic that are beyond previous records: rain in Greenland, Alaska weather variability, and ecosystem reorganizations in the Barents and the northern Bering Sea associated with climate change and sea-ice loss. Such unique extreme events represent a philosophical challenge for interpretation, i.e., a lack of statistical basis, as well as important information for regional adaptation to climate change. These changes are affecting regional food security, human/wildlife health, cultural activities, and marine wildlife conservation. Twenty years ago, the Arctic was more resilient to climate change than now, as sea ice had a broader extent and was three times thicker than today. These new states cannot be assigned probabilities because one cannot a priori conceive of these states. They often have no historical analogues. A way forward for adaptation to future extremes is through scenario/narrative approaches; a recent development in climate change policy is through decision making under deep uncertainty (DMDU).
30
Gundlach, Erich, Eugene A. Pavia, Clay Robinson, and James C. Gibeaut. "Shoreline Surveys at the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: The State of Alaska Response." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1991, no. 1 (March 1, 1991): 519–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1991-1-519.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT The state of Alaska needs information on the shoreline impacts of the Exxon Valdez incident to determine the linear extent of affected shoreline and the degree of oil penetration into the beach versus surface coverage, to assist the shoreline treatment effort, and to monitor oil persistence. Three principal methods were used to obtain data. Low-altitude helicopter surveys were made repeatedly during the first months of the incident to define shoreline impacts as heavy, moderate, light, and “no observed oiling.” A total of 140 ground stations in Prince William Sound, and over 60 stations in the Kenai and Kodiak areas, were set up to make specific measurements of surface coverage, oil penetration, and oil thickness along a topographic profile. An extensive (more than 1,400 km) walking survey was mounted after the 1989 treatment season to determine the extent of oil remaining and to guide the 1990 cleanup effort. More than 160 km of shoreline remained moderately to heavily oiled in the three regions at the end of 1989. Collected data were entered into the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation geographic information system to enable map production, database queries, and report creation. On an as-needed basis, data derived from these surveys were presented to the state on-scene coordinator, other state and federal agencies, and the cleanup operation.
31
Levine, Robert A. "DRILLING FOR REALITY1." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1995, no. 1 (February 1, 1995): 1036–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1995-1-1036.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT ARCO Marine, Inc. (AMI) has been holding regular oil spill drills for its spill team members since the mid-1970s. Over the years the drills have gotten more elaborate and more costly, employing equipment and testing initial response and transition management. By the 1993 drill, it was found, the drills were losing their educational benefits and for the most part had become well-rehearsed stage plays, with spill team members and other participants as actors and equipment as props. The drills were not providing the education necessary to develop team members for their roles as response managers. AMI rethought the drill process and, with the concurrence of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Ship Escort and Response Vessel System, decided that it was time to “drill for reality.”
32
McDuffie, Laura A., Julie C. Hagelin, Marian L. Snively, Grey W. Pendleton, and Audrey R. Taylor. "Citizen Science Observations Reveal Long-Term Population Trends of Common and Pacific Loon in Urbanized Alaska." Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 10, no. 1 (March 1, 2019): 148–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.3996/082018-naf-002.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract For more than 30 y, the Alaska Loon Watch (1985–1999) and the Alaska Loon and Grebe Watch (2000–2015) engaged citizen scientist participants to record more than 10,000 observations of common loons Gavia immer and Pacific loons Gavia pacifia at 346 lakes in five subregions of southcentral Alaska. We used generalized linear mixed models to estimate long-term trends in adult loon counts and chick survival and examined environmental variables associated with loon abundance. Adult common loon counts increased in all five subregions by 0.6–3.6% annually, whereas Pacific loons decreased 3% in the Anchorage subregion, but otherwise had trends not distinguishable from zero. Lake area was positively associated with common loon abundance and negatively associated with Pacific loon abundance. We also noted an inverse relationship between common loon and Pacific loon presence, consistent with the premise of interspecific competition. We did not find strong relationships between loon presence and predictor variables indicative of human disturbance or lakeshore development. Estimates of chick survival over time also revealed no clear pattern, although common loon chicks showed a decline in survival over the study period in one subregion. Citizen science programs provide agencies with a cost-effective tool to collect data over large spatial and temporal extents, which may not be feasible otherwise. However, there are ramifications of common data deficiencies associated with casual or unstructured observations, which can violate the assumptions required for rigorous statistical analysis. The implementation of a carefully predefined sampling protocol can avoid sampling bias, eliminate stringent assumptions, and ensure higher information content of citizen science data.
33
Cittadino, Eugene. "Paul Sears and the Plowshare Advisory Committee." Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences 45, no. 3 (June 1, 2015): 397–446. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/hsns.2015.45.3.397.
Full textAbstract:
In the late 1950s Paul Sears, director of the nation’s first graduate program in conservation, was called upon to join a special committee of leading scientists and engineers to advise the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission on its Plowshare program. Project Plowshare, a creation of scientists at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in California, was designed to utilize nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes, such as excavating harbors and canals, releasing mineral and gas deposits, generating electrical power, and producing radionuclides. The early focus of the Plowshare Advisory Committee was to assess the feasibility of Project Chariot, a planned experiment to use several nuclear detonations to excavate a harbor on the far northwest coast of Alaska, for which the Atomic Energy Commission, under some pressure from Alaska-based scientists, had funded a large number of preliminary environmental investigations. Despite resistance from some of the scientists, local Native American groups, and a number of individuals and organizations in the continental United States, the committee recommended going ahead with Project Chariot as well as with other Plowshare projects conceived on an even larger scale. Sears, best known for his Dust Bowl classic Deserts on the March and later for his suggestion that ecology is a subversive subject, would seem an unlikely supporter of such a program. This article explores his role on the advisory committee within the context of his life and work, and within the framework of the science-government relationship in the United States during the fifties and early sixties, before the environmental movement fully developed.
34
DeCola, Elise G., Tim L. Robertson, Terry Bryant, and Gary Folley. "TAMING THE OIL SPILL PAPERWORK BEAST: THE ALASKA SPILL RESPONSE PERMITS PROJECT." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2005, no. 1 (May 1, 2005): 115–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2005-1-115.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT Spill responders, state and federal agencies, and responsible parties have all acknowledged the fact that the permits, forms, and applications required to mount an effective oil spill response can often slow down the response progress or lead to unnecessary confusion. In Alaska, there are forms in use that are copies of copies of forms that have not been updated in years. In other cases, standard agency forms that are available as Word documents have been slightly modified by various users over time. Some forms appear unnecessary in the response effort and may well be carryovers from other venues. This problem has been exacerbated as many Alaska state agencies have reorganized and in some cases, permitting authorities have been transferred. The Spill Response Permits Project was initiated by the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council (CIRCAC) in response to a common concern, voiced by response organizations, responsible parties, and state and federal agencies, that the paperwork burden associated with an Alaska oil spill response is excessive. CIRCAC provided initial funding to form a work group of industry, agency, and response organization representatives that would be charged with taking a fresh look at Alaska's spill permitting requirements. The work group, co-chaired by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the US Coast Guard, and the Tesoro Alaska Company, began by identifying all oil spill response activities that might generate the need to fill out a permit or authorization form. Next, they inventoried and collected the most up-to-date versions of all permits. Work group participants, including oil spill response cooperatives as well as state and federal agencies with permitting authority, then reviewed all forms and deleted outdated or duplicated requirements. Once the list of permits had been updated, the work group then developed a computer-based organizational tool that could be used to sort, fill out, submit, and file applicable permit forms during an oil spill response or exercise. The computer interface allows the user to enter incident-specific information into a central data set, so that the data may then be exported to the required permit forms with a simple mouse click. The computer tool can be run on any computer platform, with files available for download from the Internet or stored on a CD-Rom. The tool uses the Adobe Acrobat® software application and fills out and stores permit forms in Adobe portable document format (PDF). Additional information about this ongoing project is available at http://www.akgrs.net/Circac/home.htm.
35
Bahagia, Bahagia, Abdul Karim Halim, Leny Muniroh, Rimun Wibowo, Muhammad Shiddiq Ilham Noor, Iis Khaerunnisa Fitriani, Siti Nurkholipah, and Shofa Mahartika. "Nature Environment, Socioeconomic and Culture Value in Gunung Salak Endah Tourism." EDUKATIF : JURNAL ILMU PENDIDIKAN 4, no. 2 (March 10, 2022): 2616–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v4i2.2413.
Full textAbstract:
Nature demaged enable to stop nature tourism because touris rely on nature conservation. Tourist areas such as Wisata Gunung Salak Endah in Bogor are tours that make nature a tourist attraction so that natural preservation must be maintained. The purpose of this study is to find the economic values of nature tourism, cultural values, and efforts to maintain the sustainability of the natural environment. The research uses qualitative methods. While the selection of respondents was done purposively. Data collection is done by in-dept-interview, documentation and observation. The results show that nature tourism empowers the community by involving the community in management such as ticket sales and parking management. At the same time, it provides opportunities for the community to trade food and beverages by opening stalls in the area and outside the area. People can even sell various traditional foods, handicrafts and sell ornamental plants. All produce economic value. There is even a unification of music in this tourist area because there is a grandfather who plays the harp in the midst of beautiful nature so that it is a natural therapy to entertain and relieve stress. Plus there is no change in the culture and social of the community because the Sundanese people in the area know enough about the foreign culture of the visitors' language but do not adopt it. At the same time, they introduce Sundanese culture by speaking Sundanese when someone buys food and drinks. When visitors do not understand, then continue with Indonesian.
36
Fletcher, Sierra, Leslie Pearson, and Tim Robertson. "Multi-stakeholder Marine Risk Assessments in Alaska: Updates from Cook Inlet and the Aleutian Islands." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2014, no. 1 (May 1, 2014): 794–803. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2014.1.794.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT Marine risk assessments are underway for two operating areas of Alaska: one focuses on the most populated region of Alaska and the other on a much more remote area. Both assessments involve a combination of technical analysis and input based on the values and experiences of diverse stakeholders. Collectively, they represent the first implementation of a multi-stakeholder risk assessment process recommended in 2008 by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the U.S. National Academies. The Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment (AIRA) has been underway since 2009, with a total budget of $3 million from the 2004 M/V Selendang Ayu grounding and oil spill settlement funds. A similar, though smaller, risk assessment was initiated for Cook Inlet in 2011. The Cook Inlet Risk Assessment (CIRA) has a total budget of $900,000. Both assessments seek to identify and evaluate risk reduction options to minimize the risk of oil spills from vessels of 300 GT or larger, or those with at least 10,000 gallons of fuel capacity. Both projects are being conducted under the guidance of a small Management Team. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and U.S. Coast Guard sit on both Management Teams. The other Management Team members represent the additional relevant funding agencies: for Cook Inlet, this is the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens' Advisory Council (managing part of the funding for this project) and for the Aleutian Islands this is the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (managing the funds for this project). For each project, there is also a larger Advisory Panel, comprised of representatives of diverse and critical interests in each region, including the shipping and fisheries industries, local government, state and federal agencies, and environmental organizations. Advisory Panel members are selected by the Management team based on their local knowledge, expertise and understanding of the risk posed by the maritime transportation industry. Opportunities for public comment and engagement are provided, along with websites housing all project documents. There is also a Peer Review Panel for the AIRA project. Though the AIRA and CIRA are still underway, this paper provides an update on the wide ranging risk reduction options being considered, the types of technical analyses done and, how these analyses have informed project direction and decision-making, and preliminary observations related to the approaches used.
37
Wellman, Hannah P., Rita M. Austin, Nihan D. Dagtas, Madonna L. Moss, Torben C. Rick, and Courtney A. Hofman. "Archaeological mitogenomes illuminate the historical ecology of sea otters ( Enhydra lutris ) and the viability of reintroduction." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 287, no. 1940 (December 2, 2020): 20202343. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2343.
Full textAbstract:
Genetic analyses are an important contribution to wildlife reintroductions, particularly in the modern context of extirpations and ecological destruction. To address the complex historical ecology of the sea otter ( Enhydra lutris ) and its failed 1970s reintroduction to coastal Oregon, we compared mitochondrial genomes of pre-extirpation Oregon sea otters to extant and historical populations across the range. We sequenced, to our knowledge, the first complete ancient mitogenomes from archaeological Oregon sea otter dentine and historical sea otter dental calculus. Archaeological Oregon sea otters ( n = 20) represent 10 haplotypes, which cluster with haplotypes from Alaska, Washington and British Columbia, and exhibit a clear division from California haplotypes. Our results suggest that extant northern populations are appropriate for future reintroduction efforts. This project demonstrates the feasibility of mitogenome capture and sequencing from non-human dental calculus and the diverse applications of ancient DNA analyses to pressing ecological and conservation topics and the management of at-risk/extirpated species.
38
Oğuz, Mehmet Cemal, Andrea McRae Campbell, Samuel P. Bennett, and Mark C. Belk. "Nematode Parasites of Rockfish (Sebastes spp.) and Cod (Gadus spp.) from Waters near Kodiak Island Alaska, USA." Diversity 13, no. 9 (September 10, 2021): 436. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d13090436.
Full textAbstract:
Distribution and abundance of common parasitic nematodes in marine fishes is not well documented in many geographic regions. Understanding the influence of large-scale environmental changes on infection rates of fish by nematodes requires quantitative assessments of parasite abundance for multiple host species. We collected samples of two species of cod and eight species of rockfish (total of 232 specimens) from waters near Kodiak Island, Alaska, USA during Spring and Summer of 2015, and dissected and recorded all internal nematode parasites. We quantified the prevalence and intensity of nematode parasites in the ten host species, and tested for differences in prevalence among host species. We found three species of nematode: Anisakis simplex, sensu lato (Van Thiel), Pseudoterranova decipiens, sensu lato (Krabbe), and Hysterothylacium sp. (Ward and Magath). Eighty-two percent of the examined fish were infected with at least one parasitic nematode. The overall prevalence of P. decipiens, A. simplex, and Hysterothylacium sp. was 56%, 62%, and 2%, respectively. Anisakis simplex and P. decipiens were abundant and present in all ten species of host fish examined, whereas Hysterothylacium sp. was rare and found in only five of the host fish species. Prevalence and mean intensity of P. decipiens and A. simplex varied across the ten host species, and the number of parasites varied substantially among individual hosts within host species. The mean intensity of P. terranova and A. simplex in our study was substantially higher than the mean intensity for these same species from multiple other locations in a recent meta-analysis. This study provides a baseline of nematode parasite abundance in long-lived fish in waters near Kodiak Island, AK, and fills an important gap in our quantitative understanding of patterns of occurrence and abundance of these common and widespread parasites of marine fish.
39
FERNANDEZ-GIMENEZ, MARIA E., HENRY P. HUNTINGTON, and KATHRYN J. FROST. "Integration or co-optation? Traditional knowledge and science in the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee." Environmental Conservation 33, no. 4 (December 2006): 306–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0376892906003420.
Full textAbstract:
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has become a focus of increasing attention by natural resource managers over the past decade, particularly in the context of the shared management authority between resource users and government agencies (co-management). Little work has been done on how TEK can be successfully integrated with science and applied in contemporary science-based resource management institutions, and the efficacy and legitimacy of co-management and associated attempts to document TEK or integrate it with science have recently been questioned. The cooperative research programme of one co-management group, the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee (ABWC), was studied to describe how TEK and science are integrated and applied in the research process, document perceptions and attitudes of native hunters and scientists towards TEK and science, and identify organizational characteristics that facilitate knowledge integration. Hunters and TEK played a variety of roles in ABWC's research programme, including hypothesis generation, sample collection and data interpretation. Hunters and scientists defined TEK similarly, but differed in their views of science, which hunters often perceived as a tool of state control. Despite political undercurrents, the ABWC displayed several indicators of successful knowledge integration. Organizational characteristics that facilitated integration included a membership structure fostering genuine power-sharing and a range of opportunities for formal and informal interactions among hunters and scientists leading to long-term relationships and an organizational culture of open communication and transparency in decision-making. Given the importance of long-term relationships between scientists and hunters for successful knowledge integration, this study raises questions about (1) the potential for meaningful integration in short-term projects such as environmental impact assessment and (2) the use of TEK documentation studies in the absence of other forms of active participation by TEK- holders.
40
Vincenzi, Simone, Scott Hatch, Thomas Merkling, and Alexander S. Kitaysky. "Carry-over effects of food supplementation on recruitment and breeding performance of long-lived seabirds." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282, no. 1812 (August 7, 2015): 20150762. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.0762.
Full textAbstract:
Supplementation of food to wild animals is extensively applied as a conservation tool to increase local production of young. However, in long-lived migratory animals, the carry-over effects of food supplementation early in life on the subsequent recruitment of individuals into natal populations and their lifetime reproductive success are largely unknown. We examine how experimental food supplementation early in life affects: (i) recruitment as breeders of kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla born in a colony on Middleton Island (Alaska) between 1996 and 2006 ( n = 1629) that bred in the same colony through 2013 ( n = 235); and (ii) breeding success of individuals that have completed their life cycle at the colony ( n = 56). Birds were raised in nests that were either supplemented with food (Fed) or unsupplemented (Unfed). Fledging success was higher in Fed compared with Unfed nests. After accounting for hatching rank, growth and oceanic conditions at fledging, Fed fledglings had a lower probability of recruiting as breeders in the Middleton colony than Unfed birds. The per-nest contribution of breeders was still significantly higher for Fed nests because of their higher productivity. Lifetime reproductive success of a subset of kittiwakes that thus far had completed their life cycle was not affected by the food supplementation during development. Our results cast light on the carry-over effects of early food conditions on the vital rates of long-lived animals and support food supplementation as an effective conservation strategy for long-lived seabirds.
41
Byrne, Tomás, Niall Farrelly, Colin Kelleher, Trevor R. Hodkinson, Stephen L. Byrne, and Susanne Barth. "Genetic Diversity and Structure of a Diverse Population of Picea sitchensis Using Genotyping-by-Sequencing." Forests 13, no. 9 (September 17, 2022): 1511. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f13091511.
Full textAbstract:
Picea sitchensis, Sitka spruce, is of interest to forestry as both a conservation species and a highly productive crop. Its native range stretches from Alaska to California, and it is hence distributed across a large environmental cline with areas of local adaptation. The IUFRO collection, established in 1968–1970, consists of 81 provenances of commercial and scientific interest spanning this native range. We used genotyping-by-sequencing on 1177 genotypes, originating from 80 of the IUFRO provenances which occupy 19 geographic regions of the Pacific Northwest, resulting in an SNP database of 36,567 markers. We detected low levels of genetic differentiation across this broad environmental cline, in agreement with other studies. However, we discovered island effects on geographically distant populations, such as those on Haida Gwaii and Kodiak Island. Using glaciation data, alongside this database, we see apparent post-glacial recolonization of the mainland from islands and the south of the range. Genotyping the IUFRO population expands upon the use of the collection in three ways: (i) providing information to breeders on genetic diversity which can be implemented into breeding programs, optimizing genetic gain for important traits; (ii) serving a scientific resource for studying spruce species; and (iii) utilizing provenances in breeding programs which are more tolerant to climate change.
42
Majid, Ainun. "PEMAKNAAN LOGO RUMAH ATSIRI INDONESIA DALAM DISKURSUS KONSERVASI ARSITEKTURAL." ANDHARUPA: Jurnal Desain Komunikasi Visual & Multimedia 8, no. 01 (April 16, 2022): 80–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.33633/andharupa.v8i01.4678.
Full textAbstract:
AbstrakLogo adalah bahasa visual yang merupakan abstraksi dan representasi dari banyak hal. Logo sering berisi kode atau tanda artistik yang hanya dimengerti oleh konvensi tertentu. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk memahami pemaknaan logo Rumah Atsiri Indonesia baik secara tekstual maupun kontekstual. Kajian tekstual membahas elemen-elemen pembentuk visual logo, seperti bentuk dasar, warna, dan teks. Pada pemaknaan kontekstual lebih mendalami perihal aspek kesejarahan yang melatarbelakangi pembentukan pemilihan logo itu sendiri. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi kasus. Studi kasus dipilih agar data yang digali lebih spesifik dan mendalam melalui observasi, wawancara, dan studi literatur. Pada tahap analisis, data dari lapangan akan dielaborasi dengan data dari literatur seperti, buku, jurnal, dan penelusuran website. Hasil yang diperoleh dari penelitian ini antara lain, bentuk logo mengambil bentuk dasar fasad bangunan lama, dan pemilihan nama Rumah Atsiri Indonesia (kedua hal tersebut) merupakan abstraksi dari tindakan penerusan spirit cita-cita lama Pabrik Citronella 1963; warna pada logo adalah hasil perpaduan nuansa tanah dan cahaya matahari sebagai respon terhadap alam sekitar; pemilihan font memiliki kesamaan nuansa dengan gaya arsitektur bangunan lama dan sejarah keberadaan bangunan tersebut. Proses kreatif tersebut merupakan upaya untuk membentuk otentisitas Rumah Atsiri Indonesia melalui logo. Kata Kunci: logo, revitalisasi, Rumah Atsiri Indonesia, sejarah, semiotika AbstractThe Logo is one of polysemic sign language. It contains multiple subjective and objective meanings. This research will textually and contextually discuss the logo of Rumah Atsiri Indonesia. In textual area, the limit of this research will be on logo’s visual elements such as form, color, and body text. In contextual area, it will discuss historical reason behind the creative process of the logo. This research is qualitative study uses case study approaching. Case study is the best approach to lead researcher to a dept and specific information through observation, interview, and literature study. The datas both from field research and literature will be elaborated. Findings show that the main idea of the logo’s form is created from the roaster shape in old building’s façade. The name ‘Rumah Atsiri Indonesia’ and the fact that the logo’s form is taking from roaster’s design were derived by a willing of physically and historically conservation of the past 1963 company ‘Citronella Factory’; the color of the logo represents soil, sunlight and is a response to embrace the nature; typeface design follows the antiquity of old company and its historycal aspects. Thus, the discussion conclued that the logo of Rumah Atsiri Indonesia is symbol of its authenticity. Keywords: conservation, history, logo, Rumah Atsiri Indonesia, semiotic
43
Shaw, David G. "The Exxon Valdez Oil-spill: Ecological and Social Consequences." Environmental Conservation 19, no. 3 (1992): 253–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0376892900031052.
Full textAbstract:
Major oil-spills, such as occurred following the grounding of the tanker Exxon Valdez in March 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska, account for only a small fraction of the total anthropogenic input of petroleum to the marine environment. Yet major spills can result in significant and even acute impacts, trigger ecological changes requiring decades for recovery, and command considerable public attention. Thus catastrophic oil-spills in general, and the Exxon Valdez spill in particular, differ from other chronic human alterations of coastal marine systems.Estimates of the fate of the 38,000 metric tons of crude oil lost by the Exxon Valdez are imprecise, but perhaps 30–40% evaporated, 10–25% was recovered, and the rest remains in the marine environment. Roughly 1,500 km of coastline were oiled in varying degrees. Much of this coastline consists of gravel beaches into which oil penetrated to depths as great as 1 m.The ecological effects of the spill on the marine environments of Prince William Sound and adjacent coastal areas of the Gulf of Alaska were extensive, but natural recovery, aided by clean-up efforts, is expected. Judging by the consequences of other oil-spills affecting rocky shorelines, as well as previous natural and anthropogenic disturbances to Prince William Sound, it appears likely that most affected biotic communities and ecosystems will recover to approximately their pre-spill functional and structural characteristic within from five to twenty-five years.This oil-spill had major social effects. Many individuals, whether personally present or viewing the spill around the world on television, were saddened by the environmental damage, and felt that an important public trust had been broken. These feelings, together with dissatisfaction with the results of early clean-up efforts, gave rise to popular sentiment in favour of every possible clean-up and mitigation effort — regardless of cost, effectiveness, or possible negative consequences.The response to the Exxon Valdez oil-spill by government and the oil industry revealed serious inadequacies in the plans and institutions for dealing with major marine oilspills in the United States. Attempts to recover spilled oil, and to respond to the spill's environmental consequences, were hampered by a low level of preparedness and lack of clear agreement about the goals of response efforts. Attempts are under way to improve oil-spill prevention and response capabilities in Alaska and the rest of the United States. However, these efforts are not yet complete, and it remains to be seen whether an improved response will be made to the next major oil-spill.
44
Pearson, Christopher, Dean Howard, Christopher Moore, and Daniel Obrist. "Mercury and trace metal wet deposition across five stations in Alaska: controlling factors, spatial patterns, and source regions." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 19, no. 10 (May 23, 2019): 6913–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6913-2019.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. A total of 1360 weeks of mercury (Hg) wet deposition data were collected by the state of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. National Park Service across five stations spanning up to 8 years. Here, we analyze concentration patterns, source regions, and seasonal and annual Hg deposition loadings across these five sites in Alaska, along with auxiliary trace metals including Cr, Ni, As, and Pb. We found that Hg concentrations in precipitation at the two northernmost stations, Nome (64.5∘ N) along the coast of the Bering Sea and the inland site of Gates of the Arctic (66.9∘ N), were statistically higher (average of 5.3 and 5.5 ng L−1, respectively) than those at the two lowest-latitude sites, Kodiak Island (57.7∘ N, 2.7 ng L−1) and Glacier Bay (58.5∘ N, 2.6 ng L−1). These differences were largely explained by different precipitation regimes, with higher precipitation at the lower-latitude stations leading to dilution effects. The highest annual Hg deposition loads were consistently observed at Kodiak Island (4.80±1.04 µg m−2), while the lowest annual deposition was at Gates of the Arctic (2.11±0.67 µg m−2). Across all stations and collection years, annual precipitation strongly controlled annual Hg deposition, explaining 73 % of the variability in observed annual Hg deposition. The data further showed that annual Hg deposition loads across all five Alaska sites were consistently among the lowest in the United States, ranking in the lowest 1 % to 5 % of over 99 monitoring stations. Detailed back-trajectory analyses showed diffuse source regions for most Hg deposition sites suggesting largely global or regional Hg sources. One notable exception was Nome, where we found increased Hg contributions from the western Pacific Ocean downwind of East Asia. Analysis of other trace elements (As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Se, Zn) from Dutch Harbor, Nome, and Kodiak Island showed generally higher trace metal concentrations at the northern station Nome compared to Kodiak Island further to the south, with concentrations at Dutch Harbor falling in between. Across all sites, we find two distinct groups of correlating elements: Cr and Ni and As and Pb. We attribute these associations to possibly different source origins, whereby sources of Ni and Cr may be derived from crustal (e.g., dust) sources while As and Pb may include long-range transport of anthropogenic pollution. Hg was not strongly associated with either of these two groups.
45
Rappazzo, Brendan H., Morgan E. Eisenlord, Olivia J. Graham, Lillian R. Aoki, Phoebe D. Dawkins, Drew Harvell, and Carla Gomes. "EeLISA: Combating Global Warming Through the Rapid Analysis of Eelgrass Wasting Disease." Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence 35, no. 17 (May 18, 2021): 15156–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1609/aaai.v35i17.17779.
Full textAbstract:
Global warming is the greatest threat facing our planet, and is causing environmental disturbance at an unprecedented scale. We are strongly positioned to leverage the advancements of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) which provide humanity, for the first time in history, an analysis and decision making tool at massive scale. Strong evidence supports that global warming is contributing to marine ecosystem decline, including eelgrass habitat. Eelgrass is affected by an opportunistic marine pathogen and infections are likely exacerbated by rising ocean temperatures. The necessary disease analysis required to inform conservation priorities is incredibly laborious, and acts as a significant bottleneck for research. To this end, we developed EeLISA (Eelgrass Lesion Image Segmentation Application). EeLISA enables ecologist experts to train a segmentation module to perform this crucial analysis at human level accuracy, while minimizing their labeling time and integrating into their existing workflow. EeLISA has been deployed for over 16 months, and has facilitated the preparation of four manuscripts including a critical eelgrass study ranging from Southern California to Alaska. These studies, utilizing EeLISA, have led to scientific insight and discovery in marine disease ecology.
46
Murphy, Robert D., John A. Hagan, Bradley P. Harris, Suresh A. Sethi, T. Scott Smeltz, and Felipe Restrepo. "Can Landsat Thermal Imagery and Environmental Data Accurately Estimate Water Temperatures in Small Streams?" Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 12, no. 1 (February 16, 2021): 12–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.3996/jfwm-20-048.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The ability to monitor water temperature is important for assessing changes in riverine ecosystems resulting from climate warming. Direct in situ water temperature collection efforts provide point samples but are cost-prohibitive for characterizing stream temperatures across large spatial scales, especially for small, remote streams. In contrast, satellite thermal infrared imagery may provide a spatially extensive means of monitoring riverine water temperatures; however, researchers do not have a good understanding of the accuracy of these remotely sensed temperatures for small streams. Here, we investigated the utility of Landsat 8 thermal infrared imagery and both local and regional environmental variables to estimate subsurface temperatures in high-latitude small streams (2–30 m wetted width) from a test watershed in southcentral Alaska. Our results suggested that Landsat-based surface temperatures were biased high, and the degree of bias varied with hydrological and meteorological factors. However, with limited in-stream validation work, results indicated it is possible to reconstruct average in situ water temperatures for small streams at regional scales using a regression modelling framework coupled with publicly available Landsat or air temperature information. Generalized additive models built from stream stage information from a single gage and air temperatures from a single weather station in the drainage fit to a limited set of in situ temperature recordings could estimate average stream temperatures at the watershed level with reasonable accuracy (root mean square error = 2.4°C). Landsat information did track closely with regional air temperatures and we could also incorporate it into a regression model as a substitute for air temperature to estimate in situ stream temperatures at watershed scales. Importantly, however, while average watershed-scale stream temperatures may be predictable, site-level estimates did not improve with the use of Landsat information or other local covariates, indicating that additional information may be necessary to generate accurate spatially explicit temperature predictions for small order streams.
47
Arvidson, Rhonda, and Stan Jones. "Ice Detection and Avoidance." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2003, no. 1 (April 1, 2003): 453–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2003-1-453.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT An extensive risk assessment of oil transportation in Prince William Sound, Alaska was finalized in 1996 that identified drifting icebergs, from Columbia Glacier, as one of the most significant oil spill risks remaining to be addressed. The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council (PWS RCAC) was a major participant in this risk analysis. As part of the groundwork for the ice detection project, PWS RCAC has also sponsered extensive studies of Columbia Glacier calving and drift patterns, iceberg size and distribution. A collaborative project, called the ice detection project, was developed by a multi stakeholder working group and provides an opportunity for an immediate and long-term solution using existing technology. One objective of the project is to verify the efficiency, effectiveness and reliability of existing radar technologies to provide mariners and the United States Coast Guard with real time information regarding ice conditions. A secondary objective is to promote the research and development through field testing of new and emerging technologies to determine the possible enhancement of conventional radar. In addition to PWS RCAC, stakeholders responsible for spearheading this project are: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Oil Spill Recovery Institute, United States Coast Guard, Prince William Sound Community College and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Each of the seven participants brings expertise and backing from the stakeholder they represent. The site chosen for the ice detection radar project is Reef Island (illustration 1), located adjacent to Bligh Reef, Prince William Sound. This location is ideal because of its proximity to Columbia Glacier, the source of the icebergs, as well as providing an unobstructed view of the shipping lanes. A fifty foot tower was installed at the site during the fall of 2001 and a conventional radar system is currently being configured for installation. The expectation is that the system will be up and running by July of 2002, giving real time information on ice in the tanker lanes to mariners in Prince William Sound. A second field test of an UHF radar prototype is planned for the summer of 2002. Field testing and ground truthing of the radar system is scheduled for the next five years.
48
Gill, Duane A., J. Steven Picou, and Liesel A. Ritchie. "Twenty-Four Years of Social Science Research on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Sociocultural and Psychosocial Impacts in a Commercial Fishing Community." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2014, no. 1 (May 1, 2014): 80–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2014.1.80.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT Our paper provides a comprehensive overview of research findings from a unique series of studies examining human impacts of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS). Our focused on Cordova, Alaska—considered ‘ground zero’ for sociocultural and psychosocial impacts from this disaster. During the past 24 years, we used and developed a variety of theoretical and conceptual approaches to frame evolving issues and employed both quantitative and qualitative methodological designs. We used ecological-symbolic theory and the renewable resource community (RRC) concept to frame community, group, and individual responses to this environmental disaster. We also employed social capital theory, the Conservation of Resources (COR) stress model, and key concepts such as recreancy, collective stress, and secondary trauma to explain observed chronic impacts. Findings reveal sociocultural disruption and psychosocial stress and the critical role protracted litigation and prolonged ecological damage had for maintaining community and mental health problems for over two decades. Quantitative data are supported by rich, descriptive qualitative data to deepen the understanding of human impacts. Our discussion summarizes major findings on psychosocial stress and sociocultural disruptions. We note how disruption and stress changed over time, reaching their lowest levels five years after the resolution of litigation, but nonetheless still evident due to a lack of recovery of key ecological resources. Finally, we discuss how these findings can be applied to better understand and mitigate social impacts of future oil spill disasters.
49
Romero, Aldemaro, and Michael Nate. "Not All Are Created Equal." International Journal for Innovation Education and Research 4, no. 5 (May 31, 2016): 92–108. http://dx.doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol4.iss5.542.
Full textAbstract:
Environmental academic programs in U.S. institutions of higher education have traditionally lacked definition of their nature and unifying principles. In order to ascertain how these programs are presently constituted in U.S. institutions of higher education, we surveyed 1050 environmental programs/departments between November 2013 and March of 2014. The states with the highest number of those programs/departments were New York (100), Pennsylvania (92), California (76), Ohio (56), Massachusetts (54), while those with the lowest numbers are Oklahoma, and Utah (4), Delaware (3), Arkansas, Hawaii, South Dakota, and Wyoming (2), North Dakota (1), and Idaho (0). However, when the state population is taken into account and the number of programs per 1,000,000 inhabitants is calculated, the results vary greatly for the ones that were at the top in absolute numbers but remain basically the same for those that were at the bottom in absolute number. Thus, the states with the highest number of programs/departments per 1,000,000 inhabitants are Vermont (30.364), Montana (15.160), Maine (15.056), the District of Columbia (14.957), Alaska (14.080), and Rhode Island (10.451), and at the bottom we find Idaho (0), Arkansas (0.686), Oklahoma (1.066), Texas (1.352), Florida (1.436), Utah (1.447), Hawaii (1.470), and North Dakota (1.487).
The names Environmental Science and Environmental Studies are, by far, the most common ones being applied to these programs, accounting for 52.40% of the programs in our study. Environmental programs are also housed in departments of Biology/Ecology/Conservation (9.93%), Policy/Analysis/Planning (7.19%), and Geology (4.79%).
Between 1900 (the year of the first program was created) and 1958, only 14 programs were established. For the period 1959-1999, there is a dramatic increase in the number of programs. There are two big "waves" in the creation of programs: one between 1965 and 1976 (with a high peak in 1970) and another starting 1988 and, probably, continuing to this date, with a peak in 1997. Representatives of the programs surveyed cited students and faculty demand and job market opportunities as the most common reasons behind the creation of these programs.
The high diversity of names and emphases found in this study is consistent with the premise that Environmental Studies is a field where there is a lack of unifying principles and clarity of what environmental studies programs should be.
50
Miller, Sharry, and John Kotula. "ALASKA'S APPROACH TO DETERMINING OIL RECOVERY RATES AND EFFICIENCIES." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2014, no. 1 (May 1, 2014): 1749–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2014.1.1749.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT The determination of effective daily recovery capacities for oil skimmers and pumps has been controversial and increasingly critical in recent years. Oil discharge events around the world have highlighted the importance of having effective oil spill response plans, equipment, and procedures in place and available for immediate activation. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) has determined that the standard practice of using an effective oil recovery capacity equal to 20 percent of the equipment manufacturer's rated throughput capacity over a 24-hour period is not always realistic for predicting recovery capabilities during an oil spill response. Additionally, always using 20 percent does not give equipment manufacturers incentives to develop improved equipment, nor are plan holders motivated to use best available technology in their response systems. The development of ASTM International (ASTM) “F 2709–08 Standard Test Method for Determining Nameplate Recovery Rate of Stationary Oil Skimmer Systems” (hereafter called ASTM 2709–08) provided a starting point for the assessment of realistic oil recovery rates (ORR) and oil recovery efficiencies (ORE). The standard states, “This test method defines a method and measurement criteria to quantify the nameplate recovery rate (capacity) of a stationary skimmer system in ideal conditions.” The ADEC has worked with plan holders, oil spill response organizations, and oil shipping industry representatives to use the results of testing under ASTM 2709–08 (ideal conditions) as a baseline for determining ORR and ORE in realistic field conditions. This work has been based on a “systems approach” which takes into consideration the operating environments in which the skimmer will be used and the booms which will be used to concentrate and contain oil for skimming. The resulting “Request for Assessment of Skimmer System Efficiency” provides a means for plan holders to convey information which the ADEC can use to make a determination about the skimming system's recovery capabilities.