Avifauna Inventory of the Alagnak Wild River
Project ID: J8W07100002
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: University of Alaska Anchorage
Fiscal Year: 2010
Initial Funding: $46,316
Total Funding: $46,316
Project Type: Research
Project Disciplines: Biological
National Park: Southwest Alaska Network Inventory & Monitoring
Principal Investigator: Fields, Tamara
Agreement Technical Representative: Thompson, Bill
Abstract: The Southwest Alaska Network of the National Park Service is assessing status and monitoring long-term trends of key natural resources or “vital signs” in its five national park units, including Alagnak Wild River, Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Systematic avian inventories have been conducted in all Southwest Alaska Network park units except for the Alagnak Wild River. The Alagnak Wild River park unit preserves the upper 90 km of the river in pristine, free-flowing condition and the surrounding riparian and upland environment, which are extremely valuable habitats for avian species. The proposed inventory will provide baseline information on the occurrence, relative abundance, distribution, and habitat associations of bird species occurring within the Alagnak Wild River during the breeding season, thereby contributing to a network–wide effort to document breeding bird species present in Southwest Alaska Network parks. These baseline inventories provide an invaluable tool for assessing anthropogenic impacts, evaluating changes in avian communities to climate change, and assisting with future resource management decisions.
Deliverables:
- Inventory of Breeding Birds of the Alagnak Wild River (Journal Article)