Upper Knik Arm Wetlands
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UPPER KNIK ARM WETLANDS A proposal for designation as an Area Meriting Special Attention Prepared by: David M. Dall Jon R. Nickles United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service November 1982 i Table of Contents (1) Introduction••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 1 (2) Basis for Designation•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 2 (3) Maps and Description of Geographical Location•••••••••••••• 3 (4) Area Description........................................... 3 A. Dominant Physical Features •••••••••••••••••••• .'....... 3 B. Dominant Biological Features•••••••••••••••••••••••••• 7 (5) Current Land Use •....••.....•.......•....................... 9 A. Ownership • . • . • • . • • • . • • . • • • . • • • • . • • • • . • • . • • . 9 B. Jurisdication and Management Status ••••••••••••••••••• 9 c. Uses, Activities, and Proposed Developments••••••••••• 12 (6) Current and Proposed Use of Adjacent Lands and Waters •••••• 13 (7) Present and Anticipated Conflicts Among Uses and Activities Within or Adjacent to the Area ••••••••••••••••••••••• 14 (8) Proposed Management Scheme ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 14 (9) Recommendations ....•......••..•..•••.•..•.••••......••....• 14 A. Description of Proper and Improper Land and Water Uses Within the Area. • . • . • . 14 B. Summary and Statement of the Policies Applied to Management of the Area ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 16 c. Identification of Authorities Used to Implement the Proposed Management Scheme ••••••••••••••••••••••• 16 ii List of Figures gure 1. Knik Arm Wetlands study area....................................... 4 2. Knik Arm Wetlands study area, landforms•••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 5 3. Flood hazard and tidal influence areas, Knik Arm Wetlands •••••••••• 6 List of Tables Table 1. Salmon streams within the Knik Arm Wetlands study area••••••••••••• 8 2. Breeding waterfowl averaged for 1975 and 1976 •••••••••••••••••••••• 10 3. Comparison of breeding duck densities in the study area and Cook Inlet area........••••.•.......................••.... 10 4. Moose harvest summary, Unit 14A···································· 11 Page 1 (1) Introduction This report summarizes Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) interests in management of the Upper Knik Arm Wetlands. Supporting information is contained in the report titled Knik Arm Wetlands Study (1981), prepared for the FWS by Alaska Biological Research-.--The Upper Knik Arm Wetlands are located in the coastal zone between Anchorage and Palmer, Alaska, at the upper end of Knik Arm of Cook Inlet, in the general area of the Knik and Matanuska Rivers. The study area extends along the land-water interface from the Eklutna River across Knik Arm to Cottonwood Creek then inland to the 50-foot contour interval, except in the Jim Lake/Swan Lake area where the 100-foot contour interval is used. Part of this area is known locally as the Palmer Hayflats. Within the Hayflats is the Palmer Hayflats State Game Refuge, administered by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), and the Hayflats Recreation Area Special Land Use District, administered by the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough. Federal and state coastal zone management legislation provides for designation of Areas Meriting Special Attention (AMSA). Most of the study area has been proposed for AMSA designation by the Mat-Su Borough (Matanuska-Susitna Borough Coastal Management Program, Phase 1 Completion Report, Maynard and Partch, and Woodward-Clyde Consultants, May 1981). We encourage such a designation by the Mat-Su Borough, along with cooperative development of a land management plan. Implementation could be through local ordinance and state and federal laws. The Knik Arm Wetlands are biologically important and sensitive to change; they will be influenced by population growth in adjoining areas. Wetlands protection is necessary to maintain the area's hydrological and biological integrity. Waters and wetlands within and adjacent to the area make a valuable contribution to anadromous fish production in Upper Cook Inlet. Additionally, these wetlands provide an important resting and feeding area for migratory birds which congregate in large numbers during spring and fall migration. Several species of birds remain through the summer and breed here. A large moose population overwinters in lowlands and on adjacent uplands. Moose also use the lowlands for calving and for summer habitat. The abundant fish and wildlife and high scenic quality attract large numbers of both consumptive and non-consumptive outdoor recreationists. Coastal wetlands are productive habitats; however, resource development often conflicts with resource protection. "Striking a balance between conservation and development of the wild and rich coastal resources ••• is the reason for coastal zone management" (Office of Coastal Management, 1979). The Knik Arm Wetlands perform several important functions including the following: a. Provide a major component of the food chain by producing bacterially enriched detritus; b. provide nesting, spawning, rearing, and resting habitat for fish and wildlife; Page 2 c. establish drainage characteristics, sedimentation and current patterns, salinity gradients, and flushing characteristics; d. shield other areas from wave action, erosion, or storm damage; e. serve as valuable storage areas for storm and flood waters and act as prime ground water recharge/discharge and water-holding areas; f. provide natural water filtration and purification, e.g. by acting as sediment accretion sites that reduce nutrient and sediment loads and increase oxygen content of waters which pass through them; and g. provide areas for outdoor recreation and aesthetic appreciation of the natural environment. Some development has occurred in the area and several projects have been proposed. More development proposals are expected as population increases in the Anchorage-Eklutna and Mat-Su Valley areas. Individual and cumulative project impacts could adversely affect wetland functions. Development of a management plan for the Knik Arm Wetlands will help ensure orderly development and resource protection. The emphasis should be on maintaining the area's natural qualities and the public benefits they provide. (2) Basis for Designation This AMSA proposal has been developed in accordance with the Alaska Coastal Management Program. It is consistent with the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), as amended. Section 305(b)(3) requires that the management program for each coastal state shall include an inventory and designation of areas of particular concern [i.e. AMSA] within the coastal zone. Further, Section 306(c)(9) states that: "Prior to granting apl?roval of a management program submitted by a coastal state, the Secretary Lof Commerce] shall find that the management program makes provision for procedures whereby specific areas may be designated for the purpose of preserving or restoring them for their conservation, recreational, ecological, or esthetic values." The Alaska Coastal Management Program defines an Area Meriting Special Attention as: "•.•a delineated geographic area within the coastal area which is sensitive to change or alteration and which, because .••a claim on the resources within the area delineated would preclude subsequent use of the resources to a conflicting or incompatible use, warrants special management attention, or which, because of its value to the general public, should be identified for current or future planning, protection or acquisition•••• " The Upper Knik Arm Wetlands possess the following features which qualify the area for AMSA designation (as defined in AS 46.40.210(1) and 6 AAC 80.160): Page 3 a. Unique, scarce, fragile, or vulnerable natural habitat; b. high natural productivity or essential habitat for living resources; c. substantial recreational value or opportunity; d. significant hazard due to storms, slides, floods, erosion, or settlement; e. special scientific values or opportunities, including those where ongoing research projects could be jeopardized by development of conflicting uses and activities; and f. essential area necessary to protect, maintain or replenish coastal land or resources including coastal floodplains and aquifer recharge areas. (3) Maps and Description of Geographical Location The proposed AMSA includes approximately 100 square miles, much of which is water (Figures 1 and 2). Virtually all the area is wetlands and flood prone lowlands (Figure 3). The FWS National Wetland Inventory Program has mapped wetlands in the area at a scale of 1:25,000. Because the objective of this proposed AMSA is to protect and manage valuable natural resources, the boundary is based on biophysical features. The Palmer Hayflats State Game Refuge is protected and managed by ADF&G; it is not recommended for AMSA designation. It is included within the AMSA boundary because its habitats and resources are similar to those elsewhere in the study area. (4) Area Description A. Dominant Physical Features The study area is drained primarily by the 75-mile long Matanuska River, with a drainage area of approximately 2,190 square miles, and by the 25-mile long Knik River with a drainage area of approximately 1,180 square miles. These rivers originate at the Matanuska and Knik Glaciers, respectively. Smaller clear water drainages include Eklutna River, Rabbit Slough-Wasilla Creek, and Cottonwood Creek. Peak flows of the Matanuska River come in mid-summer when glacier melt is greatest. Low flows occur in late winter when there is little runoff or glacier