Woewodski Island Landscape Assessment
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Woewodski Island Landscape Assessment United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Tongass National Forest R10-MB-495 October 2004 Woewodski Island At a Glance Location • Central Southeast Alaska, 17 miles south of Petersburg, AK Size • 10,362 acres Private Land • 38.74 acres Peak Elevation • 1,100 feet Population • No permanent residents Mapped Streams • approximately 25 miles Lakes • 203 acres FS trails • Harvey Lake Trail approximately ½ mile long FS cabins • Harvey Lake Cabin and Beecher Pass Cabin Private/Special Use Permit Cabins • 2 Archeology Sites • 12 Mining Claims • 489 (Purposefully Blank Page) Woewodski Island Landscape Assessment United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Alaska Region Tongass National Forest Petersburg Ranger District For more information, contact: Jim Steward Petersburg Ranger District PO Box 1328 Petersburg, Alaska 99833 The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation or marital or familial status. 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Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Landscape Patterns ..................................................................................... 13 Resource Information ................................................................................... 29 Public Comments .........................................................................................107 Possible Opportunities .................................................................................121 Glossary .......................................................................................................127 Appendix A...................................................................................................135 Appendix B...................................................................................................139 References...................................................................................................145 Interdisciplinary Team ..................................................................................151 List of Recipients ..........................................................................................155 Index ............................................................................................................163 List of Maps Map 1 Vicinity Map....................................................................................... Map 2 Land Use Designations ..................................................................... 5 Map 3 Location Map.....................................................................................17 Map 4 Geology of Woewodski......................................................................21 Map 5 Mining Claims....................................................................................43 Map 6 ROS Classes, Rec Sites and Rec Places .........................................47 Map 7 Woewodski Island Suitable Timber Land ..........................................59 Map 8 Streams by Channel Type.................................................................71 Map 9 VCU 448................................................................................................................. 77 Map 10 Interior Old-growth Habitat Areas ......................................................................... 81 Map 11 Marten Winter Habitat Suitability .......................................................................... 87 Map 12 Deer Winter Habitat Suitability.............................................................................. 89 Map 13 2002 Woewodski Island Raptor Survey Results...................................................101 List of Tables Table 1. Archaeological Sites on Woewodski Island ......................................................... 33 Table 2. Acres of ROS Class on Woewodski Island.......................................................... 46 Table 3. Total Acreage for Lakes and Wetlands on Woewodski Island............................. 66 Table 4. Length of Streams and Lakes by Fluvial Process Group on Woewodski Island.. 66 Table 5. Stream Classes including Lakes on Woewodski Island....................................... 70 Table 6. Volume Strata on Woewodski Island................................................................... 83 Table 7. Important Interior Old-growth Habitat Areas on Woewodski Island ..................... 84 Table 8. Habitat Capability Comparison between VCU 448 and Woewodski Island ......... 85 Table 9. Selected Wildlife Species Taken on Woewodski Island between 1990-2003...... 95 Table A-1. Woewodski Island Mineral Deposits in Mining Claims.....................................137 Table B-1. Bird Species on Woewodski Island..................................................................141 Table B-2. Comparison between the existing small old-growth reserve on Mitkof Island for VCU 448 to the area located on Woewodski Island for future potential consideration ..........................................................................................................143 List of Charts Chart 1. Selected Wildlife Species Taken on Woewodski Island between 1990-2003......105 Introduction Amber Lake is located near Lost Lake and is part of the Beecher Pass Cabin Lake System. There’s a good chance you might catch cutthroat trout in this lake. Woewodski Island Landscape Assessment ■ 1 (Purposefully Blank Page) 2 ■ Woewodski Island Landscape Assessment This section explains the purpose of this across the island, the Forest Service will project. It also identifies Forest Plan have a better understanding of what direction and laws guiding land projects to plan and how to prepare management activities on Woewodski informed decisions on those projects. Island. Secondly, the Tongass National Forest has a ten-year plan that describes About this project ecological processes and resource development plans across the Tongass; A landscape assessment studies the however, the Tongass Land and ecological, social and economic Resource Management Plan (Forest conditions, trends, problems and risks of Plan) is very broad. This assessment a specific geographic area. evaluates in more detail how to apply Assessments evaluate the current the Forest Plan to Woewodski Island. conditions of an area and its resources, This landscape assessment does not including historical use, ecosystem directly result in any decisions. function, vegetation structure and Therefore, it does not require National possible management opportunities. Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review An island-wide assessment of and is not subject to appeal. Rather, this Woewodski was begun for two reasons. assessment provides the informational One reason was to look at relationships context for proposing ways to achieve between ecological processes and long-term goals of land management on forest management of the island. When Woewodski Island. It results in a list of planning watershed enhancements, trail opportunities for possible projects construction, timber sales, or recreation intended to balance a variety of land projects, we focus on small project and resource uses. Some of these areas in one to three year timeframes. proposed projects would still require As resource development proceeds, it further environmental analysis, public becomes increasingly important to review and decision-making mandated understand how the projects “fit” by NEPA. Initiation and timing of together and to anticipate their projects would depend on many factors, cumulative effects. By looking ahead, including funding. considering public comments and evaluating the ecological processes Woewodski Island Landscape Assessment ■ 3 Land Use Designations Heritage ANILCA: Alaska National Woewodski Island has a varied and rich Interest Lands Conservation on Woewodski Island Act, Public Law 96-487. history, from prehistoric Indian sites to th early historic period mining to December 2, 1980. 96 Land Use Designations (LUDs) function Congress. similar to zoning regulations. They allow contemporary recreating, hunting and for certain types of activities to occur. mining activities. The Forest Plan directs The 1997 Tongass Land and Resource the management of heritage resources Management Plan (Forest Plan) on both Forest-wide and project specific identifies Woewodski Island within LUDs levels to comply with federal regulations that allow development. The island is (Forest Plan 4-14). Archaeological predominately located within Scenic research and surveys identify, evaluate, Viewshed LUD (8,995 acres) with preserve and protect Heritage isolated areas identified as Modified Resources and identify opportunities for Landscape (total 1,273 acres) (see Map interpretation, public education and 2). These LUDs provide for a mix of recreation (Forest Plan