Big Islands Landscape Assessment Cordova Ranger District Chugach National Forest June 20, 2005 2003 satellite image of Green, Montague, Hinchinbrook, and Hawkins Islands. Team: Susan Kesti - Team Leader, writer-editor, vegetation, socio-economic Milo Burcham – Wildlife Resources, Subsistence Bruce Campbell - Lands Rob DeVelice – Forest Ecology, Sensitive Plants Heather Hall – Heritage Resources Carol Huber – Geology, Minerals Tim Joyce – Fish Subsistence Dirk Lang – Fisheries Bill MacFarlane – Hydrology, Water Quality Dixon Sherman – Recreation Ricardo Velarde – Soils Table of Contents Executive Summary.......................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1............................................................................................................................. 1 Purpose............................................................................................................................ 1 The Analysis Area........................................................................................................... 1 Montague Island.......................................................................................................... 3 Hinchinbrook Island.................................................................................................... 4 Hawkins Island............................................................................................................ 4 Green Island................................................................................................................ 5 Wooded Islands........................................................................................................... 5 Desired Future Condition................................................................................................ 5 Chugach Land and Resource Management Plan direction ......................................... 5 Chapter 2 – Analysis Area Description ............................................................................ 11 Physical Characteristics ................................................................................................ 11 Climate...................................................................................................................... 11 Watershed Morphology ............................................................................................ 12 Ecological Classification .......................................................................................... 13 Geomorphology ........................................................................................................ 13 Landtype Associations.............................................................................................. 15 Geology..................................................................................................................... 18 Soils........................................................................................................................... 24 Wetlands ................................................................................................................... 24 Streams...................................................................................................................... 25 Streamflows .............................................................................................................. 26 Water Quality............................................................................................................ 27 Biological Characteristics ............................................................................................. 28 Fish............................................................................................................................ 28 Vegetation................................................................................................................. 35 Wildlife ..................................................................................................................... 38 Human Dimension ........................................................................................................ 55 Human Occupation ................................................................................................... 55 Heritage Resources ................................................................................................... 56 Socio-Economic........................................................................................................ 57 Subsistence................................................................................................................ 60 Sport, commercial, and subsistence fishing.............................................................. 62 Sport and Subsistence Hunting ................................................................................. 65 Timber harvest .......................................................................................................... 66 Roads and Access ..................................................................................................... 69 Recreation Use and Facilities.................................................................................... 69 Easements ................................................................................................................. 73 Special Uses.............................................................................................................. 75 Cape Hinchinbrook Lighthouse Reserve .................................................................. 77 Minerals .................................................................................................................... 77 Visual Resources....................................................................................................... 81 Chapter 3 – Issues and Key Questions.............................................................................. 83 i Physical......................................................................................................................... 83 Fish................................................................................................................................ 83 Vegetation..................................................................................................................... 84 Wildlife Issues .............................................................................................................. 84 Heritage Resource Issues .............................................................................................. 85 Mining and minerals potential ...................................................................................... 85 Recreation, Easements, and Special Uses..................................................................... 86 Chapter 4 – Conditions and Trends .................................................................................. 89 Disturbance regimes and geomorphic processes .......................................................... 89 Climate...................................................................................................................... 89 Tectonic..................................................................................................................... 89 Hillslope erosion processes....................................................................................... 89 General hydrologic trends............................................................................................. 91 Streamflows .............................................................................................................. 91 Stream Channels ....................................................................................................... 91 Lakes......................................................................................................................... 92 Large Woody Debris................................................................................................. 92 Effects of Human uses on Hydrology....................................................................... 92 Conditions and trends of fisheries resources ................................................................ 93 Population trends of the key fish species.................................................................. 94 Human Influences on the fisheries resources............................................................ 98 Factors affecting vegetation........................................................................................ 111 Tectonic influences on vegetation succession ........................................................ 111 Wind Influences...................................................................................................... 111 Insects and Diseases................................................................................................ 112 Timber harvest and vegetation treatments .............................................................. 112 Non-Native Plant Species ....................................................................................... 113 Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Plant Species............................................. 113 Conditions and trends of wildlife resources................................................................ 114 Condition and trends of heritage resources................................................................. 115 Conditions