Timber Management and Fish and Wildlife Utilization in Selected Southeast Alaska Communities: Tenakee Springs, Alaska by Ken Leghorn and Matt Kookesh Technical Paper No. 138 This research was partially supported by ANILCA Federal Aid Funds, administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska Division of Subsistence Alaska Department of Fish and Game Juneau, Alaska September, 1987 Becausethe Alaskawent of Fish and Gamerec+%s federalfundlng, ail of Its public programsand aWltieS are operatedfree from discrlmlnationon the basis of race, cr.:;!. natiohalorigin, age, or handicap. Any person who b:i,.:m:’ tv or she has been dlscrlmlnatedagainst should writerto: O.E.O. U.S. Departmentof the lnterlor Washington,0-C. 20240 .‘:’ TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures .............................................................................................................................iii List of Tables ............................................................. .................................................................. V Acknowledgements .....................................................................................................................vi CHAPTER 1. Study Background .. 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Objectives ...........................................................................................................3 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................4 Literature Review .......................................................................................................5 Key Respondent Interview and Mapping ....................................................... 6 Resource Use Random Survey ..............................................................................8 Verification and Limitations of Findings ......................................................9 CHAPTER 2. Tenakee Springs and Environment .. 12 Physical Setting ................................................................................................................. .......... 12 Historical Overview ..................................................................................................................14 Land Status ....................................................................................................................................16 Demography ..................................................................~............................................................... 19 CHAPTER 3. The Tenakee Springs Economy: Cash Sector .. 28 Employment and Income ........................................................................................................28 History of the Timber Industry in Tenakee Inlet .....................................................33 Pre-1970 Activity .........................................................................................................33 1970 to Present ..............................................................................................................35 CHAPTER 4. The Tenakee Springs Economy: Subsistence Sector .. 41 Seasonal Round of Harvesting Activity .........................................................................41 Resource Use and Harvest .....................................................................................................44 Overview of all Resources ......................................................................................44' Key Respondent Compared with Random Survey Harvests.. ............... 56 Deer Hunting .................................................................................................................60 Fishing ..............................................................................................................................64 Shellfish ...........................................................................................................................70 Trapping ...........................................................................................................................71 Transportation and Access to Harvest Sites ................................................................71 Geography of Harvest Activities .......................................................................................73 Distribution and Exchange of Resources ....................................................................... 80 Use of Tenakee Inlet by Residents of Other Communities.. ................................ 83 CHAPTER 5. Case Studies of Changing Subsistence Activities .. 86 Ten to Fifteen Mile Spit .........................................................................................................86 Indian River .................................................................................................................................93 Corner Bay .....................................................................................................................................101 i CHAPTER 6. Discussion and Conclusions .. 105 Tenakee’s Economic Base .......................................................................................................106 Hunting and Fishing Areas ...................................................................................................109 Harvest of Deer ...........................................................................................................................110 Timber Management and Fish .............................................................................................111 Effects of Habitat Alteration ..............................................................................................112 Effects of Road Construction ..............................................................................................113 Longer Term Changes .............................................................................................................. 114 Literature Cited .......................................................................................................................... 118 Appendix I - Study Site Selection Criteria .. 122 Appendix II - Conversion Factors for Determining Useable Weights ........ 124 Appendix III - Random Survey Questionnaire ........................................................126 ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Map of Southeastern Alaska and Study Communities .. 2 Figure 2 Resource use areas in examined in 1985 survey of Tenakee households .. 11 Figure 3 Land ownership, City of Tenakee Springs .. 17 Figure 4 US Forest Service Land Use Designations for Tenakee Inlet .. 18 Figure 5 Population profile, Tenakee, 1920-1984 .. - 20 Figure 6 Age profile, Tenakee 1985 survey .. 22 Figure 7 Age by 10 Year Increments, Tenakee, 1985 survey .. ..*...................................................................... 23 Figure 8 Household size, 1985 Tenakee Survey (N= 24 households, 48 people; mean household size= 2.0) .. 25 Figure 9 Years Residency in Tenakee by the Oldest Residing Member of each Household, 1985 survey (N= 24 households) .. 26 Figure 10 Household Gross Income, Tenakee 1985 survey (based on 19 households) .. 29 Figure 11 Household Income by Income Source, Tenakee 1985 survey .. 30 Figure 12 Tenakee Inlet Timber Harvest History .. 36 Figure 13 Seasonal Round of Resource Harvests by Residents of Tenakee .. 42 Figure 14 Household Participation in Using and Harvesting 8 Resource Categories, Tenakee, 1984 (N- 24 households)......... 48 Figure 15 Household Participation in Using and Harvesting the 10 Most Used Resource Types, Tenakee, 1984 (N= 24 households) .. ..*.......................... 50 Figure 16 Percent of Households Harvesting Multiple Resource Types (breadth of resource harvest), Tenakee, 1984. 51 Figure 17 Mean Household Harvest (lbs. per household) for 8 Resource Categories, Tenakee, 1984 .. 53 Figure 18 HouseholdHarvest Composition by Weight, Tenakee, 1984 .. 54 iii Figure 19 Household harvest Contribution by Land and Marine Resources, Tenakee, 1984 .. ..*................... 55 Figure 20 Percent of Deer Harvested by Habitat Type in 1983 and 1984 (1983 N= 55, 1984 N= 39) .. ..s........ 61 Figure 21 Number of Deer Harvested per Household, 1983 and 1984, Tenakee .. 63 Figure 22 Household Salmon Harvest (mean pounds per household), by Species and Gear Type, Tenakee, 1984 .. 66 Figure 23 Mode of Transportation Owned and Used for Resource Harvesting by Tenakee Households, 1984 (N= 24) .. 72 Figure 24 Areas Used for Intertidal Harvesting During the Lifetimes of Tenakee Key Respondents .. 75 Figure 25 Areas Used for Salmon Fishing During the Lifetimes of Tenakee Key Respondents .. ...*... .. 76 Figure 26 Areas Used for Deer Hunting During the Lifetimes of Tenakee Key Respondents .. 77 Figure 27 Areas Used for Trapping During the Lifetimes of Tenakee Key Respondents .. 78 Figure 28 Areas used for Waterfowl Hunting During the Lifetimes of Tenakee Key Respondents .. 79 Figure 29 Household Participation in Receiving and Giving Eight Resource Categories (N= 24) .. 81 Figure 30 Percent of Active Tenakee Hunters Using Case Study Areas by Years, 1960-1984 .. ..~ 87 Figure 31 Percent of Active Tenakee Deer Hunters Using the Beach Fringe and Roaded Areas in Indian River, Corner Bay and South Passage Point in the 196Os, 197Os, and 1980s. 88 Figure 32 Mean, Minimum and Maximum Age of Users of Case Study areas, 1960- 1984. 101 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Sample Characteristics, 1985 Tenakee Random Survey .. 24 Table 2 Household Use, Harvest, Giving and Receiving of Fish and Wildlife Resources by Random Survey Households, Tenakee 1984 .. 45 Table 3 Resource Harvests of Nine Key Respondent Households, Tenakee 1984 .. 57 Table 4 Total Household Harvest of Wild Resources (Ibs per HH) by Sampled and Key Respondent Households, Tenakee 1984 .. 59.