The Homer Tribune :: Homer, Alaska

The Weekender ; What's happening in Homer this weekend?

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

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THIS WEEK'S HEADLINES

• Homer preps for swine flu

• Pebble’s progress necessarily slow

• A dozen candidates file for city, borough offices

• Mayor Carey warns of ‘brown-outs’

• FYI

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

• In a cave . . . in the rain

• Jewel Kilcher returns home

• test

SPORTS

• Voz Cougars dominate eight-man football field

• Homer turns out in pink to run for the cure

• Homer Halibut derby standings

FEATURE

• When pigs fly

• Ninilchik pair finds net mending a dying art

BUSINESS

YOUTH

• Youth get creative about climate change

Take back the beach

• CACS CoastWalk harvests data via annual beach clean-up

By Sean Pearson
Homer Tribune

September 5, 2007

Take back the beach

If you've been neglecting your Indiana Jones side for a while now, you're in luck. Tomorrow's dive into a CoastWeeks excursion along Kachemak Bay area beaches is sure to unlock your treasure-seeking potential.
For the past 23 years, the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies (CACS) has coordinated an annual effort to monitor Kachemak Bay with CoastWalk. Volunteers in the program choose a section of beach to walk during a three-week period. They collect data on observations of marine, bird and animal life, as well as signs of human use and impacts, and any noticeable changes to their stretch of beach. And, according to CoastWalk organizer Beth Trowbridge, active stewardship through the beach clean-ups has also been a feature that has resulted in the removal and disposal of tons of trash and marine debris.
"Last year we had over 200 participants in CoastWalk – largely due to the fact that local schools have been getting active in the clean-up," Trowbridge said. "This kind of school involvement, coupled with our regular individual volunteers, helped us survey over 33 miles of shoreline. And we collected 75 bags of trash equaling about 830 pounds of marine debris."
CoastWalk monitors a total of 32 zones in Kachemak Bay. However, due to remoteness of more than half of the zones, Trowbridge said only about 15 get covered on a regular basis.
One way the program hopes to get a little more information regarding remote sites is through a set of aerial photos.
"Last year we were able to complete our set of aerial photo maps of each zone due to a partnership grant with the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve," Trowbridge said. "They helped us with the maps, as well as with revising our CoastWalk database so that our data is now in a more usable form and easier to enter."

HOMER TRIBUNE/Sean Pearson

An abundance of marine life, including starfish and sea urchins, make up the fragile ecosystem of Kachemak Bay. CoastWalk helps to monitor beaches through volunteer data collection and observations.

Trowbridge said all zone maps, data sheets and summaries for each zone are available on the CACS Web site as well.
"Anyone can go to www.akcoastalstudies.org and find a zone and then see the type and amount of marine debris that was collected," she explained. "They can also see when the last time a zone was monitored and what observations were made."
With remote monitoring, school involvement and detections of invasive marine plants and invertebrates, the grassroots program has come a long way since it's beginnings.
"The program came from our local citizens concerned about the changes that they were witnessing along our shorelines," Trowbridge said. "The beaches of Alaska are some of the most dynamic on the earth. They are excellent for the study of change, both in response to small and large-scale natural forces and the activities of people who are drawn in increasing numbers to our shoreline for recreation, residential, commercial, and industrial activities."
This year's CoastWeeks theme is, "Sense of Wonder: Stewardship of Kachemak Bay," and is in honor of Rachel Carson and the celebration of her 100th birthday this fall. CoastWalk begins tomorrow with a 7 p.m. kick-off at the CACS Headquarters Office.
"The kick-off is a great opportunity to learn more about the program, hear some of the latest research, and meet other CoastWalkers," Trowbridge said.
And when CoastWalkers get to swapping stories about unusual finds, interesting tales of treasure evolve.
"A CoastWalker across the Bay near Glacier Spit found a message in a bottle that had washed up on the beach," Trowbridge said. "Unfortunately, it had only traveled from Halibut Cove after being recently released by a pair of 11-year-old visitors from Anchorage."
On the more alarming side, one 2005 CoastWalker observed seven abandoned vehicles on a stretch of Bishops Beach; an increase from the three noted in previous years.
"Brenda Dolma was diligent in her efforts to alert city officials to the problem," Trowbridge said. "That led to an agreement to move the vehicles from the beach and erect signage to discourage future vehicle dumping."
Trowbridge said no abandoned vehicles were reported last year.
The 2007 CoastWalk will extend through September 30. For more information, call 235-6667, or visit www.akcoastalstudies.org.

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