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Despite a broad literature addressing the human dimensions of wildfire, current approaches often compartmentalize results according to disciplinary boundaries. Further, relatively few studies have focused on the public's evolving perceptions of wildfire as communities change over time. This paper responds to these gaps by exploring perceptions of landscape dynamics and wildfire between 2003 and 2007 using a typological framework of intersecting ecological, social, and cultural processes. Designed as a restudy, and using key informant interviews, this research allowed us to observe risk perception as they are related to community challenges and opportunities in the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Risk perceptions were examined as an integral part of community and landscape change. Wildfire was a concern among informants in 2003 and remained a concern in 2007, although informants were less likely to discuss it as a major threat compared to the original study. Informants in the western part of the peninsula tended to express more concern about wildfire than their eastern counterparts largely due to their experiences with recent fires. Other important factors residents considered included changing forest fuels, the expanding wildland urban interface, and contrasting values of new residents. Underscoring the localized nature of risk perceptions, informants had difficulty describing the probability of a wildfire event in a geographical context broader than the community scale. This paper demonstrates how a holistic approach can help wildfire and natural resource professionals, community members, and other stakeholders understand the social and physical complexities influencing collective actions or inactions to address the threat of wildfire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we explore the relationship between food security and access to locally caught seafood for communities of the Kenai Peninsula region of Alaska. Seafood and fisheries are infrequently discussed in the literature on local and small-scale food movements; instead, they are more commonly construed as overexploited components of a global food system and a source of conflict with respect to global food security and fisheries conservation. By way of contrast, we argue here that many fisheries have the potential to be sources of healthy and sustainable "local" food, in support of the many values and goals embraced by local food movement, including conservation. With data collected via a by-mail survey, we show that many people in our Alaskan study region enjoy improved food security because they have access to locally caught seafood, especially those households at the lowest income levels. We also show, however, that access to these resources is still uneven for some, and we discuss strategies for improving the socialjustice aspects of this component of the regional food system. Our findings are important not just to the fisheries and food security research communities, but also for contributing to a better understanding of the conditions within which local and regional food movements can achieve the ambitious social and ecological goals they seek. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kachemak tradition was established by ca. 3000 B.P. in Kachemak Bay. Probably somewhat later a variant termed Riverine Kachemak, with a population adapted to salmon and terrestrial resources, appeared on the northern Kenai Peninsula. The Kachemak tradition people seem to have abandoned Kachemak Bay by ca. 1400 B.P. Seven of 12 available Kachemak tradition dates predate 1400 B.P. even at two sigma. Scattered younger dates are thus suspect outliers. The end of Riverine Kachemak tradition has been placed at ca. 1000 B.P., at which time the population was supposedly replaced by in-migrating groups ancestral to the Dena'ina Athapaskans. Close examination of the numerous available radiocarbon dates shows that most Riverine Kachemak dates cluster in the early centuries of the First Millennium A.D. and most Dena'ina dates substantially postdate 1000 A.D. Probably the Riverine Kachemak and Dena'ina peoples never met on the Kenai River. However, the correspondence in date ranges between Kachemak Bay and Riverine Kachemak is striking, suggesting their fates were linked. Both traditions collapsed by 1400-1500 B.P. The causes are probably multiple but do not include cultural replacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the history of the sea-oriented cultures which inhabited the southern Kenai Peninsula coast. Regional characteristics of the region; Length and location of the Kachemak Bay; Contrast between the outer Kenai coast with Kachemak Bay; Distribution of the native people; Systematic archaeology in Kachemak Bay; Evolution of maritime hunting and fishing.

Discusses the archaeology of the Northern Kenai Peninsula and upper Cook Inlet. Important physiographic and archaeological break of Cook Inlet in the coastline of the Gulf of Alaska; Role of glacier in the formation of the Cook Inlet; Investigation on the archaeological remains of Kenai Peninsula.

Studies the prehistoric maritime adaptations of Prince William Sound and the pacific coast of the Kenai Peninsula. Regional overview of the region; Physiography and coastal morphology of the region; Effect of tectonic movement; Abundance of terrestrial mammals; Ethnohistoric boundaries; Physiography, marine resources and cultural development.

Managers need information about the vulnerability of historical plant communities, and their potential future conditions, to respond appropriately to landscape change driven by global climate change. We model the climate envelopes of plant communities on the Kenai Peninsula in Southcentral Alaska and forecast to 2020, 2050, and 2080. We assess 6 model outputs representing downscaled climate data from 3 global climate model outputs and 2 representative concentration pathways. We use two lines of evidence, model convergence and empirically measured rates of change, to identify the following plausible ecological trajectories for the peninsula: (1.) alpine tundra and sub-alpine shrub decrease, (2.) perennial snow and ice decrease, (3.) forests remain on the Kenai Lowlands, (4.) the contiguous white-Lutz-Sitka spruce complex declines, and (5.) mixed conifer afforestation occurs along the Gulf of Alaska coast. We suggest that converging models in the context of other lines of evidence is a viable approach to increase certainty for adaptation planning. Extremely dynamic areas with multiple outcomes (i.e., disagreement) among models represent ecological risk, but may also represent opportunities for facilitated adaptation and other managerial approaches to help tip the balance one way or another. By reducing uncertainty, this eclectic approach can be used to inform expectations about the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapidly changing environmental conditions are influencing distributions of wildlife species in Alaska. Due to strict physiological requirements, the distribution of American martens (Martes americana) is theorized to be driven by changing habitat, climate, and other anthropogenic conditions. We aimed to quantify marten distributions on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and compared historic and contemporary occurrence records. To illustrate changing distribution patterns, we developed predictive niche models for 2 decades and investigated patterns by relating environmental trends with predicted distributions. Museum and trapping records, supplemented by aerial videography detections for martens on the Kenai over the past century, served to train Random Forests based niche models for 1988-2001 and 2002-2010. Change-detection analyses revealed an ongoing westward expansion of likely marten distribution on the Kenai Peninsula since at least 1988, and historic records indicated longer-term growth. Top predictors in the models included soil ecotype, landcover, distance to trails, and distance to recreation sites. Our research suggests that on the Kenai Peninsula, marten distribution is responding to a combination of landscape and climate effects that have contributed to expanding marten distributions over the past century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehension of basic stream ecosystem function relies on an understanding of aquatic-terrestrial linkages. One major component of such linkages is the incorporation of landscape-derived energy and nutrients into the aquatic food web via microbes. In many boreal streams, wetlands and alder are known to be primary sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), respectively. To simulate the influence of the highly labile portion of wetland-derived DOC subsidies on microbial production and ecosystem processes in a stream with high landscape-derived nutrient inputs, we enriched a boreal headwater stream situated in a high-alder, low-wetland cover catchment (i.e., high DIN, low DOC) with low levels (~0.25 mg/L) of labile DOC (as acetate-C) for 9 weeks. We compared nutrient uptake, bacterial biomass production, and photosynthesis of periphyton and ecosystem metabolism in physicochemically similar upstream (reference) and downstream (treatment) reaches. DIN uptake was greater in the treatment than in reference reach on six out of nine dates during the dosing period. Bacterial biomass production positively responded to C enrichment. Ecosystem respiration increased up to ~50% after dosing began. Gross primary production responded positively to DOC enrichment early in the study when riparian vegetation did not limit light availability, but negatively later on in the growing season. We conclude that even low levels of labile DOC may act as a strong subsidy to headwater stream ecosystems, particularly those with high levels of DIN inputs from alder. Headwater streams influenced by high contributions of both alder and wetlands may represent biogeochemical hotspots, and these landscape features should be viewed as vital and complementary in their roles for ecosystem function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Headwater streams are the most numerous in terms of both number and length in the conterminous United States and play important roles as spawning and rearing grounds for numerous species of anadromous fish. Stream temperature is a controlling variable for many physical, chemical, and biological processes and plays a critical role in the overall health and integrity of a stream. We investigated the controls on stream temperature in salmon-bearing headwater streams in two common hydrogeologic settings on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: (1) drainage-ways, which are low-gradient streams that flow through broad valleys; and (2) discharge-slopes, which are high gradient streams that flow through narrow valleys. We hypothesize local geomorphology strongly influences surface-water and groundwater interactions, which control streamflow at the network scale and stream temperatures at the reach scale. The results of this study showed significant differences in stream temperatures between the two hydrogeologic settings. Observed stream temperatures were higher in drainage-way sites than in discharge-slope sites, and showed strong correlations as a continuous function with the calculated topographic metric flow-weighted slope. Additionally, modeling results indicated the potential for groundwater discharge to moderate stream temperature is not equal between the two hydrogeologic settings, with groundwater having a greater moderating effect on stream temperature at the drainage-way sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we demonstrate that sample strips of lidar in combination with Landsat can be used to predict forest attributes more precisely than from Landsat alone. While lidar and Landsat can each be used alone in vegetation mapping, the cost of wall to wall lidar may exceed users' financial resources, and Landsat may not support the desired level of prediction precision. We compare fitted linear models and k nearest neighbors (kNN) methods to link field measurements, lidm, and Landsat. We also compare 900 m² and 8,100 m² resolutions to link lidar to Landsat. An approach with ]idar and Landsat together reduced estimates of residual variability for biomass by up to 36 percent relative to using Landsat alone. Linear models generally performed better than kNN approaches, and when linking lidar to Landsat, using 8,100 m resolution performed better than 900 m². [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alaskan boreal forests frequently suffer from outbreaks of bark beetles and fires, factors that appear to combine to alter charcoal production. Charcoal (black carbon) production in forest ecosystems is an important pathway to clarify for a more complete understanding of the effects of fire on carbon cycling in boreal forests. In this study, we aimed to clarify the effects of prevalent outbreaks of the spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby), on charcoal production during forest fires in boreal forests. Snags with prefire damage by the spruce beetle (infested snags) have significantly more charcoal than those undamaged before fire (noninfested snags). This increased amount of charcoal in spruce beetle-damaged trees was probably the result of dried biomass in the canopies of these trees. The results of this study suggest that with changing environmental conditions, the proliferation of insect damage in the boreal forest can modify the effects of fire on carbon sink via a change in the amount of charcoal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gracz (2011, Can. J. For. Res. 41: 425-428) proposes that the Good Friday earthquake of 1964 caused falling lake levels and drying wetlands on Alaska's Northern Kenai Lowlands (NKL). His hypothesis states that the earthquake increased hydraulic conductivity by fracturing a leaky confining layer, accelerating drainage of surface water into regional aquifers. We counter that a single model of draining does not apply across the heterogeneity of geomorphology and soils on the NKL. In particular, the NKL's glacial history precludes uniform application of a subsurface hydrologic model for lake draining and the nature of peat-based wetlands precludes its application to wetland drying. Instead, small, yet cumulative, climatic reductions in moisture surplus explain both observed lake level declines and vegetation changes. Moreover, and unlike a climatic hypothesis, a seismic hypothesis fails to explain lake drying elsewhere in Alaska. Although it is likely that the earthquake influenced some hydrologic features in the NKL, it is unlikely that a single hydrologic model based on a simple mechanical cause, e.g., downward drainage, adequately explains the changes observed across the whole NKL. Conversely, we maintain that the uniformity of the vegetation response seen across different landscapes, including wetlands, forests, and alpine areas, throughout the state of Alaska strongly supports a climatic hypothesis. Gracz (2011, Rev. Can. Rech. For. 41: 425-428) prétend que le tremblement de terre survenu le Vendredi saint en 1964 serait responsable de la baisse du niveau des lacs et de l'assèchement des zones humides des basses terres du nord de la péninsule de Kenai en Alaska. Selon son hypothèse, le tremblement de terre aurait augmenté la conductivité hydraulique en fracturant une couche encaissante non étanche, ce qui aurait accéléré le drainage de l'eau de surface dans les aquifères régionaux. Nous répliquons qu'un seul modèle de drainage ne peut s'appliquer étant donné l'hétérogénéité de la géomorphologie et des sols des basses terres du nord de la péninsule de Kenai. En particulier, l'histoire glaciaire des basses terres du nord de la péninsule de Kenai exclut l'application uniforme d'un modèle hydrologique souterrain pour le drainage des lacs et la nature des zones humides constituées de tourbe exclut l'application d'un tel modèle à l'assèchement des zones humides. Au contraire, des réductions légères mais cumulatives de l'excédent d'humidité dues au climat expliquent la baisse du niveau des lacs et les changements dans la végétation qui ont été observés. De plus, et contrairement à une hypothèse climatique, une hypothèse sismique ne peut expliquer l'assèchement des lacs ailleurs en Alaska. Bien qu'il soit probable que le tremblement de terre ait eu un effet sur certaines caractéristiques hydrologiques dans les basses terres du nord de la péninsule de Kenai, il est peu probable qu'un seul modèle hydrologique basé sur un cause mécanique simple, le drainage vers le bas par exemple, explique adéquatement les changements observés partout dans les basses terres du nord de la péninsule de Kenai. À l'inverse, nous maintenons que l'uniformité de la réaction de la végétation à travers différents paysages, incluant les zones humides, les forêts et les régions alpines, partout en Alaska milite fortement en faveur de l'hypothèse climatique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erythraeus tonsus (L. Koch, 1879) (Acari: Erythraeidae) is redescribed based on adult specimens from Kenai Peninsula, Alaska (USA). A female has been designated a neotype. The monstrosity, regarded as polymely, is reported for the first time in terrestrial parasitengone mites. Larvae and deutonymphs of E. tonsus remain unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing demand for backcountry recreation opportunities during winter (e.g., snowshoeing, helicopter-assisted skiing, snowmobiling) in steep, high-elevation terrain has elevated concern about disturbance to brown bears (Ursus arctos) denning on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, USA. To help identify areas where such conflicts might occur, we developed a spatially explicit model to predict potential den habitat. The model indicated brown bears selected locations for den sites with steep slopes, away from roads and trails. Den sites were associated with habitat high in elevation and away from potential human contact. We then compared areas with the highest probability of providing den habitat with patterns of snowmobile and nonmotorized recreation on a portion of the Kenai Peninsula. We found limited overlap between the 2 recreation activities and potential den habitat for brown bears. At the landscape scale, however, backcountry skiing overlapped more high-quality den habitat than did snowmobile riding. Our results may be used by land management agencies to identify potential conflict sites and to minimize the potential effects of recreation activities on brown bears in dens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Forest Research is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Increasing human impacts on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, have raised questions about potential implications for genetic diversity and population structure of local taxa. Black bears (Ursus americanus) occupy most of the Kenai Peninsula and are currently a species of public interest and management focus. In this study, we use 13 nuclear DNA (nDNA) microsatellite loci and sequence data from the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region to investigate population structure and phylogeographic patterns in black bears on the Kenai and surrounding mainland. We used both aspatial and spatial Bayesian assignment models to evaluate nDNA genetic structure and cluster individuals into genetically distinct groups. Substantial population substructure was detected, indicating restricted gene flow in recent generations as well as signatures of past barriers between the Kenai and mainland. We identified 3 genetically distinct groups that cluster geographically in the Kenai Peninsula, Alaskan mainland, and Prince William Sound areas. Connectivity among genetic groups was moderate, with Fst values ranging from 0.07 to 0.12. Five mtDNA haplotypes were detected, 2 of which were primarily restricted to the Kenai. Our results provide important information about current levels of genetic diversity and connectivity among black bears on the Kenai Peninsula and will provide a baseline for future monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community theorists have long grappled with the question of whether or not communities collectively respond to threats. Community, risk, disaster, and natural resource management theories all inform an understanding of community action. Here, a conceptual model of community activeness is empirically tested using survey data from six Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, communities. Data analysis revealed that socioeconomic and biophysical vulnerability, proximity to hazard, experience, risk perception, and local interactional capacity significantly influenced community activeness on the part of residents in response to forest disturbance associated with an outbreak of spruce bark beetles. Implications for theory, forest management and policy, and natural resource-based communities are advanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe landscape use of female brown bears (Ursus arctos) on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, USA. Radiocollars, fitted to 43 adult female brown bears, provided radio relocations, which we used to describe habitat use patterns by season and reproductive class at the landscape scale. Brown bears were associated with areas with low densities of human developments and roads, as well as riparian areas that were close to cover. Presence of streams and lakes that supported spawning salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) positively influenced summertime distribution of bears. Female brown beats with cubs avoided concentrations of other bears. Resource managers may use this information to respond to brown bear conservation issues associated with increasing human populations and associated development in the establishment of road density standards, seasonal road closures, management of recreation sites, and vegetation management on the Kenai Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Zoology is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Habitat protection is a major component of the Exxon Valdez oil spill restoration process. The acquisition of private lands, or partial interests in private lands, is intended to promote natural recovery of spill-injured resources and services by removing the threat of additional development impacts. The Comprehensive Habitat Protection Process is the method that was designed to achieve this objective. Over one million acres within the oil spill affected area were evaluated, scored, and ranked by a multi-criteria evaluation process. Initially, lands were divided into large parcels encompassing entire bays and watersheds. Criteria were then used to assess the habitat and human-use values associated with each parcel and the protection benefit that acquisition would provide for 19 injured resources and services. This process has been the basis for the acquisition of 41,549 acres of land on Afognak Island and 23,800 acres on the Kenai Peninsula and for agreements that, if consummated, will result in the acquisition of fee or lesser rights on over a half million acres of land in the Kodiak Archipelago, on the Kenai Peninsula, and in Prince William Sound. All of these lands or rights, if acquired, will be incorporated into parks or refuges or otherwise managed in a manner that will facilitate the recovery of the resources and services injured by the oil spill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Klein et al. (2005, Can. J. For. Res. 35: 1931-1941) compare aerial photographs and report dramatically lower lake levels on the northern Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. They hypothesize that the lower lake levels may be caused by a decline in moisture surplus driven by climate change. However, the reported decline in surplus appears to be insufficient to explain the lower lake levels. Here I develop a simple sensitivity analysis to test their hypothesis and also show how tectonic processes such as the Great Alaskan earthquake could dramatically lower lake levels by fracturing an underlying aquitard. Tectonic processes, therefore, could potentially alter forest succession and wetland ecosystems by inducing hydrologic changes that mimic changes in climate. Klein et al. (2005, Rev. Can. Rech. For. 35: 1931-1941) comparent des photographies aériennes et rapportent une baisse dramatique du niveau des lacs dans le nord de la péninsule de Kenai en Alaska. Ils ont émis l'hypothèse que la baisse du niveau des lacs pourrait être due à une réduction de l'excédent d'humidité causée par le changement climatique. Cependant, la diminution de l'excédent d'humidité qui a été rapportée semble insuffisante pour expliquer la baisse du niveau des lacs. Dans cet article, j'élabore une simple analyse de sensibilité pour tester leur hypothèse et je montre comment des processus tectoniques, tels que l'important tremblement de terre de 1964 en Alaska, auraient pu causer une baisse dramatique du niveau des lacs en fracturant une couche semi-perméable souterraine. Des processus tectoniques pourraient par conséquent modifier la succession forestière et les écosystèmes des zones humides en induisant des changements hydrologiques qui imitent des changements climatiques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]