ShoreZone Cordova

We made the Cordova Times newspaper, the weekly rag here in a town of 1,000 residents. I wrote the story, and Mary took the photo. Here's my article...


Researchers with the "ShoreZone" coastal habitat mapping program are conducting an aerial survey of Prince William Sound this month. Two geologists and a biologist will be working in Cordova May 13-21 and May 29-June 5. Another team is working out of Chenega and Whittier to survey the western Sound. The purpose of the survey is to collect video and digital still imagery of the shoreline during low tide. Both groups are using Maritime Helicopters out of Homer. The imagery will be used to map the geomorphology and biology of the intertidal zone.

The ShoreZone coastal habitat program now includes nearly 30,000 km of imagery and mapping in the northern Gulf of Alaska and Southeast. Data and imagery can be found on the web at our CoastAlaska site and at the new NOAA site.

More than 20 funding partners contribute to the ShoreZone program in Alaska, including NOAA Fisheries, the Nature Conservancy, the Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet Regional Citizens’ Advisory Councils, EVOS, the State Dept. of Natural Resources and Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game.

The researchers wish to thank the communities of Cordova, Tatitlek, Chenega, and Whittier, and the PWS Aquaculture Corporation for their support...

I included a little more information about who we are and how to contact us, which I'm leaving out here. Below is a photo of the native village of Tatitlek, where I had 5 drums of fuel placed. The chief of the village met us at the airport when we landed last Sunday, to put a face with the name/voice (me). He was very nice, sweet, gave me a big hug. When we flew past the Tatitlek airstrip to refuel, no one was in sight, so we buzzed the little village with the heli and a few minutes later a truck drove out to the airstrip and unlocked the storage building where our fuel was. It couldn't have worked out better. It was very cool. I plan to send them a framed aerial photo of their village for their support.



This photo of Galena Bay (off Valdez Arm) shows "biobands" really well. The black band is Verrucaria, a salt-loving lichen that marks the upper limit of the marine zone. Below that are bands of Fucus (an intertidal rockweed algae), and barnacles (looks like frosting).