Copper River Delta

Ecology & Conservation

Land Use
Protection
Current Threats
Research and Management Activities

Land Use:
A five-party Memorandum of Understanding (separate from the WHSRN MOU) signed in 1986 outlines the cooperative management of this site. Much of it is managed by the Chugach National Forest (U.S. Forest Service). Additional land is managed by the city of Cordova, State of Alaska, Eyak Corporation, and the Chugach Alaska Corporation. Forest Service lands on the Delta are managed through the Cordova Ranger District for the conservation of fish and wildlife and its habitat, in accordance with the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA).

Protection:
The Copper River Delta Cooperative Agreement was signed in 1962. In 1978, the State of Alaska legislature designated much of the tidal, submerged, and adjacent uplands as the Copper River Delta Critical Habitat Area. This designation requires the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to “protect and preserve habitat areas especially crucial to the perpetuation of fish and wildlife, and to restrict all other uses not compatible with that primary purpose.” Documentation of the diurnal and seasonal patterns for shorebird use will lead to the identification of key feeding and roosting areas for protection. Modeling of the tidal regimen under various wind, current, and stream flow scenarios may offer potential predictions of contaminant trajectories relative to shorebird habitat use. This could help to identify measures to cope with potential human-caused disasters. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Public Law 96 - 487 was also passed in 1980.

The five-party MOU established the Copper River Delta Fish and Wildlife Management Area, enlarging the former agreement. The current agreement facilitates cooperation between State and Federal agencies in research and management programs on the area. The 1990 MOU establishing the Copper River Delta Shorebird Unit (CRDSU) focuses attention on the Delta as a key staging area for shorebirds and represents the combined concerns of public agencies, private corporate land managers, and local city government.

As of 1998, the Copper River Delta Shorebird Unit boundaries do not include Controller Bay, a large bay located at the far east end of the Delta that includes the Bering River Delta. Radio telemetry work by Dr. Mary Anne Bishop has found that this area is the first landfall for many migrant Pacific flyway shorebirds arriving to the Copper River Delta. In addition, Bishop’s aerial surveys have found that almost 25% of the shorebirds observed each spring occur in Controller Bay. It is recommended by the Copper River Delta Institute (CRDI) that WHSRN should consider including Controller Bay in the Copper River Delta Shorebird Unit or as a separate entity.

Current Threats:
Natural phenomena such as earthquake uplift and tsunamis have occurred in the past, but effects of these events have not been evaluated. Potential effects from current and future development of natural resources could occur if debris or leached chemicals should accumulate and prevent shorebird feeding on intertidal invertebrates. Gulf of Alaska oil spills and those that might occur within Prince William Sound could adversely affect habitat and large populations of several shorebird species if prevailing winds and tidal currents sweep contaminants onto the flats of the Copper River Delta. Excessive local air traffic and heavy, repeated ATV and airboat use or concentrated foot traffic on the productive mud flats may adversely affect invertebrates as well as interfere or discourage shorebird use in some areas.     

Research and Management Activities:
The USFS Cordova Ranger District staff members and a broad base of cooperators conduct plant association and ecology work, management studies, and fish and wildlife habitat improvement projects over broad areas of the Delta. Investigators participate in research projects ranging from big game to waterfowl and shorebirds. The broad-based effort helps to maintain up-to-date information regarding the status and welfare of wildlife and fishery resources, and their habitats.

The Copper River Delta is now part of the U.S. Forest Service Key Coastal Wetlands network in Alaska.  Key Coastal Wetlands (KCW) in Alaska have a unique role in the National Forest System as world-renowned wetlands with international significance to migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. Habitat changes are occurring from glacial rebound, earthquake uplift, and climate change. Coastal wetlands are very susceptible to these types of impacts and can act as an early warning detection system for climate change. Tracking the effects and understanding the changes occurring on these key coastal wetlands will help managers and researchers to:

·  Predict more global environmental shifts due to climate change and prepare mitigation measures;
·  Understand landscape changes and the effects on plant, wildlife and fish species; and
·  Maintain long-term productivity of fish and wildlife species dependent on the KCWs through active land  management strategies.


The Copper River International Migratory Bird Initiative (CRIMBI) links the Copper River Delta with a variety of partners within the United States and Latin America. This initiative was created to strengthen conservation of the Copper River area’s migratory bird resources through effective international partnerships and action on the ground. Specifically, CRIMBI focuses on:

·  Existing Conservation Plans and Initiatives: strengthen conservation of migratory birds through existing initiatives and plans such as the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, United States Shorebird conservation Plan, North American Waterbird Conservation Plan, Western Boreal Forest Initiative- Ducks Unlimited Canada, Latin America-Caribbean Program- Ducks Unlimited, and North American Bird Conservation Initiative.

·  Research and Assessment: Strengthen the knowledge base for migratory bird conservation by initiating and facilitating priority research and assessments.

·  Partnerships: Build new and stronger partnerships for migratory bird conservation, including Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, Ducks Unlimited, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Latin American NGO’s and Governments.

·  Education: Increase public understanding and appreciation for migratory birds and their associated ecosystems. Cultivate community involvement and foster public support for achieving conservation of migratory bird diversity.

 ·  Existing Funding: Leverage and increase funding for migratory bird conservation along the Pacific coast.