255 



MEMORANDUM State of Alaska 



Rick "?eed June ?0. 193<> 



Regional Super /iso- 



Hab'.tat Division - ' e ' Jt, L 



Department 0'" Pish and Gamp 



Juneau elephoms r.c 225-202~ 



fB0 '-' Jack GuStafson SuB.fc Inadequate Fisheries 



Protection on Forest 



Jack GuStafson' 



Area Habitat Biologist 



Hab l : at Division 



Department of F,sh and Game 



Ketchikan 



Service Lands 



As you k n o u . our staffing levels nave never been funded to 

 where ue can actively monitor Forest Service logging 

 activities- However, uh i 1 e on Prince of Uaies Island the week 

 te'ore last. 1 made a .-umber of ct-ser vat l ons on Forest Service 

 lands (incidental tc the oiher uor« I uas doing at the time) 

 uhich cause me to believe that current Forest Service 

 fisheries habitat protection measures are seriously 

 inadequate. Ue have been told that problems similar to those 

 encountered in the pas* are nc longer occurring. 

 Unfortunately, onsite spct cnec>s earlier this month, 

 supplemented by several other accidental encounters regarding 

 poorly implemented fisheries protection, are convincing 

 evidence that the Aquatic Habitat Management Unit ( AHMU , or 

 'active riparian nanagement") concept and other fisheries 

 protection measures do not seem to fjnction in a manner 

 consistent with good resource management principles. Unless 

 some '. ind of definitive action is taken. I believe ue uill 

 continue to e<perience an unacceptable level of impacts to 

 fisheries habitats on this part cf the Tongass. Descriptions 

 of some specific examples are as follous: 



Log ' am C- eek : On June 16. Steve Hoffman and I went to survey 

 a small uncataloged tributary of Logjam Creek in T . 69S . . R.51. 

 S-29. Logiam ;s an extremely productive salmon, stee'heac. 

 '.rout , and c*ar habitat. u:th a diverse and prolific abundance 

 of uildllfe species also inhabiting the riparian rone. Upon 

 our arrival to Logjam Creek (Stream S» 106-30- lOt.70-2004-3030; 

 ue found that this stream, and its adjacent productive 

 cataloged tributaries (P4021 and «5008>. had been freshly 

 clearcut to the streambanks. Nc significant stanoing trees 

 (sources of LUD. etc.) uere provided to assure the continued 

 future productivity of salmon and trout rearing in the stream. 

 Part of the occasional one-tree "buffer" had already 

 bloudoun into the stream, uith the anticipated high infusion 

 of sedimentation uhich typically accompanies such bioudoun. 

 Approximately a mile of productive anadromous habitat is 

 essentially permanently affected by the cutting of this unit. 

 I photographed the streamside stumps, in addition to a 

 potentially uncataloged tributary (or, possibly "uater 

 quality' stream) uhich had been felled into and logged 

 t hr ouqh . 



