This website assists a workgroup in the development of a document describing Potential Places of Refuge (PPOR) in the Western Alaska Subarea. The project was initiated in September of 2011 and upon completion will be forwarded to the Western Alaska Subarea Committee for inclusion in the Subarea Contingency Plan.

The Western Alaska Subarea is depicted in the map shown below. Similar projects have taken place for the Prince William Sound, Kodiak, Cook Inlet, Southeast, the North Slope, NW Arctic and the Aleutian Subareas. A concurrent plan is being developed for the Bristol Bay Subarea. Information on all these projects is available at http://dec.alaska.gov/spar/perp/ppor/home.htm

Objective

The objective of this project is to identify and collect information on docking, anchoring, and mooring locations that may be selected as Potential Places of Refuge in order to enhance the overall response process for vessel requesting assistance in the Western Alaska.

PPOR Maps

A workgroup was formed and had an informational meeting in September. This was followed by a meeting that included mariners and others familiar with the area to identify places that may function as places of refuge.  Typically these sites have been historically used as anchorages and moorage areas. The sites that were selected have been reviewed by the Alaska Marine Pilots and other mariners in the area.

The Western Alaska Subarea has been divided into 3 zones. These areas have been developed into maps and informational tables that will describe the PPOR in each zone. You can download the index map for the Subarea below.

Download a copy of this map in pdf format – high resolution version for printing (184KB pdf).

The sites have been researched and the resources and attributes of each has been placed in a Site Assessment Matrix. This matrix will summarize the resources at risk for each site and was use in the final selection of Potential Places of Refuge. Download a copy of the  Site Assessment Matrix and the Key.

The following links will download the Zone Maps and the supporting tables that describe the PPORs in each zone.  Each of these documents need to be reviewed and changes offered to correctly describe the resources and characteristics that are adjacent to the anchorages.  Having the correct information is vital in assisting decision makers in a time of crisis.

Western Alaska PPOR Zone 1
Western Alaska PPOR Zone 2
Western Alaska PPOR Zone 3

PPOR Introduction Section

When the Places of Refuge documents are included in Subarea Contingency Plan they will have an introductory section that will explain the context and use of the plans in the Western Alaska. This section will give additional information and guidance when considering a PPOR in the area. Download a copy of the  introductory section to the Places of Refuge portion of the Subarea Contingency Plan and provide any edits or additional materials you would like to see in this section.

Please review the Maps, Site Assessment Matrix and the Introductory Section and submit input and comments by June 15, 2012 via email, fax (1-866-678-5534) or via US Post to:

Mark Janes
PO Box 191
Seldovia, Alaska 99663

An associated project, the Western Alaska Subarea Geographic Response Strategy (GRS) Project may be found at the following link: http://dec.alaska.gov/spar/perp/grs/wa/home.htm

Primary Project Participants

• Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
  Alaska Department of Natural Resources
  Alaska Department of Fish and Game
  Alaska Marine Pilots Association
  Association of Village Council Presidents
  City of Bethel
  City of Dillingham
  Bristol Bay Borough
  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  Crowley Marine Services
  Bristol Bay Native Association
  U.S. Coast Guard, District 17
  U.S. Department of the Interior
  U.S. Coast Guard COTP Western Alaska
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  

Invasive Species Considerations

Alien or invasive species include seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material capable of propagating that species that is not native to an ecosystem. Invasive species commonly are transported in ballast waters and cargo associated oil transport and shipping. During operations any species that are encountered that are suspected to be non-native should be collected and presented to wildlife managers. Additional information on invasive species can be found in the “Useful Websites” section below.

Websites of Interest

Invasive species informative websites:

http://www.uaf.edu/ces/aiswg/
http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/invasive/index.htm
http://www.pwsrcac.org/projects/NIS/factsheets.html
http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/whatis.shtml
http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/special/invasive/invasive.php
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/habitat/invasives/default.htm

If you have local knowledge about the Northwest Arctic Subarea or for more information or questions pertaining to this project, contact dec.spar.ppor@alaska.gov

You will need a special program to open some of the files (pdf) that you may download from this site. If you do not already have one, you may download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to open them. If you have special accessibility needs, Adobe offers several free accessibility programs for reading pdf files as well.

This page was updated: May 21, 2012 by Nuka Research & Planning Group, LLC