Northwest Arctic - Potential Places of Refuge

This webpage was used to assist the workgroup in the development of a document describing Potential Places of Refuge (PPOR) in the Northwest Arctic Alaska Geographic Zone. The project was initiated in September of 2010 and completed in July 2011.

The objective of this project has been to identify docking, anchoring, mooring and grounding locations that may be selected as Potential Places of Refuge in order to enhance the overall response process.

Site Selection Documents

The risk layers map depicts some of the risk factors the workgroup used in selecting potential places of refuge. The workgroup identified candidate sites for potential places of refuge. These sites were researched and the resources and attributes of each were placed in a site assessment matrix and key.

Potential Places of Refuge (PPOR)

Northwest Arctic PPOR Contingency Plan Document (PDF 3.7M) - includes introduction and references

Primary Project Participants

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Alaska Department of Natural Resources
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
City of Kotzebue
City of Nome
Northwest Arctic Borough
Native Village of Kotzebue
Kawerak Inc.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Alaska Marine Pilots
Crowley Maritime Corporation
U.S. Coast Guard (Sector Anchorage and District 17)
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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:

For More Information

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

Acknowledgement: This report website is funded in part with qualified outer continental shelf oil and gas revenues by the Coastal Impact Assistance Program, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Disclaimer: The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government.