New NASBLA President is From Alaska

Jeff Johnson, Boating Law Administrator for the Alaska Office of Boating Safety was just elected as President of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). NASBLA is a national organization deeply involved with promoting boating safety and helps set standards for training across the country.

I have known Jeff for many years, first meeting him in 1999 during the struggle to adopt a state boating safety law in Alaska. Our state was the last in the nation to advance this important legislation. Jeff was at the forefront of this successful effort. Jeff has worked within the Alaska Department of Natural Resources since 1981 and was the first park ranger assigned to Kachemak Bay State Park.

Jeff has worked with the Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators, the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary, and Alaska harbormasters for about eight years now. Just a few of the successful efforts developed by Jeff include:

• Alaska State Boater's Handbook
• Cold Water Immersion Education Materials
• Alaska Water Wise Boating Safety Course
• Expansion of the Kid's Don't Float Program
• Alaska Float Plan

Congratulations to Jeff Johnson for his election as President of NASBLA. His dedication to boating safety has benefited Alaska and he will greatly contribute to efforts nationally.

Tags: Boating, Boating Safety, NASBLA, Alaska

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Boat Fire Safety

Yesterday morning we had two boats destroyed by fire in the marina. The likely cause was an electrical heater place on one of the boats in preparation for winter storage.

We were lucky the fire department responded so quickly, two boats were burning and third was starting to smolder. We yarded the boats immediately with concerns for sinking and environmental damage. Both owners had insurance which helped with the loss.

Boat owners need to be careful in winterizing their vessels. I see trouble every year with boat in storage. Most problems are caused by heating issues like oil stoves, electric space heaters and heat lamp. Talk to your harbormaster or boatyard manager about fire safety standards for their facility. I have an article posted on boat winterizing and upland storage that might be helpful.

Tags: boating safety, boat fires, fire safety

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Flooding in Valdez

On 10 October 2006, the City of Valdez was hammered by a major flooding event. The jet stream turned directly towards Prince William Sound, carrying moist, warm air directly at us. There was one twenty-four hour period here were in rained over 5 inches. Up until 10 October, the rain had been steady and the saturated ground couldn't handle the additional loading. The warm rain also melted a lot of the snowpack.

The main (only) road out of Valdez is the Richardson Highway. It is about 310 miles from Valdez to Anchorage. The flooding took two major bridges located about two miles from my house. There were probably six bridges taken out by swollen rivers within 50 miles of Valdez. There is no road access out of town for the foreseeable future. The State of Alaska has boosted the ferry schedule and Era Aviation has added another daily flight to help with transportation.

A little closer to home, the flood control levee protecting our own subdivision failed at about 1500 and threatened a number of neighborhood homes. About 100 people were evacuated overnight as the water levels rose. The State placed a temporary repair in the levee at about 2200 and the waters have greatly receded today. Most damage was limited to washed out roads and flooded basements. Our house survived the incident in good shape.

The photos are of Keystone Canyon showing damage to the roadbed and one of the bridges. It will be a while before they can fix this!

Tags: Valdez Flooding, South Central Alaska Flooding

Wild Alaska Seafood!

All of the talk of food is making me hungry. Atomic Bear's last post brings a number of ideas to mind. After living in coastal Alaska for 16 years, I find that I've become an insufferable seafood snob. I grew up in the American Southwest and used to clamor for a chance to visit Red Lobster. I'm sure this franchise is well intentioned, but it's just not the same. Once you have lived with freshly caught Dungeness crab, Sockeye salmon, Spot shrimp, and Pacific halibut, there's no going back. …not in Kansa anymore.

I wrote a brief article at Suite101 with some of my favorite recipes called Alaska Wild Seafood. The cooking suggestions are simple, but the results are great. It helps to have something so good to work with on the grill.

My career shifted (a little) moving to Alaska and I ended up working in the port and harbor industry. Much of our effort in the Port of Valdez has been building up the infrastructure needed to support the commercial fishing industry. We recently received a grant from the State of Alaska to purchase and install a fish pump, heavy-duty dock mounted crane, and flake ice plant. We have a new harbor in conference committee before Congress, a cold storage and fish meal plant in the works.

Wednesday morning, at way too early in the morning, I will be driving 310 miles to Anchorage to attend the Changing Tides: Wild Alaska Salmon event being sponsored by the Alaska State Department of Commerce, Alaska Sea Grant, and USDA Rural Development among many others. I will be working with our local salmon hatchery, Valdez Fisheries Development Association, to present the many things we are doing to encourage fishermen to visit and use our port. Fishing is the biggest hope for diversifying our local economy.

I have enjoyed Belgium chocolate and beer this last year. I'm thinking a little grilled salmon and a couple of crabs would fit right in with them! The next participant in our blogging adventure is Fireflies in the Clouds.

Tags: awchain, Absolute Write, AW Blogchain, awchain No. 7

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New Logo for AAHPA

As Immediate Past President of the Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators (AAHPA), I am a little prejudiced, but this is a vital organization for successful marina managers and harbormasters. The association just had a new logo commissioned and it turned out great!

The biggest benefit of the AAHPA is the networking and education it provides to members. We live in a world of intense regulation and harbors routinely deal with many natural resource agencies. Another exciting project is a collaborative effort with the University of Alaska Southeast in Sitka to develop an on-line marina employee training and certification program. It will use the Northern HarborsSmall Ports book as a basic text and utilize a number of good Alaska Sea Grant publications as references. Harbor associations in the northwest United States and British Columbia are interested in joining the effort.

Alaska Harbormasters are meeting in Ketchikan later this month for the annual AAHPA conference. It looks to be another great event for the organization.

Tags: Alaska, Marina, Harbor, Boating, Ports

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Fisheries Development Efforts in Valdez

I may have sold an article to Pacific Fisherman magazine on the efforts the City of Valdez has made to improve fisheries infrastructure. It's a highpoint for me to finally sell a story and highlights the great accomplishments that have been made to develop commercial fishing in northeastern Prince William Sound. During the last seven years, the City has built a new boatyard, refurbished a number of floating docks and bought a new Marine Travelift.

Using federal economic disaster funds, the State of Alaska began what they called the Alaska Fisheries Revitalization Strategy in 2003. Valdez applied for a grant to purchase equipment that would help independent fishermen handle their catch. This grant resulted in the purchase and installation of a new heavy-duty crane and fish pump. A cooperation agreement was made with Peter Pan Seafoods and they used grant funds to build a new flake ice production plant. As part of the agreement with the City, Peter Pan will make ice available to fishermen at a greatly reduced price.

Efforts by the City have also fit well with the Valdez Fisheries Development Association (VFDA) Fisheries Business Incubator Project. VFDA is providing training to fishermen in how to process their catch as a value added product and the processing facilities to accomplish the work.

There are several more related projects in development. A new commercial boat harbor is awaiting approval in Congress. VFDA is pursuing a cold storage facility that will utilize waste heat from a local refinery to drive its refrigeration systems. A private businessman is looking building a fish meal plant, which would greatly benefit the fish community.

Valdez has seen an increase in landings of halibut and black cod. Hopefully the benefits of these projects will increase in the next few years.

Tags: Alaska Commercial Fishing, Fisheries Development