Ecological Monitoring
Whether documenting the impact of oil spills or tracking migratory bird populations, ecological monitoring helps track changes as they occur in our natural systems. Data collected season after season and year after year helps scientists uncover patterns and identify areas of concern for conservation and restoration efforts.
Volunteers play a large part in these efforts. Working together with scientists, their observations and recordings can be essential to informing natural resource management decisions.
In the face of biodiversity loss and climate change, ecological monitoring is becoming even more essential to helping to understand these changes as they occur, and to help build a roadmap to protect biodiversity and maintain a livable climate.
Kachemak Bay contains every marine ecosystem found in the Gulf of Alaska. By studying changes in Kachemak Bay, we can understand how human activities will influence the broader Alaskan coastal ecosystem. Explore our current ecological monitoring programs below.
Marine Debris
Our annual survey effort, the Kachemak Bay CoastWalk, documents changes to our shorelines. From litter and debris to wildlife surveys, this study helps us understand human impact on our coastal ecosystems.
A combined ecological monitoring and stewardship event, volunteers clean up and give back to our coastal ecosystems while contributing to valuable scientific studies.
Sandhill Cranes
Sandhill Cranes are a favorite of both Homer locals and visitors. Volunteers have helped build a database of sandhill crane sightings through Kachemak Crane Watch. This database helps to track any changes to sandhill crane behavior and population in their summer range.
Community-Based Coastal Monitoring
Our model for community involvement in ecosystem-scale monitoring, developed through the Kachemak Bay CoastWalk program, can be applied in any coastal setting. We work with coastal Alaska communities beyond Kachemak Bay to help expand the reach of this coastal monitoring and stewardship program.
