Return to the Nexus
Between 1988 and 1989, Environaid made a total of 8 visits to Sawmill Wetland. Initial work was reported in Haines Airport phase-1. Then, in October, 1989, we wrapped up with the phase-2 report.
Vegetation and wildlife notes from multiple visits to Sawmill Wetland
The 1989 Haines Airport studies began a longterm interest in aquatic vegetation that I later incorporated into WaterWatch outreach in middle school studies for Áak’w & T’aaḵú Aaní
This second phase addressed river channel morphology, groundwater conditions, fish habitat, wildlife and vegetation of the airport and Sawmill Wetland. A December 1988 trip documented conditions prior to freeze-up, followed by a Feb, 1989 visit in severe cold. Dan often insisted you couldn’t understand streams solely from fair-weather studies, without learning how they behaved in winter.
In May, we documented eulachon runs. June was for salmonid work, and July for vertical aerial photography (open-hatch Beaver at 10,000 feet gets cold, even in mid summer!) Mid-August was for fish and tree-growth measurements, and late August for groundwater and wrap-up. All studies were aimed at questions pertinent to airport reconstruction plans.
