Rocky Intertidal Monitoring
Environmental Stewardship
Seasonal surveys track the health and abundance of la’-na (sea stars) following the ravaging effects of sea star wasting disease. La’-na are counted and assigned a health designation for each site. This project uses Tribal Intertidal Digital Ecological Surveys (TIDES) to image and create 3D models of intertidal habitats that determine the movement of organisms and plants in response to sea level rise and climate change. These efforts inform management recommendations on climate change adaptations and overall habitat health and resilience.
Lhvmsr (Surf Smelt) Population Monitoring Using eDNA
Environmental Stewardship
After a 6-year habitat assessment of lhvmsr spawning grounds and finding them more than suitable and available, our next effort focuses on the presence or absence of lhvmsr in the water by using eDNA technology. We compile this information to create a graph of where the lhvmsr are present. These efforts inform management recommendations on climate change adaptations and overall habitat health and resilience.
Netlh-‘ii~-ne Stewards Program
Tribal Capacity Building
This program trains Tribal Citizens to steward their ancestral territory through a variety of stewardship practices, natural resources management strategies, cultural practices, and TDN Natural Resources Department protocols and projects. Participants engage in monitoring and compliance activities and learn about Natural Resource program (Fisheries, Marine, Habitat & Wildlife, and Water Quality). They also participate in modules about Tolowa culture, language, geography, history, and traditional knowledge.
