Prince William Sound Science Center P.O. Box 705 Cordova, AK

"The purpose of the Prince William Sound Science Center isto contribute to a better scientific understanding of the PrinceWilliam Sound and Copper River region's ecosystems, and to educate andencourage local and regional participation in natural resource stewardship. "The Center is housed in a 3,000 square foot, two-storybuilding set on pilings at the entrance to Cordova's boat harbor. Thenewly renovated building includes offices, a conferenceroom/library, a small bunkhouse, and a laboratory shared with the PrinceWilliam Sound Community College. The lab facility has a fume hood, dissectingtable with heavy-duty grinders, and several lab benches with large sinks. "The Prince William Sound Science Center has held threeworkshops since 1989 to establish research priorities, determine what isknown about the area's natural resources, disseminate information to residentsin the region, and develop a framework for ecosystem conservation. Theworkshops, to date, have focused on (1) ""Long Term Research Priorities..."" forthe region; (2) ""Biological interaction of wild and enhanced salmon""; and (3)""Critical forest habitats and long-term planning in the Greater Prince WilliamSound."" Publications from these workshops are in progress (ThroughFisheries Research and Conservation Biology, and in-housereports).

The Center is developing a geographic information system for the GreaterPrince William Sound region that incorporates data from all availableinformation sources (public and private) and facilitates development of anecosystem monitoring, research and education program. This project isexpanding in cooperation with the Prince William Sound Oil Spill RecoveryInstitute, a federally funded institute that is administered through theScience Center.

The Center has begun several applied fisheries-related projects. One focuseson the assessment of various disposal methods for salmon and herring fishwastes. A second project assesses the problem of near field predation onjuvenile pink salmon fry at three hatcheries in Prince William Sound.Multi-beam acoustic technology is being used in this study. Its use in theregion will be expanded in future research work by the Center.

A larger and long-term program in development by the Center and the Oil SpillRecovery Institute will result in better predictive capabilities for theeffects of natural and anthropogenic changes on animal abundance and productionin the Greater Prince William Sound. In conjunction with the University ofAlaska, the Center is developing a science plan to guide ecosystem monitoringin the region. The plan, Coastal Ecosystem Dynamics (CED), is modeled afterthe National Science Foundation's Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics program, which hasidentified the North Gulf of Alaska as a research site (GLOBEC 1991). In asimilar fashion to GLOBEC, CED's approach is to develop a family of models thatimprove forecasting of animal population abundance.

The Center has an active and expanding education program for children.Developed cooperatively with the U.S. Forest Service and the school district,the program serves as an excellent model for other communities in the regionand provides a good link between those communities. Another educational andresearch activity coordinated by Center staff is the Lake Eyak Water Watchprogram. This is a water quality monitoring program supervised by the AlaskaDepartment of Environmental Conservation and accomplished through the work ofabout 20 local volunteers.

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" G. L. Thomas, President
Robert De Cino, Fisheries Biologist
Affiliate Scientists
Ole Mathisen, University of Alaska, Juneau
Mary Anne Bishop, Copper River Delta Institute, Cordova
Dick Thorne, BioSonics, Inc. Seattle
R. Ted Conney, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
J. Steven Picou, University of South Alabama, Mobile "Dr. G. L. Thomas
PWSSC
PO Box 705, Cordova AK 99574
(907) 424-5800; FAX (907) 424-5820
Internet: FFGLT@ACAD3.alaska.edu

"Cordova is located on the southeastern shores of PrinceWilliam Sound, a 15,000 square-mile complex of relatively deep,glacially carved fjords rich in herring, salmon, sea birds and marinemammals. In addition to the diverse and biologically productive marineenvironment, the slopes of this coastal region support the most northerlyextension of temperate rain forest in North America. Adjacent to the Sound andjust east of Cordova is the Copper River Delta, the largest contiguous wetlandin the western United States. During spring migration, the largestconcentration of migratory shorebirds in the world arrives, perhaps 10 millionbirds."

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