Erosion in Cook Inlet Damaging Old Growth Trees

Observation by Frank Standifer:

Both sides of Cook Inlet are eroding and damaging old growth trees. The tides are washing up against the banks and the trees are falling in. Even the new growth is having trouble hanging on. There are more trees in the inlet now, which can cause problems for boaters if they're unfamiliar with the area. Overall, there are more debris in Cook Inlet than there used to be. Up in Old Tyonek Creek, there are more logs and debris in the water. The debris washes out of the rivers and gets caught in the set nets. If the net becomes uneven from debris pulling it tight, it will rip. New nets are expensive. If a tree goes through your net and you have to replace it, a subsistence net can be $250-$300. A commercial net is more, around $600-$800. If you lose your lead and cork lines, you're looking at around $1000. Observation by Frank Standifer, shared with Erica Lujan

Comments from LEO Editors:

It is really interesting getting Frank's description of the economic impacts and potential for disruption of subsistence or commercial fish harvests.The erosion description echos a post from September 2018 (attached) by Mike Brook who described the bluff erosion occurring near Kinkaid Park in Anchorage, about 58 miles east of Tyonek up Cook Inlet. In a consult Joe Meehan, the Statewide Lands and Refuges Program Coordinator at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game added, "I have also observed a significant increase in erosion of the dunes and bluff from Point Campbell and eastward toward the Jodhpur area of Kincaid Park. I suspect this summer’s higher tide cycles corresponded with southerly winds and contributed significantly to the increased erosion." It would be interesting to have see some aerial surveys of erosion. Shorezone Images available on the Anchorage and Tyonek LEO community pages can provide some good baseline imagery, from about five year ago. The search term for "erosion" in LEO Network results in over 60 observations across Alaska. This observation was forwarded to the Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. Mike Brubaker

According to the US Army Corps of Engineers Baseline Erosion Assessment, erosion occurs when wind or water energy meet the land. Much of the Cook Inlet coast is made up of easily eroded glacial deposits. Erica Lujan