Levelock Watershed Community Planning Project

Project Date: 2005
Project Manager: Ellen Campfield Nelson
Client: Levelock Village Council
Location: Levelock

Project Description

The village of Levelock is located on the Kvichak River in Southwestern Alaska. This river flows from Iliamna Lake into Kvichak Bay and Bristol Bay and has as a major tributary the Alagnak River, a federally-designated “Wild and Scenic River.” The community of Levelock is dependent on the health of these waters for their way of life, and protecting these rivers is an important community priority.

To this end, Levelock’s Village Council initiated a watershed planning project designed to gather public input from residents of Levelock on environmental impacts to the Kvichak and Alagnak Rivers and watersheds through two community workshops. These workshops assessed strategies and prioritized projects addressing local concerns, and empowered local management.

This project resulted in the creation and compilation of annotated maps defining the watershed area, informational materials on the Kvichak and Alagnak Rivers and watershed areas, and a summary report of background information and community discussion, including a list of priority projects and concerns, recommendations for implementation and next steps, and information on watershed management strategies.

There are several models of watershed organizations in Alaska including:

• Nushagak Mulchatna Watershed Council
• Ugashik Watershed Council
• Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council
• Cook Inlet Keeper
• Prince William Soundkeeper
• And many others

Some of the many resources for watershed monitoring and planning can be found at the following websites:

• Center for Watershed Protection
• Environmental Protection Agency - Pacific Northwest region
• Environmental Protection Agency - Pacific Northwest region, Tribal programs
• Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land and Water

Publications

Levelock Watershed Community Planning Project: Summary Report (3,684 KB)

Please visit DNR's website to see the original map.