CESU supports cooperation between university, federal agencies

Kennecott mill buildings

Coordination of research efforts is the focus of the North and West Alaska Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. This collaboration makes it possible for vital research to be conducted as smoothly and efficiently as possible, assisting public land managers in making decisions based on solid information.

Across the nation, CESUs are structured as working collaborations among federal agencies and universities. Each CESU focuses on a biogeographic region of the country. Alaska’s North and West region is coordinated by UAF, under the direction of Associate Professor of Outdoor Recreation Management Peter Fix. “The CESU facilitates research that might not be undertaken otherwise,” Fix explained.

Types of research include arctic and subarctic anthropology, ecology, archeology, and physical and biological sciences. Current projects across Alaska are studying black bear ecology, permafrost temperature measurements, nutrition of arctic ungulates, and landslide hazards in Glacier Bay National Park.

The National Park Service’s Lois Dalle-Molle, NWA-CESU research coordinator, said the advantage of this collaboration is the ability to work together on projects from start to finish. “CESUs make working cooperatively possible,” she said.

“We value the opportunity of working with the UA system. We have benefited a lot from their expertise, especially concerning northern ecosystems and climate change modeling. That long-term perspective is valuable to us.”

SNRAS Dean Carol Lewis said “Participating agencies enjoy the advantage of university resources, which in turn gain financial support and enhanced personnel. The idea behind the CESU partnerships is that sharing resources and expertise serves all the interests involved.”

Partner universities and institutions are:
• University of Alaska Anchorage
• University of Alaska Fairbanks
• University of Alaska Southeast
• University of New Hampshire
• Alaska SeaLife Center.

Cooperating federal agencies include:
• Bureau of Land Management
• National Park Service
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• US Fish and Wildlife Service.

One example of how the NWA-CESU facilitates research is the 2004 visitor preference study at Kennecott Mill Town, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Working with the National Park Service through a CESU cooperative effort, Peter Fix conducted on-site surveys that linked visitor motivations, trip characteristics, demographics, information preferences and evaluations, and time of visitation. Park managers are using the information to assist them in making decisions regarding park interpretation. Fix’s research is helping the managers design interpretive programs and services that target visitor groups most likely to participate, while taking into account how other groups might respond.

The park service does not have the staff to do this kind of research, Dalle-Molle explained. Without the cooperative effort provided by the CESU it would be much more difficult for the parks to obtain the expert information they need to serve the public. “University of Alaska researchers provide us with the best information about Alaska parks from an Alaska research institution,” Dalle-Molle said.

Further reading:
•Agroborealis article, "Kennecott Mill Town" (pdf)
•"Visitor Preferences for Interpretation in the Kennecott Mill Town, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park"(pdf)