Accreted Lands Project

Overview

Since 2002, SEALT has been working with owners of accreted land adjacent to the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge (Refuge), in Juneau, to expand upon the established conservation area of the Refuge, maintain public access for recreational opportunities, safeguard important habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife, and to preserve the Refuge boundary.

What are accreted lands?

As tidewater glaciers continue shrinking from their Little Ice Age maximum extents of the mid-1700s, land throughout northern Southeast Alaska is undergoing isostatic rebound, a geologic process where the land rises in response to the reduced weight of glaciers. In lowland areas, isostatic rebound is exposing “new” land as it rises above the high tide line and is no longer tidally influenced.

When isostatic rebound lifts this new land above the high tide line, the upland landowner can go through a legal process to claim this new land as a part of their property. The underlying assumption behind Quiet Title is that present-day owners of waterfront property retain the same right to waterfront access as the original owners. New land being legally claimed by the upland landowner is referred to as “accreted land,” because the uplifted land has been accreted, or accumulated, to their existing property.

Accreted lands provide the Southeast Alaska Land Trust with a unique conservation focus, and nowhere are the resulting land use issues more evident than around the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge, in Juneau.

Location

Situated in the geographic heart of Juneau, the approximately 4,000-acre Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge extends approximately nine miles along Juneau’s Gastineau Channel from Salmon Creek to Fritz Cove and is sandwiched between Douglas Island and the mainland.

Area Description

The Refuge boundary is dotted by numerous private dwellings and commercial developments, including Juneau’s airport. Just south of the airport, Glacier Highway borders the Refuge to the northeast on the mainland side of the Refuge. Currently, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) holds responsibility for the Refuge and manages it primarily for public recreation.

The Refuge is bordered by coniferous forest and open saltwater. It encompasses a series of estuaries created by numerous streams and one major river (the Mendenhall) originating from the surrounding mountains. The varying salt conditions produce a diverse community of plants from sedge meadows and beach rye, to spruce-hemlock forests in uplands surrounding the Refuge. Tidal fluctuations blend water and nutrients as the saltwater wetlands alternate between a shallow sea and expansive grassland. This intermingling of land and sea results in a habitat supporting a diverse variety of life.

Wildlife

It is impossible to talk about the Refuge without mentioning the significance it has for birds. The Refuge provides vital feeding and resting grounds for both resident and migratory birds traveling to and from their Arctic breeding areas. Within the course of a year, more than 230 species of water birds, wet-meadow songbirds, and raptors will utilize the area.

The Refuge also supports nearly a dozen different mammals, including harbor seal, Sitka black-tailed deer, black bear, muskrat, land otter, mink, short-tailed weasel, snowshoe hare, porcupine, little brown bat, and long-tailed vole.

The Refuge provides spawning areas for sockeye, coho, chum, and pink salmon, Dolly Varden char, cutthroat trout, and other fish, and an abundance of other marine life. Likewise, many people flock to the Refuge to share in the scenic bounty.

SEALT and Conservation of Lands Abutting the Refuge

Land within the Refuge that is tidally influenced up to the mean high-tide level, also known as the meander line, is managed by ADF&G for its unique recreational and wildlife values. As post-glacial rebound lifts the outer edges of the Refuge beyond the reach of the tides, the Refuge boundary shrinks. This uplifted land begins to assume upland characteristics supporting pioneer communities of plants like grasses, fireweed, and eventually coniferous trees.

No longer held within the Refuge, these uplands become available for private ownership by adjacent landowners as these landowners can claim the accreted lands.

With land rising an average of a half-inch per year in the Juneau area, and low-gradient tidal flats a persistent feature of the Refuge, seaward shifts can total hundreds of feet over the course of several decades. As an example, one local property owner has nearly tripled his original acreage by acquiring accreted land through Quiet Title, and has the opportunity to increase it eleven-fold.

With uplifted lands no longer managed as part of the Refuge, the Southeast Alaska Land Trust works with willing landowners to conserve these unique accreted lands. By partnering with these landowners, the land trust seeks to ensure that these lands remain in their natural condition for habitat and recreation.

Publications
Accreted Tidelands – A Special Situation for Southeast Alaska (PDF: 1.6MB)
Accreted Land Project – GIS Mapping for the Mendenhall Wetland State Game Refuge (PDF: 2.3MB)