DGGS Receives Federal Grants for Landslide Hazard Mapping
Haines Landslide Put Focus on Need for Formal Program
Masterman credited Alaska’s congressional delegation and Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration for supporting this work. The program will involve a variety of sensing and measuring tools, including LIDAR (light detection and ranging) equipment, geological mapping, and sonar surveys, he said. It will also include installing and using remote sensing equipment to monitor movement of slopes and comparing satellite images to seek and track movement of the land. While DGGS and USGS will pay particular attention to Barry Arm landslide, they will also work to map other areas in Prince William Sound. Additionally, DGGS has received $250,000 in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to support landslide mapping efforts around select communities in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska, potentially susceptible to landslides. If the program’s tools are space age and high-tech, its benefits are very down to earth, Masterman said: it can save lives and money. “Building a bridge or road only to see it impacted by a landslide that we might have anticipated had we done this kind of mapping is just not a prudent use of resources,” he said. “Preventing this kind of injury and cost is part of our statutory mandate.”
FAIRBANKS — The Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) has received a $2.2 million federal grant to establish a cooperative program with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to assess and map landslide hazards in Prince William Sound’s Barry Arm and other locations. “DGGS has never had a systematic landslide mapping program,” said DGGS Director and State Geologist Steve Masterman. “With this funding and our strong cooperative relationship with USGS, we are hopeful this is the beginning of a long-term collaborative effort to map and understand landslides across our state.” The need to map such hazards came into sharper focus last year, when geologists drew on satellite evidence to see that a large mountainside in the Barry Arm, 28 miles northeast of Whittier, had begun to slide, creating the potential for a tsunami that could threaten coastal communities and boaters in the region. As state and federal efforts to understand the Barry Arm landslide showed the need for a more formal assessment process, a fatal landslide in the Southeast Alaska town of Haines gave further impetus to the need for a more formal program. CLIFFORD A. MORRISON CPG-10332 QES Senior Geologist - Owner Bedrock Cleanup Specialist • Fracture cleanup / Hotspot delineation • Representative stockpile sampling for valuation • Field services coordinated with owner and/or operator • Services provided on sliding scale per site visit
Photo Courtesy Alaska State Troopers
ANCIENT MAMMOTH TUSKS Non-profit museum in Ohio is seeking donations of mammoth tusks and tusk sections.
“We protect the environment because this is the land where we grew up.” – Evan Polty Jr. Lead Mechanic, Donlin Gold Born in Pilot Station and Resident of Russian Mission
Individuals and corporate donors receive full tax deductions for value of their donated tusks. www.warther.org david @ warther.org ( 330 ) 852-6096
Cell/Text: (907) 382-2581 Email: qesak@gci.net
Respectful development for all generations.
To learn more, visit us at donlingold.com
37 years of remote Alaska projects since 1984
10
June 2021 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I June 2021
11
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease