Berners Bay

History

Berners Bay, Point Bridget, and Point St. Marys were named by George Vancouver during his 1790s expedition to chart the Alaskan coastline; his mother's maiden name was Bridget Berners and she was born in St. Mary's Wiggenhall. Berners Bay was traditionally the place of Wooshkeetaan Auke people who collected blueberries, huckleberries, and nagoonberries at the bay. Auke smokehouses and a village existed near the bay and another village, Kutegan, was situated upstream at the confluence of the Lace River. The bay was used throughout the year by Auke for fishing operations, but is now deserted. The Clinton administration declared it as an Aquatic Resource of National Importance.

Geography and geology

The bay is an estuary fed by four glacial rivers including the Antler River, Berners, and Lace Rivers, as well as Cowee Creek. It extends 12 miles north into the interior. The protected cove is called Echo Cove. Extensive flats and several large streams are located at the head. The Berners Bay region forms the northwestern extremity of the auriferous mineralization zone on the mainland of Southeast Alaska known as the Juneau gold belt. It has been proposed to exploit the Kensington gold mine above the bay, but this has been subject to protests.

Gold is found in quartz veins associated with the diorite country rock.

Flora and fauna

Wild blueberries, cranberries, huckleberries and nagoonberries are found here. The bay area is the largest berry picking area for the people of Juneau. Other vegetation, like salmon berry, devils club, and currant, are also reported. The Antler and Lace river mouths contain extensive herbaceous and sedge meadows, known as the Lyngbye's sedge meadows in the area, home to brown bears.

Every spring, millions of hooligan and herring come to the bay to spawn. Nearly 10 to 20 million of these fish lie above the bottom of the bay. The Steller sea lions feed on these hooligans and after feeding they move out of the bay towards the outer coast to breed and give birth to their pups. These sea lions are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Tourism

Kayaking from the protected Echo Cove to Berners Bay Cabin, over 8 miles away, is a popular sport. The bay is also a recreation area for fishing, watching birds and whales, air boating, and camping.

References

References

1. Engstrom, Elton. (June 29, 2007). "Steven's Passage? It's all in a name". Juneau Empire.
2. (1946). "Our Land". University of Washington Press.
3. "Kensington Mine Background". Alaska Sierra Club organization.
4. "Lonely Planet review for Berners Bay". Lonely Planet.com.
5. (1891). "Pacific Coast pilot: Alaska. Dixon entrance to Yakutat Bay with inland passage from Strait of Fuca to Dixon entrance". U.S. Government Printing Office.
6. Bastin, Edson Sunderland. (1911). "Geology of the pegmatites and associated rocks of Maine: including feldspar, quartz, mica and gem deposits". Government Printing Office.
7. "Berners Bay, Alaska". Pew Environmental Organization Trust.
8. Arthur C. Spencer. (1906). "The Juneau Gold Belt, Alaska, USGS Bulletin No. 287". United States Government Printing Office.
9. Bob Christensen. (March 2004). "Brown bear (Ursus arctos) habitat and signs of use:Berners Bay, Alaska site survey - June 15-19, 2003, A Seawead report". Seawead.org.