HSC : February Meeting with Guardians

The Hoonah Stewardship Council Met with The Guardians network members from Tlingit and Haida to discuss the network and the opportunities for Hoonah and the region. Their vision : Restoring Balance. Their Mission : To empower every Southeast Alaska Tribe and community through the support of education, monitoring and equipping Indigenous Guardians who practice environmental stewardship using Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

In attendance:

• Ray Paddock
• Mary Marks
• Marco Banda – Regional Resource Specialist
• Julian Narvaez
• Jeromy Grant
• Ricardo
• Niccole Williams
• Faith Grant
• Rebekah Sawers
• Paul Olson
• Erica Drahozal
• Heather Powell
• Sean Williams

Key summary of meeting:

The Guardians Network is modeled from a successful network in Canada. In SE the US Forest Service created an agreement with Central Council with the goal of helping communities advance their goals in environmental stewardship, education, cultural, and more. A few ways they are doing this :

1. Working towards co-management of resources
2. Working on topics of co-governance.
3. Meeting with communities to figure out what their priorities are and then helping them collecte robust data to be given to decision makers.
4. Helping grow a trust-fund to make project funding sustainable and flexible
5. Phase 1 : The first and second year will be spent on development of the IGN. The primary work to be done in this time span will be to establish connection with Tribal communities and extend support. We will access community needs and develop priorities that reflect the unique needs of each community. Also, in this phase we will establish leadership committees that reflect Alaska Native values to provide the network with direction.
6. Phase 2 : Years two through five will see the implementation of Guardian led and Guardian supported projects. Data will continue to be gathered from Tribal communities and additional projects will be developed and supported. Partnerships and collaborations will continue to be formed. Permanent Guardians will begin to be placed in Alaska Native communities.
7. A network evaluation will be created. The identification of additional priorities will continue. Partnerships and collaborations will expand to include guardian programs within Alaska, the lower 48 and First Nations. Guardians in Tribal communities will be supported through higher education certification programs as well as needed equipment to effectively restore, monitor and protect Alaska Native homelands and waters.

Themes from discussions with Communities. Here are some of what they’ve heard is important:

• Ocean rangers program abolishment. Cruise ship watchman. What if we use Guardians to train people to be on the boats to ensure that cruiselines
• Climate change
• Food Sovereignty
• Heritage – Ketchikan, monitoring their heritage sites
• Unit 4 deer regulations, state managed resources
• The State doesn’t recognize Tribes. This is a chance to pick up capacity dropped by the State – transboundary issues for instance. Force the recognition in some manner.

Raw Notes

This is a program that has been in the works for two years now

Have spent a lot of time working with popel abroad – aleutian islands,

Have been working with HIA, Kake, Kasaan, to get this program started

Create co-management of resources in SE Alaska. Model it off

Bringing credible science with traditional knowledge forward to manage

Concept started in BC to follow and see what the programs was doing in BC

Created a stewardship group – Seacoast trust to bring in endowment for funding. So getting away from granting and reliance. Healing group – those who have an interest in shared tribal stewardship

Was established through T&H and Forest Service Cost Share agreement. The agreement is fairly unstructured. The agreement is 3 phases. They all leave room for development. There is flexiblity to create as you go along.

A mechanism for co-management or co-governance in glacier bay potentially

Goal for 638 funding –

What is it? At the highest level, the most concentrated point. This is to be owned by communities for their benefit. Working hard to put together a collaboration of everyone.

Phase 1 – “Collaborative Phase” – putting together a charter that outlines the goals, value, mission statement.

Offering support in how we can. There’s a lot of funding coming down the pipe.

Building relationships

Educational piece to the guardians – Tribal/ Indigenous led education and instructures. Vision is to have “guardians training centers”. Indigenous centered knowledge.

Design aspect – healing teams. “Decolonized aspect” – building it out on our own terms

20 million dollar endownment. 10mill Sealaska, 7 million TNC, money from other groups.

We are only as sovereign as much money as we have.

Focusing on Youth

Guardians gatherings is the spot to share your priorities

Questions:

Paul – FS –

What are the other two phases?

Phase 2 – implementation of shared priorities identified

Phase 3 – Re-evaluation of the program. Coming back to gather our partners. What can be made better. How can we apply funding in the future?

SASS dollars are also going to be used to keep pushing the program through

Ian – What are the priorities you’ve heard so far?

• Ocean rangers program abolishment. Cruise ship watchman. What if we use Guardians to train people to be on the boats to ensure that cruiselines
• Climate change
• Food Sovereignty
• Heritage – Ketchikan, monitoring their heritage sites
• Unit 4 deer regulations, state managemed resource
• The State doesn’t recognize Tribes. This is a chance to pick up capacity dropped by the State – transboundary issues for instance. Force the recognition in some manner.

Power. Data. Credibility.

Good opportunity for Tribes to communicate and collaborate with Municipalities

Sean – Ocean Ranger is a good. Trust building.

This is an opportunity to go to work