January 15, 2026

Attendance: Ian johnson, Annika Ord, Erica Drahozal, Chris Tcimpidis, Elizabeth Figus, Michelle Koppes, Jeromy,
Makaylah Hecker

Guest Speaker: Annika Ord – did her Masters in climate change and glacier change in SE Alaska and its afttecs on
lands, waters, and communities. University of British Comumbia. This work includes interiews from
Hoonah. Now works through ACAAP and SSP. Grew up fishing in Courvern, Port Frederick, Icy straits fishing in the Willowah. Spent a lot time doing field work on the ice fields in Juneau. Saw that ice was dimishing quickly. Was
interested in learning from the scientists and communities. How were they impacting downstream
systems?

Topic

Spent a whole summer doing interviews in SE Alaska. Gusavus, juneau, Hoonah, Atlin Focused a lot of work in Glacier Bay and Juneau Ice field Spoke with 33 people across the region and 6 people from Hoonah

Big Take aways:
1. People were very knowledgeable about snow in the mountains and how that is related to
downstream systems. This was aligned with western science of those topics.

2. The knowledge people were sharing acknowledged the interconnectedness of systems

3. Acknowledgement that glacier change is also an opportunity for new salmon runs.
Observation of chums in upper Glacier Bay

4. Local knowledge does a better job of capting the interwoven relatinships of glaciers than
western science.

5. Local harvesters strongly tied forage fish into glacier change. Also that shrimping is good in
areas of glacier melt. Where glacier water meets the ocean water is a good place for halibut
fishing.

6. Local knowledge the connections of glaciers to communities especially throughs salmon.

7. Local knowledge helps put glaciers into “perspective”. It’s not just the glacier changing its the
impacts on communities too.
a. Climate change of colonial harm

8. The need for change – returning to value systems that help heal, steward, redistribute power.

What’s Next

• Partner with communities to support local priorities
• Strengthen local and regional food networks
• Be on the land so you can see and understand the changes support indigenous stewardship
• Generosity is important

Allot is happening already!

stewardship and monitoring, community forest partnerships, culture camps, local food programs, and more!

Questions

Has this work been written up? It’s been written up in Thesis, but Annika wants to distill it
down into a shorter article as well?

When you studied the glaciers have you noted gas [methane] coming out? Haven’t heard of
this in SE as much but up north it common in permafrost.

Glaciers and cold water linked to sharks and warm water use. They are also linked to cold
water and salmon health

In the knowledge webs there are clear areas where TEK is more deep than the science
literature.