Sustainable Southeast Partnership

Húus dáng hl kíngsaang (I’ll see you again): Reflections from Prince of Wales 🌿 Clara Mooney and Addy Mallott, our 2024 Storytelling & Engagement Interns, spent their summer capturing the heart of Prince of Wales Island. From Kasaan to Klawock, Craig to Hydaburg, they explored the land during 'Back to the Lands Week,' documenting their journey with an analog camera and heartfelt reflections. 🎥📓 Check out their story and film photography, highlighting the incredible people and places they encountered along the way. Read more: 📝 Sustainable Southeast Partnership https://lnkd.in/gY5khZTn 📝 Juneau Empire https://lnkd.in/ggVWeNG4 Story and graphics by Addy Mallott and Clara Mooney #SustainableSoutheast #Storytelling #IndigenousCommunities #BackToTheLands #PrinceOfWales #SSPInterns #FilmPhotography #HúusDángHlKíngsaang

Partners within the SSP created e-bike incentives for Southeast Alaska communities. Sitka Conservation Society (SCS), The Leighty Foundation and utility Alaska Power & Telephone (AP&T) created a new partnership to promote use of electric bikes. Together, the organizations offer cash incentives to AP&T power customers who purchase e-bikes for use in AP&T’s service areas, which includes communities on Prince of Wales Island, Haines, Skagway, and Gustavus. Katie Riley of SCS commented “E-bikes are a great way to expand access to healthy, low carbon transportation options while utilizing clean electric energy. We're excited to partner with AP&T and The Leighty Foundation to support this initiative and invest in building bicycle-friendly and climate-conscious communities in Southeast Alaska.” Incentives are available for up to 10% of the purchase price, with a maximum payment of $200. Klondike Electric Bicycles, a small-business participating in this program located in the heart of Skagway, Alaska, offers a thrilling way to explore Skagway and the surrounding area's breathtaking landscapes. Klondike Electric Bicycles makes it easy and fun for everyone, regardless of fitness level, to discover the stunning beauty of Skagway and beyond. From scenic rides around the community to unforgettable journeys into the Yukon, they provide an eco-friendly way to experience the most awe-inspiring sights. By taking advantage of these incentives, customers can be part of a movement towards clean, sustainable transportation. Next time you are in Skagway, visit Klondike Electric Bicycles! #ExploreAlaska #ElectricBikes #EcoFriendlyTravel #SustainableTourism #KlondikeBikes #CleanEnergy #CommunityPartners #AdventureAwaits Photos by Shaelene Grace Moler

Living in Southeast Alaska is a constant source of inspiration. This is something Kushxeet Sienna Reid can speak to as an artist and small business owner. Kushxeet Sienna Reid is one of our newest steering committee members. The Steering Committee provides overall program oversight for SSP and is responsible for policy development, fundraising, annual budget review, participation in the hiring process and nomination of the Program Director position, and network partnership relations. Kushxeet Sienna currently works with the Sitka Tribe of Alaska to protect our traditional plants through the Kayaaní Commission. As a multimedia artist, their journey has been about reconnecting with their culture and identity through their art. With their small business, Xoodzí ("falling star"), they create pieces that reflect strong feminine energy and contemporary Lingít imagery. 💫 Art isn’t just a passion; it’s a community builder. Kushxeet Sienna believes in supporting fellow artists, not seeing them as competition. Our traditions are rich and unique, and together we uplift one another. They are thankful for the Tribes and Native corporations that foster learning and growth in our artistic community. Read the full interview in our magazine Woven: https://lnkd.in/gbqsVqU4 #LingítArt #SupportLocalArtists #communityvoice

Today is National Voter Registration Day and we are less than two months from the national election. Kuxhadahaan Adaayoo.analgein (Stop, observe, examine, act) — these guiding principles that we follow at the Sustainable Southeast Partnership illustrate why it’s crucial to inform yourself. Here at the SSP, we approach decision-making with intentionality, seeking continuous improvement through reflection and adaptation. Just as we act with strategy and purpose in other areas of life, voting should reflect thoughtful planning and understanding. An informed vote is a powerful action that contributes to positive, meaningful change in our communities. Ready to vote? Here's how to register in Alaska. 1️⃣ Eligibility: You must be a U.S. citizen, an Alaska resident, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. 2️⃣ Register: Online: Visit https://lnkd.in/gvj2fRC In-person: Head to your Division of Elections Office or DMV. By mail: Download the form from elections.alaska.gov and send it in. 3️⃣ Deadline: Register at least 30 days before Election Day (Election Day is November 5) to be eligible. 4️⃣ Check your status: Confirm you're registered at myvoterportal.alaska.gov Your vote shapes the future! 🌲🏔️ Illustration by Sienna Reid @xoodzi for First Alaskans Magazine #AlaskaVotes #RegisterToVote #YourVoiceMatters #AlaskaElection #CivicEngagementAK

The Seacoast Trust is financial sovereignty. Launched in 2021, The Seacoast Trust's annual earnings will fund a different kind of conservation: one that understands people and communities are inseparable components of a healthy environment within the Sustainable Southeast Partnership. The Seacoast Trust will, in perpetuity, reduce barriers to the communities of Southeast Alaska in achieving their goals for the future amid the life-sustaining health of the lands and waters that now, more than ever, call for our shared efforts. Centering Indigenous values and self-determination, representing an innovative and long overdue shift in conservation finance that has tremendous potential to drive systemic change benefiting people and nature in Southeast Alaska. Guided by Spruce Root’s Indigenous investment experts, it envisions sustainable stewardship that balances economic, social, and environmental well-being for the communities of Southeast Alaska. The Seacoast Trust began with Sealaska’s $10M challenge to conservation funders, with The Nature Conservancy stepping up with $8M. Partners like Home Planet Fund, Rasmuson Foundation, and many others have since joined in support. Gunalchéesh (thank you) as we celebrate three years of this powerful collaboration! Together, we’re planting the seeds for a thriving future, ensuring that Southeast Alaska’s lands, waters, and people flourish for generations. 🌱🌊 #SeacoastTrust #IndigenousStewardship #SustainableSoutheast #FinancialSovereignty #ConservationInnovation #CommunityLed Photos by Bethany Goodrich, Lee House, Shaelene Moler, and Muriel Reid

The investments of the Seacoast Trust will fund a different kind of conservation: One that understands people and communities are inseparable components of a healthy environment within the Sustainable Southeast Partnership.

Climate Adaptation includes preparing a local workforce for a Renewable Energy Future. To complement our recent Juneau Empire Woven Peoples & Place story introducing Annika Ord, our Climate Adaptation Catalyst with the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, we are sharing some of the inspiring climate work already being championed by our partners around the Southeast. Sitka youth tour the City of Sitka’s Blue Lake hydroelectric powerhouse and build an energy efficient model home during two different years of the Southeast Renewable Energy Camp - a week-long exploration of Sitka’s past, present and future energy resources. Community partners including City Parks & Rec, @reap_ak and @sitkawild are working to build programs to engage youth early, exploring how energy impacts every aspect of society, as well as to introduce them to careers in a renewable energy future. This year, SCS and the City of Sitka are developing a Renewable Energy Internship program to expand opportunities for high school and post-secondary aged youth. As always, read the full scoop on our website → sustainablesoutheast.net Photos by Ryan Morse, Sitka Conservation Society 

“So much of the climate change conversation, the science, and the respective action, has focused on monitoring loss,” says Annika Ord. “I’m hoping to change that.” Annika Ord is a born and raised Juneauite whose personal and professional passion for addressing climate change has taken her across the Southeast from the Home Shore fishing grounds of Hoonah, to the icefields of Juneau. This year she earned a masters degree in Geography from the University of British Columbia before accepting a new position as the Climate Adaptation Catalyst for the Sustainable Southeast Partnership, hosted with the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In this month’s story, Annika Ord shares with us her goals for her work and her vision for pivoting the climate change conversation away from a focus on loss, to a community-led solutions approach to adaptation, action, and hope. Annika believes that understanding and taking action to prepare for environmental change can bring our communities closer, cultivate justice and healing, and lead toward an economically stronger and empowered Southeast Alaska for all. Read it now in the Juneau Empire or on our website: https://lnkd.in/gQMDtm7d Q&A Edited for Clarity by Bethany Goodrich featuring Art by Annika Ord #ClimateAdaptation #ClimateResilience #SustainableSoutheast #LocalLeadership #EnvironmentalStewardship #IndigenousKnowledge #ClimateAction #AdaptToThrive #AlaskaCommunities #ClimateCatalyst #EcoInnovation #FutureGenerations #SoutheastAlaska

“So much of the climate change conversation, the science, and the respective action, has focused on monitoring loss,” says Annika Ord. “I’m hoping to change that.” Annika Ord is a born and raised Juneauite whose personal and professional passion for addressing climate change has taken her across the Southeast from the Home Shore fishing grounds of Hoonah, to the icefields of Juneau. This year she earned a masters degree in Geography from the University of British Columbia before accepting a new position as the Climate Adaptation Catalyst for the Sustainable Southeast Partnership, hosted with the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In this month’s story, Annika Ord shares with us her goals for her work and her vision for pivoting the climate change conversation away from a focus on loss, to a community-led solutions approach to adaptation, action, and hope. Annika believes that understanding and taking action to prepare for environmental change can bring our communities closer, cultivate justice and healing, and lead toward an economically stronger and empowered Southeast Alaska for all. Read it now in the Juneau Empire or on our website: https://lnkd.in/gQMDtm7d Q&A Edited for Clarity by Bethany Goodrich featuring Art by Annika Ord #ClimateAdaptation #ClimateResilience #SustainableSoutheast #LocalLeadership #EnvironmentalStewardship #IndigenousKnowledge #ClimateAction #AdaptToThrive #AlaskaCommunities #ClimateCatalyst #EcoInnovation #FutureGenerations #SoutheastAlaska

Sitka is a Lingít community on the outer coast of Baranof Island. Sitka is home to many community-driven initiatives, including a commercial kitchen space and a workforce development program that guides high school students in the construction of tiny homes using sustainable sourced local timber. Sitka is home to just under 9,000 year-round residents with an economy, like the region as a whole, reliant on commercial fishing, tourism, and government jobs. Sitka is nestled in the Tongass National Forest where families hunt, gather foods, hike, play, fish and find inspiration. In 2023, our partner Sitka Conservation Society hosted a Beneficial Electrification Intern who coordinated a Renewable Energy Camp for 17 middle schoolers in partnership with the City of Sitka and Renewable Energy Alaska Project and worked to make information on electrification incentives more accessible to communities. Sitka Conservation Society also partnered with Pacific High School to fundraise and recruit volunteers to complete a 24' x 48' greenhouse and support their Farm to Table program in which students grow food and incorporate it into student- made, from-scratch school meals. In 2023 over 270 pounds of nutritious, organic produce was harvested! Read Sitka's community stories on our website at https://lnkd.in/g6sK96qr. Photos by Ryan Morse, Bethany Sonsini Goodrich, and Shaelene Grace Moler