The Nature Conservancy in Alaska is a proud partner in the Sustainable Southeast Partnership - mapping landslide risk in Southeast is ever more important as the regional climate gets wetter.
Over the past ice age, glaciers sculpted Southeast Alaska into the dynamic and awe-inspiring landscape we see today. Dramatic fjords and steep forested hillsides jut up from the ocean. The forests that have taken root here only have a shallow layer of topsoil to cling to above bedrock. Along with the growing forests a vibrant and complex culture of people have thrived. The Tlingít, Haida, and Tsimshian people have tended to Southeast Alaska since time immemorial, shaping the land and being shaped by it in turn. As an abundant temperate rainforest, heavy precipitation is part of the land and livelihoods of the people. When heavy rainstorms saturate the topsoil, it can become unstable and the risks of landslides are all too clear. The Ḵutí project, a Sitka Sound Science Center project, focusing on landslide risk reduction by integrating Indigenous knowledge with scientific research is expanding across Southeast Alaska. Originally started in Sitka after the 2015 landslide, the project now collaborates with tribal governments and other organizations across communities to create locally tailored alert systems and environmental monitoring. By engaging local youth through the Alaska Youth Stewards program in hands-on geohazard research, Ḵutí fosters community resilience and prepares future leaders in this work. This unique effort stands out nationally as a model for cooperative, community-centered hazard mitigation. Read our new column piece “Woven Peoples and Place: Ḵutí expands across Southeast Alaska” by Lisa Teas Conaway, Sitka Sound Science Center Communications Coordinator on our website https://lnkd.in/geutFiQP or in the Juneau Empire https://lnkd.in/gKwWHkgi. Photos by Bethany Goodrich and Zofia Danielson