Partly cloudy skies. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Partly cloudy skies. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

KETCHIKAN (KDN) — The following items were among the $25 million in investment projects that have been announced as part of the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy. The projects noted with an asterisk after the dollar amounts were announced in March. Some of the projects that are specific to communities outside of southern Southeast Alaska are not included in this list, which was compiled by USDA and can be found in full on the U.S. Forest Service’s Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy website.

• Wrangell wild blueberry management — City and Borough of Wrangell, $100,000 (Funded by the U.S. Forest Service). Expand on the Wrangell Ranger District’s previous blueberry management efforts (vegetation management) conducted at the request of tribal members.

• Climate change programs — Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA), $625,000 (USFS). Funding for Tlingit and Haida climate change programs to ensure positive climate action in Southeast Alaska.

• Seacoast Guardians Network: Support for traditional ecological knowledge — (CCTHITA), $550,000 (USFS). Support an initiative to help fund guardians in each tribal community and focus on traditional ecological knowledge through Indigenous-led, high-level education.

• Alaska Youth Stewards — (CCTHITA), $750,000* (USFS). Build programs that encourage youth to participate in decision-making tools that have potential or direct effects on traditional ways of life.

• Wildland Fire Program — (CCTHITA), $525,000* (USFS). Plan and develop a wildfire program in partnership with the Forest Service. Funding will support a Type 2 Wildland Fire Handcrew. This will be the first Native wildland fire program in Southeast Alaska.

• Cultural use of forest resources tribal validation crew — Organized Village of Kasaan, $50,000* (USFS). Fund a tribal field crew to document culturally significant cedar trees and compile data that can be used to ensure ecologically sustainable cultural/artisanal use.

• Cultural interpretive training — (CCTHITA) $500,000* (USFS). Tlingit & Haida tribal leadership will work in partnership with the Forest Service to develop and implement a comprehensive cultural interpretive training program grounded in local Indigenous knowledge, approaches, and teachings.

Wrangell Area Trail Improvements — City and Borough of Wrangell-Student Conservation Association, $100,000 (USFS). Support trail improvements in Wrangell by repairing and fixing drainage issues, slippery surfaces, and hazards.

• Regional Biomass Strategy and Pellet Mill — Southeast Conference, $1 million* (USFS). Facilitate the purchase and installation of a small pellet plant in partnership with the Ketchikan Gateway Boorugh and City of Ketchikan, as a demonstration project for other communities in Southeast Alaska.

• Wood energy, market research, development and testing of young-growth products — Alaska Division of Forestry, $285,000 (USFS). Support the wood energy, the Working Forest Analysis, and the Landowners Group to identify and assess new markets, products, and wood energy projects, and provide the information that industry needs to consider making long-term investments in young growth harvesting and manufacturing infrastructure in the region.

• Forest products industry transition — Alaska Forest Association, $275,000 (USFS). Advance information and technology for a young-growth forest products industry and help ensure a successful transition to young-growth forest management that sustains the industry and strengthens local economies in Southeast Alaska.

• Southeast Alaska Farmers Summit — Spruce Root, $100,000 (Funded by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service). Support the Southeast Alaska Farmers Summit to inspire agricultural production in Southeast Alaska and strengthen food security across the region.

• Engaging tribal and community partners in salmon habitat restoration in the Margaret Creek Watershed, Tongass National Forest — Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, $80,000* (USFS). This proposal will build on the broader Margaret Creek Restoration Project enabling the Ketchikan Indian Community to hire and train a tribal work crew for stream restoration and riparian forest enhancement activities.

• Trout Creek restoration project and training for tribal work crew — Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, $40,000* (USFS). A partnership of the Klawock Cooperative Association, Prince of Wales Tribal Conservation District, Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, and the Forest Service will restore instream habitat by adding woody debris using hand-tool methods.

• Klawock Indigenous Steward Partnership — Shaan-Seet, Inc., $400,000* (USFS) Strengthen the existing partnership between the Klawock Cooperative Association, Prince of Wales Tribal Conservation District, Klawock Heenya Corp., Shaan Seet Corp., and Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition to implement the Klawock Sockeye Salmon Action Plan.

• All Landowners Group and young-growth working forest analysis — Alaska Division of Forestry, $275,000* (USFS). The overarching goal of this collaborative effort is to help achieve a diverse and stable young-growth forest industry in Southeast Alaska.

• Tongass Transition Collaborative Facilitation Support — Alaska Division of Forestry, $200,000* (USFS). By fostering collaboration between tribes, the timber industry, Tongass National Forest user groups, conservation organizations, and Forest Service staff, this investment will facilitate an all-lands approach towards shared stewardship across the region. This investment will assist in reconvening and supporting the Tongass Transition Collaborative.

• The Teqe’heit Stewardship Program — Prince of Wales Tribal Conservation District, $500,000* (USFS). Fund a forest stewardship work crew with a youth program component. Projects will include riparian habitat improvement, compost/mulch projects, providing cultural wood to the Indigenous community, renewable energy research, and a recreation and trails program.

• Cooperative development, planning, and implementation of watershed restoration projects in Southeast Alaska — National Forest Foundation, $1 million* (USFS). Support on-the-ground implementation of watershed restoration projects including young-growth forest management, habitat improvements, cultural resource protection, and related projects.

• POW Vocational Technical Education Center academies — Prince of Wales Vocational & Technical Education Center, $75,000 (USFS). Assist the academy to include courses designed around themes that target job-ready forest, recreation and land management skills to ensure job readiness in preparation for Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act hiring timelines.

• Quantitative Tracking of SASSi Initiatives — Southeast Conference, $150,000 (USFS). Support the ongoing success of the Southeast Alaska sustainability strategy-investments (SASSi) by collaborating to collect project information, quantify the economic benefits arising from investments, and communicate economic success stories.

• Southeast Watershed Restoration Symposium — Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, $85,000 (Funded by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service). Support the coordination of an annual regional Watershed Restoration Symposium.

Three regional strengthening agreements account for about half of the initial Sustainability Strategy investment. Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and Southeast Conference will receive funds from Rural Development; and Spruce Root will receive funds from the  Forest Service.

These agreements will support the work of the three partners to advance Southeast Alaska’s overall prosperity and self-reliance and strengthen existing and emerging economic sectors. As a part of the agreements, the organizations will develop metrics to assess progress, document and share lessons learned from these efforts, grow the capacity of local partners, and support key economic diversification projects.

• Spruce Root regional strengthening agreements – $6.4 million (USFS): This investment funds coordination, visioning and navigation services which support economic diversification activities throughout Southeast Alaska and leverages the private investment in the Seacoast Trust. This includes the funding of the continuation of the Sustainable Southeast Partnership network to promote community capacity and local community and tribal development efforts as well as Community Forest projects across the region.

Funds awarded to Spruce Root via these agreements also will support the following projects:

— Community forests — Spruce Root. Restore impaired watersheds, and recruit, train, employ and develop skilled crews and other workforce elements. Also provides ongoing support to Community Forest Collaboratives and youth stewardship efforts on Prince of Wales Island, in Hoonah, and similar efforts across Southeast Alaska.

— Habitat restoration, renewable energy, sustainable timber management, and carbon sequestration — Hydaburg Cooperative Association. Implement a forestry program within the tribe to develop opportunities for workforce development in forestry-related fields. This will include training Hydaburg residents in forestry practices such as tree thinning for habitat restoration, creating jobs in biomass and wood fired technology, and cutting firewood for subsistence purposes.

— Sustaining healthy deer populations — Hydaburg Cooperative Association. The Hydaburg Cooperative Association will continue work with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Forest Service on projects that collect data for wildlife subsistence programs. This investment will maintain a continued local workforce, and to involve the Tribe in management decisions for deer species.

— Sharing our Knowledge Conference — Wrangell Cooperative Association Support the Wrangell Cooperative Association’s Sharing our Knowledge Conference Symposium that brings together Alaska Native and First Nations traditional knowledge bearers, elders, and fluent speakers of Indigenous languages with artists, academics, researchers, students, and other learners.

• Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska Regional Strengthening Agreement, $2.84 million (Funded by USDA Rural Development). This initiative will support economic diversification activities in Southeast Alaska through the Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy. Activities will include development of metrics to assess progress, documenting and sharing lessons learned, growing the capacity of local partners, and supporting key economic diversification projects. This effort should inform place-based models of collaborative regional economic diversification efforts and how USDA can best support these strategies.

Funds awarded to CCTHITA through these agreements also will support the following projects:

— Food security, subsistence, and sovereignty — CCTHITA. Support local food security programs that include the development of extreme weatherproof greenhouses and create programs to support subsistence/first foods security programs throughout Southeast Alaska.

— Brown bear co-existence — Defenders of Wildlife. Support the electric fence subsidy program and aid in supplying bear-proof safe storage containers for food and waste on a meaningful scale in Southeast Alaska to protect wildlife and wild areas.

— Regional Composting Network — Sustainable Southeast Partnership. The Sustainable Southeast Partnership will develop a regional composting and food recovery network to facilitate regional learning opportunities between community leaders, composting practitioners, and educators from communities throughout the region.

— Chief Shakes Tribal House Improvements — Wrangell Cooperative Association. The Wrangell Cooperative Association will support restoration and improvements to cultural infrastructure on Chief Shakes Island, which was home to Tlingit royalty for generations.

— Tribal smokehouses and education — Wrangell Cooperative Association. Implement Wrangell Cooperative Association’s educational classes, design and construct traditional smokehouses, and install a community composting system.

— Food security/sovereignty and Kayaaní Commission — Sustainable Southeast Partnership. The Sustainable Southeast Partnership, along with the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, will invest in the Kayaaní Commission which protects traditional ways of ancestral knowledge.

— Food security/sovereignty, community smoke houses and fish camps — Sustainable Southeast Partnership. The Sustainable Southeast Partnership in collaboration with the Kayaani Network will build community smokehouses and fish camps to strengthen connections with the lands and waters, provide access to cultural experiences, develop skills for sustainable food harvesting and processing, and support the annual Southeast Alaska Traditional Edible Plants Gathering and Food Sovereignty Summit.

— Restoring Tlingit Potato Gardens — Sustainable Southeast Partnership. The Sustainable Southeast Partnership will support food security and food sovereignty by working with communities to restore Tlingit potato gardens in traditional garden and village sites that are located within the boundaries of the Tongass National Forest and on remote islands.

• Southeast Conference Regional Strengthening Agreement, $3.16 million (Funded by USDA Rural Development). In partnership with Spruce Root and Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Southeast Conference will convene SASS partners to develop metrics that assess regional progress toward economic diversification, capture key lessons learned, develop annual reports, support a capacity building grants pools and make subawards into proposed SASS projects. This investment will strengthen the way the network of SASS partners works together on economic diversification, make it easier to assess progress, build the capacity of local organizations, and support economic diversification projects.

Funds awarded to Southeast Conference will also support the following projects:

— Shellfish Hatchery Internship and Training Program — OceansAlaska Shellfish Hatchery. Support an internship and training program that supports the shellfish hatchery program.

—  Local Fish Fund — Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust Support to the Local Fish Fund and Alaska’s fishing communities by reducing barriers to enter into commercial fisheries and engaging next-generation fishermen in marine stewardship and policy leadership.

— Craig High School Biomass Project — Craig City School District. Fund the construction of a wood-fired boiler at the Craig High School campus.

— Statewide seafood distribution and workforce development — Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust. Support workforce development in the seafood industry, and food security throughout Alaska.

— Aquatic farmers’ offloading pier and packing facility — Alaska Oyster Cooperative. Support a planning effort to build an offloading pier and floating dock for vessels in Little Naukati Bay on Prince of Wales Island.

— Workforce development supporting Alaska's fisheries and young fishermen — Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust Support. The Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust's Seafood Donation Program.

— Regional Seafood System Assessment — Salmon State. Support the inclusion of seafood as a part of a larger regional food system assessment and action plan which will help inform future investments in Southeast Alaska’s seafood industry.

* These investments were announced in March 2022 and are a part of the full $25 million in investments.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has made its final funding decisions in a $25 million program to support local organizations in Southeast A…