LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
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Daily Sitka Sentinel
Sitkans Offer Expertise To Climate Task Force
By ABIGAIL BLISS
Sentinel Staff Writer
Two Sitkans are among the 20 members recently appointed to the Climate Action for Alaska Leadership Team, a group assembled by Gov. Walker to leverage its collective expertise for recommendations regarding Alaska’s response to climate change.
Local leaders Lisa Busch, executive director of the Sitka Sound Science Center, and Linda Behnken, executive director of Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, will represent Sitka among the group of experts.
Linda Behnken (Sentinel Photo)
Lisa Busch (Sentinel Photo)
“Naming our team is another critical step in advancing meaningful climate policy,” Walker said in a statement announcing his choices for the team. “I am proud to present a motivated group of leaders, each of whom brings a range of expertise and interests to the table. Our team members not only represent a breadth of experience across the state from the North Slope to the Southeast, but also have strong networks and resources spanning from Alaska to the rest of the world, giving us a voice in the global dialogue on climate change.”
The group includes leaders in the fields of planning, natural resources, environmental advocacy, policy, and climate research, and boasts expertise in renewable energies, indigenous cultures, transportation, and coastal resilience. It is chaired by Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, and held its first meeting on Dec. 18 in Anchorage.
In their professional work, both Busch and Behnken have closely observed the impact of climate change on coastal communities in Alaska.
For her part, Busch expressed confidence that her years of experience as a science reporter and in science administration would enable her to help the team send clear, public-facing messages about the upshots of current climate change research. She believes her three decades in Sitka, a community close to the effects of climate change, enhances the skills she brings to the table.
“It’s an example of a rural community, where people live naturally with the rural world,” she said. “This is a place where people are seeing climate change changes firsthand. Sitka is a very engaged community, where Sitkans are interested in what’s going on in science, interested in the evidence, whether that’s through traditional Native knowledge or different methods that show that climate change is real and happening right now.”
In assessing her own skillset, Behnken said she plans to contribute her expertise in fisheries, fish science, and modeling projections for the effects of climate change on fish stocks. She said she also expects to benefit from her teammates’ expertise, and to act as an intermediary between Sitkans and the committee.
“Because climate change is the defining issue of our time, I have been tracking both the science and the physical evidence of climage change for decades,” she said. “Being on the water for a big part of every year for over 30 years has ensured that I recognize the reality of climate change - and that our country has taken far too long to take meaningful action.
“I also feel a great responsibility to listen and learn from other members of the group, to share what I learn with Alaskans outside the team, and to bring back to the team ideas shared with me,” she added.
Busch said that both Walker and Mallott presided over the initial meeting, where they detailed their hopes and expectations for what the Climate Action for Alaska Leadership Team might achieve.
“They kind of laid out where they want us to go as a group, and that is to advise the governor on critical actions to address climate change and safeguard Alaska for the future. The lieutenant governor really wants Alaska to be a leader in thinking about climate change response.”
She explained that Mallott’s hopes center, in particular, on finding a way for the part of Alaska’s identity that revolves around oil extraction to coexist with the state’s efforts to curb climate change. To that end, the team learned about other locations that have achieved a balance between the two: Norway, for example, strives to meet measures outlined in the Paris Accords and, at the same time, defends drilling in the Arctic, she said.
“We kind of agreed on some very basic principles. We want Alaskans to be aware and accept that climate change is happening,” she said.
She added that the team expressed particular interest in advancing “One Health,” the idea that the natural environment is inextricably connected to human health, and integrating the term into the Alaskan lexicon.
Behnken added that her goals for the team include keeping Alaska’s own contribution to climate change at a minimum; maximizing the resilience of Alaska’s residents, wildlife, and natural environment; and creating and capitalizing on opportunities to benefit current and future generations of Alaskans.
Commenting on the Trump administration’s position regarding climate change, Busch said she was excited for Alaskans to step into the vacant leadership role in climate action.
“It seems like the federal government is not taking the lead, so what can we do as a state, as Alaskans, to become leaders in this regard? This is for Alaskans, by Alaskans,” she said.
Behnken echoed her teammate’s expectation that Alaska would continue efforts to reduce and mitigate the effects of climate change, regardless of the current administration’s stance on the issue. She applauded Walker and Mallott for assembling the Climate Action for Alaska Leadership Team, noting that its formation is but the latest installment in the state’s longstanding tradition of addressing shifting weather patterns and acknowledging humanity’s complicite role in the process.
“The President attempts to dismiss climate change and the human role in climate change,” she said. “In Alaska, we are way past that.”
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20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.