Food System Workshop
Scheduled for Feb. 19
Sitka Local Foods Network has been working with a dozen other local and regional groups over the past year as part of a two-year USDA Regional Food System Partnership grant coordinated by the Alaska Food Policy Council.
As part of the work, the program will host a community-focused food system asset-mapping workshop 1:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, using Zoom. The goal of the project is to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the 13 local and regional food systems, then use that knowledge to create a 10-year statewide food security plan. All of the regional and local workshops will be facilitated by an outside facilitator, Lisa Trocchia.
“Food security, or insecurity, is a big issue in Alaska and in Sitka,” Sitka Local Foods Network board president Charles Bingham said. “Hopefully this project will give us some strategies on how to improve Alaska’s food security. We have special challenges in Alaska, with our remoteness and climate, and we see that every time the grocery store shelves are empty or when we go to a village store and can’t find fresh fruit and veggies. If you have concerns about Alaska’s, and Sitka’s, food system, then this workshop is for you.”
Sitka in 2014 released the Sitka Community Food Assessment Indicators Report, which came out of a Sitka Health Summit project. This gave baseline data about food security in Sitka, but most of the data is a decade old and is becoming dated, SLFN said. The group hopes the workshop might inspire discussions that will help it update the report.
The organization is hoping people attend from all parts of the community, including Alaska Natives, Filipino, those on public assistance, people who hunt and gather, gardeners, commercial fishermen, food business owners, young people and elders. The broader the diversity in our group, the better the results, the group said.
To attend, RSVP by sending an email with the note “food security” in the subject line to sitkalocalfoodsnetwork@gmail.com. Individuals will receive an email a few days before the event with a Zoom link. Those who can’t attend on Feb. 19 still can participate when there is a statewide survey announced. For details, contact Charles Bingham at 907-623-7660.
Transition Sitka
To Offer Film
The public is invited to join Transition Sitka by Zoom at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 6, for a short documentary about how Totnes, a town in England the size of Sitka, built community resilience against outside shocks coming from climate change by local food networks, local energy, and sustainable building.
‘‘We welcome you to discuss how we can work together to build Sitka’s resilient infrastructure,’’ organizers said.
Registration is open at https://tinyurl.com/transitionsitka.
ALFA Offering
Commercial Fisher
Crew Training
Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association is offering its Crew Training Program, matching individuals new to commercial fishing or those looking to diversify their fishing skills with experienced skippers who mentor crew over short- or long-term apprenticeships.
ALFA’s educational resources and on-the-water training help those new to the industry try out commercial fishing to determine if the career and way of life is a good fit. The goal is to introduce more young people to commercial fishing and to help launch the next generation of successful commercial fishermen, ALFA said.
Applicants must be 18 years or older to qualify. It’s free to apply; application information can be found at https://www.alfafish.org/crewtraining.
Skippers also are needed. Those able to mentor one or more new crew member(s), for as short as a day or as long as an entire season, are asked to contact ALFA. Call Natalie at 907-738-1286 or email at program.director@alfafish.org for more information.
SAIL Schedules
Ceramics Studio
Southeast Alaska Independent Living is partnering with Sitka Fine Arts Camp to offer a five-session ceramics studio class starting Jan. 31.
Participants can learn and pursue individual projects. The program is open to adults and seniors of any ability. Session times and dates are 6-8 p.m. Jan. 31, Feb. 7, 14, 21 and 28.
The suggested donation for the studio is $100. Scholarships are available to help with cost. For information or to register contact Matt at (888) 487-1029 or mmillado@sailinc.org.
