Services, Reception
Saturday Set for
William Allery, 30
Memorial services for William Donald Allery ($2DollarBill) will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, March 6, at the United Pentecostal Church, 101 Cascade Creek Road. A reception will follow.
Billy passed away Jan. 28, 2021, in Sitka at the age of 30.
He was born Oct. 31, 1990, at SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital, the son of Georgianna Smith and Steven W. Allery Sr.
Billy is loved and will be missed by many, his family members wrote. He was kind-hearted and surrounded by family and friends throughout his life.
Climate Connection: A Simple “Thank You”
By Anna Zauner
Thank you. It is a phrase we are taught at a young age. One you may have uttered as a child when prompted by the cue, “what do you say?…” when given a gift. It comes naturally at checkout counters, and around dinner tables. Words exchanged between friends, family, and strangers. Yet, sometimes those who give the most receive it the least.
“Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants,” written by the botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer is called many things: a memoir, a field guide and, most notably, a wisdom book. It challenges the use of only scientific tools to understand the natural world from the perspective of a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.
As a career botanist, Kimmerer uses phrases found in the Western science world. She writes about the Latin names of plants she has memorized and the strict process of the scientific method. Naturally, Indigenous knowledge and personal experiences are connected to this same world.
Combining Western scientific methods and Indigenous knowledge challenges the traditional idea of a naturalist. It pushes the reader to re-imagine the relationship between humans and the Earth. In the chapter “Allegiance to Gratitude” Kimmerer highlights the Native American practices of saying “Thank you” to the natural world.
In the Onondaga Nation, the schools begin every day with the Thanksgiving Address. This ritual centers around expressing gratitude, but also serves as a scientific inventory of the natural world. Students start by thanking our Mother the Earth, then water of the world, all Fish life, Plantlife, and so on. The address is long, accenting the importance of taking the time to commit to thoughtful thanks.
Saying thank you to the Earth for something like the ground that supports our feet sounds easy enough. Kimmerer stresses that in a world where consumerism controls much of our daily lives, expressing gratitude is a revolutionary idea. A routine of gratitude, like the one practiced in the Onondaga Nation, can remind you that you already have everything you need.
Kimmerer writes about the challenges that face us as “...more than ecological restoration; it is the restoration of the relationship between plants and people... we might look at the Thanksgiving Address as weaving the two. We are dreaming of a time where the land might give thanks for the people.”
Braiding Sweetgrass could be classified as a nonfiction book or as “an invitation to celebrate the gifts of the earth.” Think of a few gifts Mother Earth has offered you today and make sure to respond to these as you’ve been taught: “thank you.”
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Anna Zauner is a member of Citizens’ Climate Lobby and an AmeriCorps Volunteer.
Online Dessert
Auction for SAFV
Sitkans Against Family Violence’s online dessert auction will run March 4 through 1 p.m. March 7.
The auction is being held in lieu of SAFV’s Family Fiesta fundraiser.
To support SAFV go to tinyurl.com/safvdessertauction to check out desserts and bid. New items will be added frequently.
Bids can be placed by credit card only, which is needed at the time the bid is placed. Bidders will be notified when they are outbid or if they win.
Winners are asked to pick up desserts at the shelter. Call 747-3370 for directions. Individuals unable to pick them up can request a delivery by leaving a message at 738-0161.
Those who can donate a dessert may go to tinyurl.com/safvdessertentry and submit details of the dessert by March 3.
Call 738-0161 with questions.
Quilt Scholarship
Auction Online
Ocean Wave Quilters guild invites all to its annual mini-quilt scholarship auction, which this year is being held on a newly created Facebook page – OWQ 2021 Scholarship Auction.
The quilts will be posted through March 6.
Minimum bid on all quilts is $25 and bidders are asked to leave contact information.
Cash, checks and and credit cards will be accepted.
Winners will be notified March 7 and arrangements made for payment and delivery.
All funds raised go toward scholarships for local high school graduating seniors and the Sitka Fine Arts Camp.
For information contact Megan at 738-2290.
Spring Break
Scavenger Hunt
At SJ Museum
The Sheldon Jackson Museum will offer a family-friendly, ocean life-themed scavenger hunt during spring break, March 17-20.
Ages 5-18 and their family members can stop by the museum between noon and 4 p.m. March 17-20 to explore the gallery, learn about Alaska Native people, and find ocean life artifacts. Participants will receive a take-home craft activity, and some K-12 teachers will give extra credit. Students should ask their teachers about it.
Face coverings and social distancing are required by guests and staff in the museum.
Orthodox Care
Network Online
The Diocese of Sitka and Alaska (Eastern Orthodox Church) has launched a new program, the Orthodox Care Network of Alaska.
The network utilizes Amazon to bring needed items to parish communities across the state.
‘‘During this time of economic turmoil we are hoping to bring awareness to the needs of Alaskans, especially those in our rural communities, and a source for people to help with those needs if they desire to do so,’’ said Luke Ringger, director of development. ‘‘How it works is if someone feels they cannot take care of personal needs, such as nutritious food, clothing, children’s school supplies, or maternal/baby items, they can communicate that need to the local parish priest who will communicate that need to the Diocese. The Diocese will then publish it to that parish’s Amazon gift registry.’’
If someone purchases the item it will be automatically shipped to the church and then dispersed to those in need. Church membership is not a requirement for the program.
The link with the current locations the program is operating in, which includes about 20 villages, is at https://doaoca.org/orthodoxcarenetworkofalaska.
‘‘I pray that this new resource will be a blessing materially to those in need, a reminder of the love that unites us as Christians, and an opportunity to grow spiritually through the giving alms,’’ The Right Reverend Bishop Alexis Locum Tenens, Diocese of Sitka and Alaska, said in announcing the new program.
F&G Advisory
Panel to Meet
The Sitka Fish and Game Advisory Committee will meet via web-conference 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, via Zoom.
The call-in information is: Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/91076152544?pwd=RG5wVU5XZnFUWU94NVo4aHVJUi9LQT09, Phone Number: +1 253 215 8782, Meeting ID: 910 7615 2544, Passcode: Sitka.
The agenda will include the Board of Fish personal use/subsistence proposals 125-142.
The online public notice site is http://notice.alaska.gov/201666. Meetings are open to the public and all are welcomed.
For further information and questions, contact John Murray, vice chair, jmfish3@gmail.com or Annie Bartholomew at the Department of Fish & Game, annie.bartholomew@alaska.gov.
Alaska Legislature
Meetings on Tap
The Alaska Legislature will hold several meetings during the week of March 9, the Sitka Legislative Information Office announced.
Meetings include:
–March 9, noon: Alaska Marine Highway System (transportation);
–March 9, 3p.m.: HB76 Extending the Covid-19 Disaster Emergency (Health and Social Services);
–March 11, 11 a.m.: HB54 Invasive Species Management (Fisheries); and
–March 11, 3:30 p.m.: SB83 Elections; Voting; Ballot Requirements (State Affairs).
For a full list of topics, visit akleg.gov and click on “daily schedule.” If public testimony is being taken, individuals can call in at 844-586-9085. Meetings may be canceled at any time.
Bills can be tracked by text by calling the Sitka Legislative Office at 747-6276 or visiting akleg.gov for more information.
