Guardian Air Flight
Dear Editor: I would like to thank the men and women of your Guardian Air Service for saving my life.
I am a backwoods woman in the Porcupine and have been for 20 years; the last nine alone since my husband died.
Last fall I had another gallbladder attack and was flown to Juneau where I was operated on immediately. Without Guardian Air I would have died.
Not only do I owe them my life, but they showed me kindness and courtesy toward the needs of an older woman.
They were also so foxy that even a dying woman couldn’t help but notice.
Thank you for your professionalism and caring.
Anne L. Robbins-Shuder
(Porcupine Anney),
Haines/Porcupine, Alaska
Life-Skills Teachings
Dear Editor: Over the last semester, the Sitka Conservation Society worked with Pacific High School to offer a life-skills class for students who want to go into commercial fishing careers. The class, “Everything you need to know about commercial fishing – except how to catch the fish,” intended to introduce students to all the aspects of the commercial fishing industry, exposing students to some skills-sets and knowledge they will need to build to be successful fishermen.
Following tradition of the place we live, the class relied on the knowledge of elders to pass along some of the skills, knowledge, and ethics that are needed in commercial fishing and in living as part of the Southeast Alaska ecosystem. There were many community members who generously gave their time to make the class successful and did their part to help bring up the next generation of Sitka fishermen.
We would like to thank Rob Miller from the U.S. Forest Service who taught about salmon spawning habitat and the role of the Forest Service in protecting, enhancing and restoring salmon habitat.
Thanks to Lon Garrison and the Sitka Sound Science Center for teaching about hatcheries and their role in salmon fisheries. Thanks to Jon Martin, professor at the University of Alaska Southeast, Sitka Campus, for talking about the opportunities in continual education in fisheries. Thanks to Dave Gordon and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for teaching about fisheries management and ADFG’s role in seine openings. Thanks to Eric Jordan and the F/V I Gotta for his insights on trolling and getting your foot into the door of the industry.
Thanks to Tim Ryan, Bill Grant and Sitka Sound Seafoods for the lesson on fish processing, fish markets, and where our fish goes after it is caught. Thanks to Ty Barkhoefer and the F/V Reiver for his introduction to running a seine boat and valuable advice. Thanks to Jason Gjertsen, Charlie Wilber and the F/V Ocean Cape for their introduction to long-lining. Thanks to Cynthia Gibson of Waddell and Reed Inc. and Matt Lawrie on the F/V Born Again for their insights on managing money and investing in boats and permits.
Thanks to Rick Petersen and Hope Merritt of AMSEA for the class on safety. Thanks to Trooper Tim Hall of the State of Alaska Wildlife Troopers for his introduction to enforcement and regulations and advice for the students. Thanks to Paul Rioux of Precision Boat Works for his class on evaluating, buying, and maintaining a boat. And thanks to Collete Nelson of Ludvig’s for teaching the students how to prepare and serve the catch (and thanks to Sitka Sound Seafoods for the donation of the seafood).
Although the class obviously could not teach the students “everything they need to know about commercial fishing,” we do hope that the class gave the students a good start and helped them identify what they will need to learn and gave them the framework and skills for learning from other fishermen and people in the industry. As a community where the commercial fishing industry is over 25 percent of our local economy, it is all of our responsibility to make sure that we pass along to the next generation the opportunities, the skill-sets, the mentorship, and viable fisheries and the habitat they need, so that future generations can depend on that resource.
Thanks so much to everyone that was involved in this class.
Andrew Thoms, Executive Director, Sitka Conservation Society
Phil Burdock, Principal,
Pacific High School,
Eric Mathes, Pacific High Instructor
Mary Wood,
Sitka Conservation Society
Living with the Land and Building Community Jesuit Volunteer
Sitka Kitch
Dear Editor: Sitka Kitch is the community food project that arose from the 2013 Sitka Health Summit. The overall goal of Sitka Kitch is to improve community capacity and community development through the lens of food security. The Sitka Kitch will start with food-based education and emergency preparedness at the household level. As it grows the Kitch seeks to provide career and technical training, and entrepreneurial development opportunities.
This will be achieved through a shared use community kitchen and will work to educate, incubate and cultivate community sustainability. Sitka Kitch also has a sub group that is currently working to improve storage of emergency food with the Salvation Army. Eventually the kitchen would also like to generate a food ‘‘income’’ stream to augment immediate relief efforts by local food banks and soup kitchens.
Sitka Kitch is pleased to announce a new partnering with the First Presbyterian Church to kick off their first year through the use of space. The groups collaborated in April to prepare an application to the “Northwest Coast Presbytery community blessings grant.” The proposal outlined a budget to renovate their existing kitchen to meet the requirements of becoming a DEC certified Kitchen and thus meet the needs of Sitka Kitch users.
The church and Sitka Kitch were awarded the grant, in the amount of $13,000, and the funds will go towards renovating and improving functionality of the kitchen. These renovations will begin in June and Sitka Kitch plans to start offering classes in July. For more information contact Marjorie at SCS (marjorie@sitkawild.org or 747-7509).
Marjorie Hennessy,
Sitka Conservation Society
