Landslide Research
Dear Editor: Over the course of last week, Sitka engaged in a variety of ways with landslide researchers. The Sitka Sound Science Center is extremely grateful to the people, agencies and organizations that assisted with this work and continue to work hard on landslide research.
The purpose of the project is to develop a community-based landslide warning system that will protect people in our community. The project, supported by the National Science Foundation, is also examining protection of property by engaging insurance experts and economists. The landslide project is a collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Geologic Survey, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, the RAND Corporation, University of Oregon, University of Southern California, the State of Alaska and the Sitka Sound Science Center. Last week we held a public town hall, a workshop about the warning system and another workshop to discuss research being done on landslide insurance.
We’d like to thank community members for coming to the meetings and engaging so deeply in this topic. Specifically, we’d like to thank Rachel Roy, Jenny Richter, Jacquie Foss, Scott Wagner, Aaron Jacobs, Jonathon Suk, Eric Matthes, Mike Motti, Frank Hauser, Jeff Feldpausch, Melissa Henshaw, Jean Achee, Craig Warren, Jeremy Twaddle, Josh Horan, Karl Stedman, Ariel Starbuck, Melissa Kookesh, Stacey Mattesson, Steve Masterman, Scott McArthur, Makena Hardwick, John Leach, Lori Wing-Heier, Lillian Feldpausch, Amy Morrison, Andrew Friske, Colin Baciocco, Rebecca Himschoot, Alexandra Pierce and Teri Camery.
Thank you also the Daily Sitka Sentinel and KCAW for their coverage of this important topic and helping us encourage citizen participation. Thank you to the Harrigan Centennial Hall staff and Edith with Our Town Catering for making this all possible.
Jacyn Schmidt,
Geoscience Coordinator,
Sitka Sound Science Center
