Dear Editor: Our hearts are overflowing following Sitka Conservation Society’s 2025 Wild Foods Potluck and Annual Meeting! It was an evening defined by community, generosity, and our shared connection to the public lands and waters that sustain us all.
Thank you to the many Sitkans who helped make this celebration such a joyful (and tasty!) reminder of what it means to live in Southeast Alaska. Your dishes, stories, and presence filled Centennial Hall with warmth, laughter, and connection. Thank you to everyone who submitted photos and reflections about your relationship with public lands. The slide show brought many smiles and emotions as it captured the everyday ways we all live with, learn from, and care for the Tongass.
We extend a heartfelt thanks to our guest speaker, Thomas Smith, whose words grounded us in the meaning of this place and reminded us of the strength our voices carry in protecting the public lands that nourish our communities.
A special thank-you to Gretchen Stelzenmuller, Mackenzie Aylor, Nellie Lipscomb, and Liz Borneman for preparing the delicious salmon, blackcod, rice and vegetables we shared, and to Gretchen for sharing her own wild foods and supplies; to Hank Moore for setting the tone with his lovely music; Rachel Moreno for your beautiful blessing; and to Artist Stephen Lawrie for surrounding us with his newest work, ‘‘The Gift of Wild Foods,’’ a stunning tribute to the abundance our lands and oceans provide.
We are grateful to the Alaska Way of Life 4-H youths for creating our centerpieces and Tongass-themed posters; to the staff at Harrigan Centennial Hall for their steady support; and to the incredible volunteers from Outer Coast, Americorps, JVC Northwest, the SHS Honor Society, AFS Exchange Program and across the community who helped make the evening a success.
Most of all, thank you, Sitka, for showing up year after year with your generosity, creativity, and care in support of public lands, wild foods, and community!
With gratitude,
Sitka Conservation Society Staff & Board
