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KNBA News - Southeast Conference honors the village of Kasaan; PFD announcement to be made Monday

courtesy of the Organized Village of Kasaan

KNBA News for September 17, 2015

Kasaan press release from Southeast Conference

By Ellen Lockyer

The Southeast Conference has honored the organized village of Kasaan, on Prince of Wales island, as the "Community of the Year"  at the conference's annual meeting in British Columbia.  Kasaan received the honor base on it's work to pursue cultural, economic and community development.   Some of that development includes the Whale House,  a Carving Shed where local Haida artists display their work, and a medical clinic. 

The Kassan Cultural Campus is an integral part of the economic development plan and for the village's cultural eco-tourism effort.

Other development efforts include a partnership with the Southeast Island School district and the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium on gardening projects  at Kasaan Barry Stewart School.    The Organized village of Kasaan employs 25 people.

PFD 

By Phillip Manning

One of the most anticipated events of the fall for many Alaskans is just around the corner, the announcement of the 2015 Permanent Fund Dividend amount.  The announcement will be made at 10:00 am on Monday, according to the office of Governor Bill Walker.

Last year’s dividend check was $1,884.  Many expect this year’s payout to Alaskan residents to be higher.  The Alaska Dispatch News and KTUU both estimate dividends in the area of $2,100.

Denali Commission

By Tim Bodony, KIYU

The profile of the Denali Commission was elevated earlier this month, after President Obama announced during his visit to Alaska that the commission would coordinate the flow of resources to communities threatened by erosion, flooding and permafrost degradation.

The president also announced that the Denali Commission would receive 2 million dollars to begin planning and coordination efforts.

With the money in hand and needing to be allocated by September 30th, the Commission is trying to figure out its next steps.

At a public meeting and teleconference on Tuesday, Bob Glascott with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers     suggested that updating existing databases would be helpful, since the most recent information about communities threatened by erosion comes from 2009, and flood maps on file are often more than 40 years old.

“Go out and talk to these communities, find out historically where the impacts have been, look at high water marks in these communities and survey them in - some sort of scope that would allow us to prioritize and figure out, if you have to make a list, and say ‘this is the number one community today with this snapshot’, and kind of go from there,” Glascott said.

Commissioner Julie Kitka, President of the Alaska Federation of Natives, said that the Denali Commission needs internal reforms before it can expand to fulfill its new role as the lead agency directing responses to climate change in Alaska.  That includes reinstating a 5 percent cap on the administrative fee that the Denali Commission takes out of any incoming grant money.

“Our number one thing that we could be doing better at the Denali Commission is keeping that cap and keeping accountability on that.  When that exploded and increased on that, it really weakened our argument for having resources flow through the Denali Commission,” Kitka said. Kitka also argued for a greater decision-making role for commissioners.  Denali Commission Federal Co-Chair Joel Neimeyer was open to the suggestion, but admitted that having more meetings may not be enough to tackle the challenges ahead of the Commission.

“If that is what commissioners want, I will work with stakeholders and program partners so that we can get you the information so you can make these choices.  But my challenge has been: how do I get you all together for a long period of time to truly appreciate what this issue is?  And I can tell you, I have been looking at this issue now since June, and I’ve spent a lot of time on it, and I am at a loss at trying to figure out how to move forward with the 2 million dollars.  I am at a loss at how we engage with our friends at DC,” said Kitka.

The Denali Commission’s new role as a coordinating agency for projects related to coastal erosion, flooding and permafrost degradation will be overseen by the White House’s Arctic Executive Steering Committee, which President Obama created in January.

The next scheduled meeting of the Denali Commission is in November.