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Last Wednesday afternoon, Alaska’s junior U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan visited Wrangell to learn more about the community’s priorities and concerns. After meeting with municipal and tribal leadership and touring the island, Sullivan held a public forum to discuss borough, state and national issues. He spoke with each of the roughly 20 attendees about their priorities. It was his first visit to Wrangell since 2018. Wrangell residents touched on a wide range of issues, such as adolescent mental health, harbor and transportation infrastructure, the Ton...
Southeast trollers and communities are awaiting a federal judge's decision on a lawsuit that could close down the region's chinook troll fishery. If the lawsuit prevails, Southeast trollers would be denied access to the highest-priced salmon available to the commercial fleet. The lawsuit seeks to ensure more of the salmon make it to an endangered population of killer whales in Washington state. The Southeast winter troll fishery is underway and will close March 15; the summer season is slated to...
Wrangell Cooperative Association members will vote later this month to fill four seats on the eight-member tribal council, which oversees decisions for the tribe. Council members must be members of the WCA; the deadline to apply for candidacy is Feb. 14. Voting takes place on Feb. 28 at the WCA cultural center on Front Street. Tribal administrator Esther Aaltséen Reese said there are a few aspects candidates should be aware of if elected to a two-year term. "We have one meeting a month, it's usu...
Communities without 70,000-seat stadiums don’t often get visits from professional athletes, but later this month Wrangell will become an exception to the rule. Players from Team Hollywood celebrity streetball will visit Feb. 21 to share inspirational messages — and play sports — with students and community members through Wrangell Cooperative Association (WCA) funding. Tribal Administrator Esther Aaltséen Reese of the WCA invited the organization to town after a conversation with Tanana Chiefs Conference member Donald Charlie at the Associ...
Five benches on Shakes Island that have been there possibly more than 50 years are showing signs of their age. Thanks to two Wrangell teens, the benches will soon be replaced with all new ones. Steven Bales, 17, and Randy Churchill, 18, will build new benches out of yellow cedar as part of their senior project. It's a small way in which they can help preserve their Tlingit heritage and give back to the community. Originally, Churchill was going to help with Wolfpack Wrestling - for...
The steady drumbeat and voices singing in unison, mixed with formline artwork regalia are unmistakable as Tlingit storytellers and dancers share their Native culture while curious visitors look on. It’s a way to share the past and keep tribal traditions alive. But it needs help. The Wrangell Cooperative Association, which manages tribal affairs on the island, is looking for people to participate in its dancing and storytelling during the tourism season, which runs from about April to September, depending on the cruise ship schedule. “This is op...
SPOTS AVAILABLE FOR PILOT COMPOST PICKUP PROGRAM WCA IGAP has 20 available spots in its Pilot Compost Pickup Program. Participants will be given a bucket with a lid and easy-to-follow instructions. Participants will fill their buckets with household food waste each week, and WCA IGAP staff will pick it up on the designated day of the week. If interested, please get in touch with Kim Wickman at igaptech.wca@gmail.com, or 907-874-4304 ext. 104. COVER PHOTO WANTED FOR HOSPICE BOOKLET Hospice is looking to select a donated photo for the cover of...
Christine Jenkins passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on January 4, 2023, at the age of 94. She was a lifelong Wrangell resident and a much-loved and respected member of the Wrangell community. Cecelia Christine Feller was born October 12, 1928, in Wrangell to Otto and Susie (Cooday) Feller. She was the youngest of seven children. She was Tlingit Raven/Frog, Kiks.a'di of the Sun House in Wrangell and was a tribal citizen of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Christine... Full story
The borough’s target date is 2024 for the sale of the first 22 residential lots in the proposed subdivision of the former Wrangell Institute property upland from Shoemaker Bay. The assembly last month approved $2.2 million for installing utilities and putting in streets across a portion of the 134-acre property, which the borough acquired in 1996. “Our goal is to start construction this fall,” Borough Manager Jeff Good said last week. “That’s our target right now.” The borough is moving closer to receiving its U.S. Army Corps of Engineers p...
From deadly toxins to dangerous explosions, the risks of pressure canning make this vital home skill sound like a stunt straight out of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise. But, armed with knowledge from Sarah Lewis of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Extension Service, Wrangell residents learned that food preservation can be safe, simple and fun during a series of classes hosted by the Wrangell Cooperative Association last week. Their mission, should they choose to accept it? Turn raw meat an...
Tribal members of the Wrangell Cooperative Association are eligible to receive funding from another round of COVID-19 federal pandemic relief under the American Rescue Plan Act. The WCA is accepting applications through Dec. 16 to distribute $2,000 per member household to help with things like fuel, groceries and utilities. “Wrangell Cooperative Association realized this can be a tough time of year for people and wanted to offer some assistance to our tribal citizens,” said Esther Reese, WCA tribal administrator. “All WCA members must fill...
Next year, Wrangell will become the first community with access to Tidal Network, the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska’s new broadband internet service. And thanks to a recent influx of federal funding, other communities across Southeast won’t be far behind. On Nov. 17, the Central Council announced that it had received a $50 million grant for broadband infrastructure. The funds were awarded through the Tribal Connectivity Program, which increases access to affordable internet on tribal lands as part of the 2021 fed...
A Southeast advocacy group dedicated to protecting the transboundary rivers that flow from Canada through Alaska to the sea want the British Columbia government to work with Alaska Indigenous people on mine permits the same as tribal members on the other side of the border. The group’s immediate concern is permitting of mines in British Columbia in the watersheds of the Stikine, Unuk and Taku rivers. The group fears any mine pollution will flow downriver, harming fisheries and other habitat. Under a 3-year-old law in British Columbia, the p...
Next month, Sarah Lewis of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Extension Service will help Wrangell residents develop the skills they need to ride out the dark winter days, from preserving delicious foods to reducing those shocking seasonal energy bills. From Dec. 8 to 11, she will teach a wide variety of home skills and food preservation classes in collaboration with the Wrangell Cooperative Association, the nonprofit RurAL Cap and the federal Tribes Extension Program. Lewis, a licensed architect with a master’s degree in social work, has m...
X'atshaawditee Tammi Meissner has found a career that allows her to go home at the end of the day with a full heart. Since June, Meissner has worked for Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska as a community navigator in Wrangell. The position is essentially a reboot of the community liaison program that existed years ago. There are 20 community navigators in communities across Alaska and outside the state in cities such as Seattle and San Francisco. The navigators are there to h...
On the second day of the Wrangell Cooperative Association's new Tlingit language program, instructor Virginia Oliver stood next to a whiteboard nearly twice her height, covered in Tlingit words and phrases, and introduced herself to her students. "Virginia you xat duwasáakw." My name is Virginia. "Wáasáiduwa sáakw?" What is your name? She worked her way around the packed classroom, helping each student introduce themselves and rewarding correct pronunciation with an enthusiastic "yak'ei!" Oli...
In today’s interconnected world, internet access allows people to connect with loved ones, stay updated on current events, access essential government services and more. But in Alaska, not all communities have access to reliable, affordable internet. Late last month, Alaska Municipal League representative Alicia Hughes-Skandijs met with seven representatives from the library, borough, Wrangell Cooperative Association and others to discuss challenges with the Wrangell community’s internet access. The meeting was an early step in the fiv...
Not every year can be a record-breaker, and after an exceptional 2021 yield, the 2022 Wrangell moose harvest has returned to average levels. Hunters took 116 moose in the region, according to Frank Robbins, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Petersburg. This year's harvest is "down a bit from last year," Robbins said, but it is still "within what we'd expect for the average on this hunt." "Keep in mind, last year was a record harvest," he added. The five-year...
Recreational clam harvesters should take extra caution while preparing and cooking shellfish collected from Shoemaker Bay due to high fecal bacteria levels in those waters, according to Carol Brady of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Brian Herman, co-owner of Canoe Lagoon Oysters, began testing the water in the Shoemaker Bay area for fecal bacteria — called fecal coliforms — because he hopes to establish an underwater storage facility to hold oysters that are awaiting meat test results. The Canoe Lagoon oyster farm is located...
Child care has been a pressing need in the community for some time, and the Wrangell Cooperative Association is hoping to address the issue at least in some part. Starting last week, the WCA distributed surveys on bulletin boards around town, on its website and on Facebook. The survey will help the organization assess how great the need is. “We’re looking to assess the need in our community as a whole,” said Esther Reese, tribal administrator for WCA. The organization is asking how many families need child care, what days of the week are neede...
Several thousand people needed help after communities in Western Alaska were ravaged by the tail end of a typhoon in mid-September. Though the affected region is more than 1,200 miles away from Wrangell, residents here wanted to help however they could. With icier months fast approaching places like Hooper Bay and Nome, cold-weather gear will be necessary. "People called me and asked if we were going to do anything," said Jana Wright, Wrangell Cooperative Association staff member. Wright said...
Wrangell’s Native community is critical of last month’s chamber-sponsored economic forum for its lack of tribal presentations on the agenda and the offensive comment of a speaker. The chamber of commerce organized the five-hour session to spark a discussion about Wrangell’s economic future and create a space for business leaders to share their perspectives. However, key players in Wrangell’s economic landscape — particularly representatives of the tribal government — were not offered the opportunity to present. Esther Aaltséen Reese, triba...
Now that the community garden has put down roots and harvested a successful return, committee members are mulling over what comes next for the budding group. At its monthly meeting Sept. 20, a few members gathered at the community garden site at 1.5 Mile to discuss end-of-season plans, a final harvest wrap-up party and what will happen next year. Committee member and co-founder of the group Valerie Massie said there was still work left to do this season, such as building an eight-foot-high...
Esther Ashton sees an opportunity to strengthen partnerships between the school district and entities such as the borough and U.S. Forest Service. She is running unopposed for a one-year seat on the school board. Ashton, 45, is the tribal administrator for the Wrangell Cooperative Association and had held the position for five years. She's been with the WCA since 2014. She has also served on multiple parent committees and is the chair for the Indian Education Committee. In the past, she was on...
After nine years in public service across four different councils, commissions and committees, Patty Gilbert is running for Wrangell's highest elected office. Gilbert is a retired math and science teacher who left the Wrangell School District in 2018 after 23 years. The mayoral candidate has since served in a wide variety of government organizations, including the borough assembly, where she is vice mayor, and the school board, where she served a two-year term as vice president. She also sits...