Southeast Conference, a regional organization consisting of 185 member organizations and people, was founded in 1958 to help promote the creation of the Alaska Marine Highway. On top of promoting the state ferry system, according to their website, Southeast Conference also advocates for economic development, local business, and healthy communities, among other things. The Southeast Conference held its annual meeting Sept. 18-20 in Sitka.
For Assembly Member Mya DeLong, who attended the conference for her first time this year, it was a very good experience.
"It was very invigorating to see all of the industries that do business in Southeast come together," she said. "So it was nice relationship building, it was a great experience."
According to "Southeast Alaska By the Numbers," a document printed by Southeast Conference for 2019, the total population of Southeast Alaska has decreased to 72,872 in 2018, compared to 74,432 in 2014. The total labor force has remained relatively stable, only falling by 52 people in 2018 compared to 2014. Total job earnings have increased to $2.28 billion in 2018 from $2.17 in 2014. The government remains the top employer in the region at 13,148 people, with a growing visitor industry in second place at 8,004 employees. Total employment in the commercial fishing and seafood industry sits at 3,711, a decrease from 4,372 in 2014. Other economic sectors listed include the healthcare industry, construction, mining, and the maritime industry.
Among the many aspects of the Southeast Alaskan economy that were discussed at the conference, some of the things that stood out to DeLong included the changes to the seafood industry as well as a growing emphasis on regenerative tourism. Regenerative tourism, DeLong explained, is how communities can attract tourists while also keeping their "community and cultural aspects." This was something that she found very interesting, as Wrangell is seeing more tourists.
"I think there's some untouched and untapped tourism opportunities out there that we can take a look at how they're doing in other communities and how that worked, and know what to do and not do," she said.
During the annual meeting, Southeast Conference also showed off their 2020 strategic plan, a five-year plan for economic development across the region. One of the first priorities listed was continued defense of the Alaska Marine Highway, which has been put under pressure from budget cuts and recently had hundreds of its workers go on strike. Besides transportation, other priorities in the strategic plan include promoting sustainable power systems, growing the maritime sector and seafood industries, marketing Southeast Alaska to tourists, and creating an adequate and sustainable supply of wood from the Tongass National Forest to regional timber operators.
One other exciting piece of news that DeLong learned at Southeast Conference is that Wrangell will be the host of the 2021 annual meeting. Southeast Conference meets in a different city each year, she said. Haines will host the meeting next year, but Wrangell is on the list after them.
"I'm just looking forward to working with the community over the next two years to showcase Wrangell and all of its great amenities," DeLong said.
More information about Southeast Conference and their annual meeting can be found online at http://www.seconference.org.
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