Wrangellite highlighted in teleconference conservation town hall

Last March was Women's History Month. To recognize several women who have made contributions to the cause of protecting the environment, the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council hosted a teleconference town hall meeting on March 31.

Of the women who were highlighted in the meeting, there was one Wrangell resident: Tis Peterman.

"While we planned this event a few months ago, like everyone else we had no idea that our lives would be so upended by the Coronavirus health emergency, and that tools like this would be so essential to us all to stay connected," said Sally Schlichting, SEACC environmental policy analyst and host of the town hall. "In honor of Women's History Month we've been shining the spotlight on women leaders in the conservation movement and the work they're doing on climate change all month long."

Peterman is the executive director of the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission, the great-granddaughter of Chief Shakes VII, and a lifelong resident of Wrangell. The organization is a consortium of 15 tribal nations across Southeast Alaska, SEITC's website reads. The consortium was first established in 2014 with the goal of protecting rivers and waterways that are significant to native culture and way of living, on both the Alaskan and Canadian sides of the border.

"One of the reasons I'm still involved at 63 years of age is because I've always remembered the salmon derbies," she said. "Back in the day the winners of the derbies would be in the 60 to 70 pound range, and in recent years the winners were in the 40 to 45 pound range. The fish are now becoming smaller and fewer."

The decline of salmon derbies in recent history have not only impacted an important local tradition for Wrangellites and Southeast Alaskans, but she said that it is also impacting the economy. Without large, plentiful salmon for the derbies, travelers will be less inclined to visit. She has worked with SEITC for about three years now as executive director, she said, and prior to that has represented Wrangell in the consortium since its inception. Their goal is to build a unified voice about the threats transboundary mining poses to Southeast Alaskan waters.

"Although this work is not directly about climate change, the effects are the same on salmon and clean water," Peterman said. "Just the sheer number of mines on the British Columbia side of the border is mind boggling."

She is so involved in these conservation efforts, Peterman said, because she is worried about the future. In general she said she thinks women worry about the future more than men do. Men typically focus on the present and providing for their families, she said, but she is thinking about her children and grandchildren's future.

"SEACC has been honored to work closely with Tis and the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission in our water program," Meredith Trainor, executive director of SEACC said. "We work to protect Southeast Alaska's transboundary rivers and watersheds, and we're honored to have her here with us today."