Building Leaders and Supporting Community Through TRAYLS Program
Friday, September 25, 2020

This summer, the TRAYLS (Training Rural Alaskan Youth Leaders and Students) crew in Kake continued a solemn but purposeful task — improving trails on Grave Island.

The work started in 2019, when the death of a local resident who was to be interred on the island prompted a request of the TRAYLS crew to clear overgrowth and level walking paths to ensure that Elders could more easily walk from shore to gravesite.

The project was in many ways not unlike the trail maintenance work TRAYLS crews have been doing on U.S. Forest Service land in and around host communities since the program’s inception in 2017.

But this project was different.

“It really made an impression on me,” said Bob Christensen, one of the founders of the program who works for Sustainable Southeast Partnership as a regional catalyst for fisheries and forestry. TRAYLS is coordinated by SSP, the U.S. Forest Service, and partners in Hoonah, Kake and, in most years, on Prince of Wales Island. The program is funded through a combination of grants, in-kind support from tribes, and Sealaska contributions.

“I could see how much more meaningful it was to the students to do something that mattered to the community,” said Christensen.

That experience in 2019 was a bit of a turning point for the program, according to Christensen. Crew members, who are generally teens in need of job experience and on-the-job skills training, have always done work that was important to their communities. The crews are hosted and administered by local tribes, which receive program funding (usually from grants and some corporate support, like that provided by Sealaska) and issue paychecks to the workers. The tribe also has an important voice in the type of projects crews are doing.

As Christensen explained, because the funding has primarily come from grants, much of the work has been prescribed by the funders. What’s fundable isn’t always what’s most relevant locally, he said.

The pandemic this season brought many challenges, including the cancellation of a planned crew in Klawock and a much smaller crew than usual in Hoonah. But it also provided some freedom to lean into the perspective shift that Christensen describes.

Typically, TRAYLS crews spend time with various outside experts in fields like archaeology, forestry, watershed management and ecology. Usually, these experts are employees of the Forest Service or the Alaska Department of Fish and Game — they come in to assist with a project and teach for a few days at a time, introducing potential career pathways to the youth crews. Because of the travel restrictions in place throughout the region this summer, crews were unable to receive much of that outside instruction beyond a few Zoom sessions, so their work became even more locally focused.

“We’re making this more and more central to the TRAYLS program, just giving the young people a chance to have an impact in their communities,” said Christensen.

“They definitely feel good when they pick up the litter,” Christensen said, referring to work that is often performed in and around host communities, “but it’s a bit ephemeral. There’s always more litter. If we can find one project a year where they can have a lasting impact on the community, I think we’ll be doing a really good job.”

Another way the program seeks to make a lasting impact on communities is through preparing local youth for careers in the region. Bob Girt is the senior environmental compliance and liaison specialist with Sealaska Timber Company (STC), based on Prince of Wales. Girt explained that his involvement with the program began at the behest of the Sealaska board of directors, which was encouraging STC leaders to play a more meaningful role in local workforce development.

“They wanted us starting earlier; not just trying to hire somebody to be a logger,” said Girt.

Girt said the program extends its impact beyond the handful of individual crew members who work in each community during the summer by introducing a natural resources curriculum into local schools to help expose more young people to the opportunities that exist to work in the forests and waters close to home.

That’s exactly what happened for 15-year-old Ted Elliott, who was part of the TRAYLS crew in Hoonah this summer. Elliott and the Hoonah crew got to participate in two snorkeling expeditions to assess the biodiversity of local waters, and now he wants to become a professional scuba diver.

“I don’t even know how to describe what I saw,” he said. “It was beautiful.”

Elliott said his mom encouraged him to apply for the program. His interest was primarily about earning money — TRAYLS crews are full-time, paid employees for the length of the program — and gaining some work experience.

But the experience also helped clarify for him what he wants to do in his future career. “I do want to work some type of environmental job,” he said. “I want to see how I can help others.”

The crew in Hoonah this summer was small but busy. Hosted by the Hoonah Indian Association Environmental Program, crew members worked on projects including water sampling to monitor for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP); shellfish biomass surveys; taking core samples from trees to determine their age and other characteristics; working with the Forest Service in a project to determine the value of wood products that are used for culture and heritage; and harvesting, preparing and preserving traditional foods.

Arianna Lapke led the TRAYLS crew in Hoonah this summer and said she was thrilled to see her teen crew members go from apprehensive about scientific data analysis to interested and engaged.

“In the beginning, they seemed intimidated,” Lapke said. “They wanted to be hands-on, building things and being outside. But as the summer evolved, we were collecting hard data and I saw it transition. They were interviewing people, asking questions, learning about the area they grew up in, and tromping through the woods.”

Lapke said the crew’s biggest pandemic-related challenge this summer was the forced cancellation of the beloved annual Traditional Foods Fair, which is typically the culmination of the Hoonah TRAYLS crew’s summer season. As in prior years, the crew put up hundreds of jars of traditional foods like beach asparagus, salmon, deer, blueberry and fireweed jams, and spruce-tip syrup. Normally, those foods would be shared with the community at the festival, and the student workers would give a presentation about their work. Instead, the crew pivoted to deliver food to Elders at their homes.

“It was nice giving back to the community,” Elliott said.

Although this year’s TRAYLS program was limited in scope by the pandemic to two communities, Girt and Christensen are both hopeful it will be able to expand. In prior years, programs have been held in Kasaan, Klawock and Sitka. It’s a scramble every year to come up with funding for each community, and to line up partnerships with various land managers, conservation initiatives and tribes. But a full-time staffer has recently been dedicated to that task: Laurel Stark is the program manager for workforce development with Spruce Root, the Juneau-based nonprofit community development financial institution. Spruce Root received seed money from Sealaska when it was founded, and along with the Sustainable Southeast Partnership, forms a web of connections and resources in communities throughout Southeast Alaska with a shared interest in strengthening local economies and working with communities to support the projects and initiatives that make life in Southeast better.

For example, this summer’s crew in Kake developed a proposal for the cleanup and enhancement of the local site known as Soderberg Camp. The site is a former logging camp in the heart of downtown owned by the Forest Service that is now an overgrown but popular strawberry patch.

“We spent a week looking at the property and coming up with ideas to enhance the berry picking and build a tribal community center, an exercise trail and a totem park,” Christensen said. Working with the tribe and the mayor, the crew formalized their plan and wrote a letter to the Forest Service tactfully explaining that Kake is “extremely underrepresented” compared to communities in the region that are not predominantly Native when it comes to recreational development of Forest Service lands.

It remains to be seen whether the Forest Service will fund the project, but Christensen said the process of surveying locals and imagining the possibilities was, in and of itself, a valuable exercise.

“What I really love about that is it’s work that enhances the community directly,” Christensen said. “It gives (crew members) a sense of hope that they matter, their ideas matter, and they can improve the world in general through their actions and initiative.”

Hiring for TRAYLS crew members begins in the spring for the upcoming summer season. More information can be found on the Sustainable Southeast Partnership website at sustainablesoutheast.net.


News Search


44 results found

Posted 3/20/2025
Posted 3/20/2025
The Sealaska Board of Directors will meet on Friday, April 11, 2025, to approve the amount for Sealaska’s upcoming distribution. Please review the following key dates and complete necessary actions to ensure a seamless distribution. DISTRIBUTION AMOUNT DETERMINED — Friday, April 11, 2025 On April 11, the Board of Directors will meet to determine the distribution amount. Source

Posted 10/29/2024
Posted 10/29/2024
The Sealaska Board of Directors will meet on Friday, November 8, 2024, to approve the amount for Sealaska’s upcoming distribution. Please review the following key dates and complete necessary actions to ensure a seamless distribution. DISTRIBUTION AMOUNT DETERMINED — Friday, November 8, 2024 On November 8, the Board of Directors will meet to determine the distribution amount. Source

Posted 10/15/2024
Posted 10/15/2024
Sealaska is seeking a dynamic and visionary president to strengthen and amplify the impact of our mission. Through Sealaska’s business success, we fulfill our mission by managing our land and providing shareholder benefits that include dividends, workforce development programs, scholarships, internships, advocacy, burial assistance and many other benefits through our non-profit organizations. Source

Posted 7/29/2024
Posted 7/29/2024
It’s that time of year again! Bring OUR FUTURE to life during the 2024 #SealaskaWayOfLife photo contest for a chance to win prizes. The contest begins Monday, July 29 and runs through Friday, August 30. Storytelling is at the heart of who we are at Sealaska. We want to continue to tell our story from your vantage point. Introduced in 2020 as a way to foster connection and engagement… Source

Posted 3/19/2024
Posted 3/19/2024
The Sealaska Board of Directors will meet on Friday, April 12, 2024, to approve the amount for Sealaska’s 2024 spring distribution. The distribution will take place on Thursday, April 18. Shareholders can prepare for a seamless distribution by completing any enrollment or stock transfer paperwork, including gifting or inheritance, by Friday, April 12 at 4 p.m. The last day to make changes to… Source

Posted 11/17/2023
Posted 11/17/2023
Sealaska’s quarterly Board Q&A sessions offer shareholders and directors a chance to connect in a casual online environment, empowering shareholders to ask questions directly to the board and providing directors a chance to hear shareholder voices on the issues that are important to them. On Nov. 7, Sealaska directors provided an update from the November board meeting, held on Nov. 2… Source

Posted 11/3/2023
Posted 11/3/2023
Curious about the math and analysis behind the ANCSA distributions you receive from Sealaska? Read onward to learn more. Sealaska’s fall 2023 distribution is noticeably different than the spring distribution issued earlier this year, which saw an unusually high 7(i) payment of $18 million. The large 7(i) payment seen in the spring distribution was unusual, a one-off situation not expected… Source

Posted 11/2/2023
Posted 11/2/2023
As part of our commitment to the shareholders and communities who make us who we are, Sealaska will issue a fall distribution totaling $13.6 million, to be issued to shareholders on Thursday, Nov. 9. Sealaska’s board of directors approved the distribution at a board meeting held in Juneau on Thursday, Nov. 2. After the fall distribution is made, a total of $17.2 million (approximately $5.85… Source

Posted 7/17/2023
Posted 7/17/2023
It’s that time of year again! Bring OUR VALUES to life during the 2023 #SealaskaWayOfLife photo contest for a chance to win prizes. The contest begins Monday, July 17 and submissions will be accepted through Friday, August 11. Storytelling is at the heart of who we are at Sealaska. We want to continue to tell our story from your vantage point. Introduced in 2020 as a way to foster… Source

Posted 7/10/2023
Posted 7/10/2023
by Evan Roberts, Shareholder Development Intern In the week leading up to Sealaska’s 2023 annual meeting of shareholders in Klawock, a group of seven interns traveled to Prince of Wales to learn about Sealaska’s community-driven work. 2023 celebrates the launch of Sealaska Abroad — Sealaska’s international internship program. The three students who will be working with Sealaska subsidiary New… Source

Posted 6/13/2023
Posted 6/13/2023
At Sealaska, shareholders are at the center of everything we do. We cherish every opportunity we have to meet with each of you, learning more about your values, priorities and vision for our shared future. This May, we were grateful to host meetings in 10 communities — the first time we have been able to host a full community meeting rotation since 2019. Sealaska shareholders were invited… Source

Posted 4/21/2023
Posted 4/21/2023
At Sealaska, we believe that youth are the future. That’s why we’re introducing a new opportunity for young people to get involved in what we do and make an impact for our businesses, communities, and the lands and waters we call home. Sealaska is now accepting applications for youth members of the Shareholder Participation Committee (SPC). The SPC was established in 2019 as a way to… Source

Posted 3/22/2023
Posted 3/22/2023
The Sealaska Board of Directors will meet on Friday, April 14 to approve the amount for Sealaska’s 2023 spring distribution. The distribution will take place on Friday, April 21. Shareholders are encouraged to complete and/or update any enrollment or stock transfer paperwork by the official record date of 4 p.m. Alaska time on Monday, April 17. “Sealaska is committed to providing stable… Source

Posted 11/20/2022
Posted 11/20/2022
A memorial totem pole honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirits (MMIWG2S) was recently raised near Klawock. This beautiful, heartbreaking tribute is the result of a sensitive collaboration, and was dedicated to Judylee Guthrie, who was murdered by her partner in 2016. The pole was carved in recognition of the crisis of violence facing Indigenous communities. Source

Posted 6/23/2022
Posted 6/23/2022
The Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand Camp approved a resolution on Thursday, June 16 to support Sealaska’s proposal to remove as a criteria for eligibility for Class D stock the requirement that applicants have at least one-quarter Alaska Native blood quantum. The issue is currently in front of Sealaska shareholders, who have until this Friday, June 24 at 5 p.m. Source

Posted 4/21/2022
Posted 4/21/2022
Resources This page hosts a collection of published articles by Sealaska, news organizations, academics, researchers, podcasters and others on the issue of blood quantum.  Sealaska Blood Quantum Information 1. Academic Research Original Shareholders of Sealaska and their Descendants, Estimates and Projections, by Barry Edmonston, 2005 (PDF) ...

Posted 4/12/2022
Posted 4/12/2022
Blood Quantum Q & A In the past year, Sealaska has hosted a variety of conversations on Native identity and conducted extensive outreach to shareholders and descendants about the issue. The purpose of these efforts was to better understand how blood quantum impacts our community, and to provide background and context to shareholders. Topics included how blood quantum was incorporated into...

Posted 4/12/2022
Posted 4/12/2022
How BQ Incorporated into ANCSA Blood quantum and ANCSAWhen the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was passed into law in 1971, it contained an eligibility standard of one-quarter Alaska Native blood quantum. Today, 10 of the 12 Alaska Native regional corporations maintain the requirement of one-quarter or more Native blood quantum for enrollment, including Sealaska. (Shareholders of ...

Posted 4/12/2022
Posted 4/12/2022
Over the past six months, Sealaska reached out to shareholders and descendants to ask a seemingly simple yet profoundly personal question: How does blood quantum impact you? Through a variety of mechanisms, including an open-ended questionnaire, a formal survey and virtual events, we heard from thousands of you. To ensure we obtained a statistically valid view of shareholders’ thoughts on… Source

Posted 4/5/2022
Posted 4/5/2022
Sealaska’s spring 2022 distribution will be announced on Friday, April 8. Distributions are just one of many benefits Sealaska provides to shareholders and descendants, including educational and professional development programs like shareholder and workforce development opportunities; vocational training, scholarships and internships; and donations to community and cultural programs. Source

Posted 4/4/2022
Posted 4/4/2022
Sealaska shareholders approved a resolution to establish the Sealaska Settlement Trust by a margin greater than three to one during the 2021 shareholder election The trust frees Sealaska shareholders from paying federal income tax on their dividends. It will also reduce Sealaska’s tax obligation to the federal government in the future. Sealaska will work to ensure the trust is… Source

Posted 1/21/2022
Posted 1/21/2022
Every two years, Sealaska conducts a shareholder survey to identify your priorities. Those priorities are the road map to our public policy work and help guide the shareholder benefits we are grateful to be able to provide through the success of our businesses. In 2021, Sealaska’s board and executive leadership launched what will be a multiyear effort to hold leadership meetings in… Source

Posted 11/4/2021
Posted 11/4/2021
Why Was Blood Quantum Part of ANCSA? Blood quantum first originated in the United States in the early 1700s in the Colony of Virginia, where it was used to limit the rights of anyone who was more than half Native. These measures were carried forward into the 19th and 20th centuries to limit the federal government’s treaty obligations to Natives. Tribes started using blood quantum in their en...

Posted 10/28/2021
Posted 10/28/2021
Sealaska shareholders will receive their first distribution via the Sealaska Settlement Trust when the fall distribution is paid out on November 12. The trust was created by a vote of shareholders in June, and will benefit shareholders by exempting distributions from the trust from federal tax. Many shareholders will not notice any difference between how past distributions have occurred… Source

Posted 10/5/2021
Posted 10/5/2021
Sealaska will begin accepting applications for its CARES Act distribution in partnership with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska on Monday, Oct. 4. We have compiled the following answers to questions we’ve received so far. Do you have a question that isn’t addressed here? Email us at sealaskacares@ccthita-nsn.gov. We’ll update this Q&A throughout the application period. Source

Posted 8/31/2021
Posted 8/31/2021
Many shareholders are asking about Sealaska’s CARES Act funding, and how the $4.2 million amount of its allocation was determined. The U.S. Department of the Treasury created the formula for how CARES Act money was allocated to tribes and Alaska Native corporations (ANCs). The most important thing is that Alaska Natives in Southeast Alaska are receiving additional support at a crucial time. Source

Posted 8/9/2021
Posted 8/9/2021
What does the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian way of life look like through your lens? Show us in a snapshot during this year’s #SealaskaWayOfLife photo contest! Sealaska is dedicated to doing our part to improve ocean health and protect our way of life. Over the past six years, we’ve advanced our twin goals of economic prosperity and environmental protection by investing in a range of… Source

Posted 6/25/2021
Posted 6/25/2021
Sealaska issued a statement expressing its position on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday, June 25 that settled litigation over whether Alaska Native Corporations qualify for federal CARES Act funding. Click here to read Sealaska’s statement. Answers to additional questions shareholders and tribal citizens may have on the decision and Sealaska’s role are below. Source

Posted 6/24/2021
Posted 6/24/2021
Throughout the election period, shareholders have asked questions about the proposed settlement trust on this year’s Sealaska proxy. A Q&A story was published in May addressing many of these questions, and answers to a few more than have come in since then are below. You can read the original story here, or click here to watch videos about the Settlement Trust for additional detail. Source

Posted 2/8/2021
Posted 2/8/2021
To access, download or print your forms, please log in or register for an account on MySealaska.com, navigate to ‘About Me’ and click 1099s. If you are receiving your form through the U.S. Mail, please be sure to check your mailbox—all forms have been mailed by Sealaska as of January 25, 2021. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions regarding 1099-DIV tax forms: 1) What is a… Source

Posted 1/27/2021
Posted 1/27/2021
The summer of 2019 was the most promising yet for Stormy and Bonnie Hamar’s tourism business, Kasaan Arts, Museum and Canoes. They had a big write-up in the local travel guide, fresh brochures to stock in ferry terminals and B&Bs, and a new contract pending with a day-cruise operator that would’ve guaranteed a stream paying customers throughout the summer of 2020. But like so many… Source

Posted 12/20/2020
Posted 12/20/2020
It is the holiday season, and a great opportunity to support local, Native-owned businesses, artists and entrepreneurs. Sealaska invited its shareholders, descendants and others in the Alaska Native community to share their businesses and artistry with our audiences so we can help promote them during an otherwise very difficult year. We were flooded with submissions from all sorts of artists… Source

Posted 12/8/2020
Posted 12/8/2020
As walls rapidly go up on the new Mendenhall Valley location of the Glory Hall, Sealaska’s board of directors sent a strong message of support for the initiative by committing $50,000 to the project at its December meeting. The Glory Hall is Juneau’s emergency shelter and soup kitchen, providing three meals a day and shelter for those experiencing homelessness or crisis since 1981. Source

Posted 11/22/2020
Posted 11/22/2020
Earlier this year, Sealaska marked an important milestone in its growth and development as a company – following the board election this spring, our board is now majority female, with seven of 13 members who are women. Balance and reciprocity are important values we hold as Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people, and they’re part of our company values at Sealaska, too. Source

Posted 10/9/2020
Posted 10/9/2020
Sealaska shareholder descendant Andrea Ts’aak Ka Juu Cook will serve as one of two conference guides for this year’s First Alaskans Institute Elders & Youth Conference, which starts Sunday, Oct. 11. The three-day event will be held entirely online. Cook, who will turn 21 this month, is Haida from Hydaburg. Cook spent the summer as a virtual intern for First Alaskans Institute (FAI) and Sitka… Source

Posted 9/18/2020
Posted 9/18/2020
In the next 50 years, the world’s population will grow by nearly 3 billion to a total of 10.5 billion people, according to the United Nations. Most of these billions of people will be born into poverty. How will our planet, which is not growing, support these children and families? Access to healthy food and clean water will become even more important in the years to come, and yet humans are… Source

Posted 8/31/2020
Posted 8/31/2020
The 2020 summer interns have proven to be resilient and adaptive, as their anticipated work experiences shifted from in-person employment to remote work due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sealaska welcomed 18 summer interns this year for its first ever remote internship program. This year’s interns — like so many people across the country — worked entirely from home, exchanging office time for… Source

Posted 8/20/2020
Posted 8/20/2020
IT IS UP TO YOU TO MAKE SURE YOUR COMMUNITY GETS A FAIR SHARE OF FEDERAL FUNDING – FILL OUT THE 2020 CENSUS Every 10 years the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a count of every person living in the United States. The data collected through the census count determines a variety of federal funding and programs. An accurate count determines federal funding directed to tribal governments in Southeast… Source

Posted 7/13/2020
Posted 7/13/2020
Sealaska shareholders have told us that education and vocational scholarships are a top priority. Sealaska is proud to recognize our scholarship recipients. Marissa Brakes has many different interests when it comes to her future career in law. Through internships at Sealaska and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boise, Idaho, three years of work at a civil litigation firm, and her role as… Source

Posted 7/7/2020
Posted 7/7/2020
Sealaska wants to see what the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian way of life looks like through YOUR lens, and we invite you to participate in the “Our Way of Life” photo contest! This is an opportunity for Sealaska to not only engage with you directly, but also gain perspective on how our audience views our Native way of life. Creativity and freedom of interpretation is welcome and encouraged! Source

Posted 5/6/2020
Posted 5/6/2020
As we strive to heed the words of our Elders, we also strive to ensure their health and well-being, even more so during these unprecedented times. With the help of Sealaska’s COVID-19 relief and recovery package, a nonprofit organization is using its funding to continue supporting our most vulnerable populations. Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) is a nonprofit organization… Source

Posted 3/27/2020
Posted 3/27/2020
Sealaska cares deeply about our shareholders, our employees, and our people. We know that the coming weeks and months will be hard for many communities in Southeast Alaska as they feel the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. We will do all we can to support our communities during this difficult time. We’re starting by addressing the needs of our most vulnerable shareholders and neighbors… Source

Posted 4/1/2019
Posted 4/1/2019
This news item is an update to our story we published on March 12, 2019. WHAT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW? Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) advanced a package of public land bills that included the bill finalizing equitable treatment for Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans. The public lands package was approved in the U.S. Senate on February 12, 2019, with the U.S. Source