Bristol Bay Guardians

Recipient: The Nature Conservancy – Igiugig Village
Funding Amount: $1,999,470

The Yup’ik, Dena’ina, and Sugpiaq peoples of Southwest Alaska have lived within the Bristol Bay region for millennia, sustained in large part by sayak—the sockeye salmon. While this region continues to support more wild salmon populations than anywhere else on Earth, impacts from climate change are readily apparent. This project will expand current community-based monitoring efforts in the tribal community of Igiugig and share lessons learned and approaches taken with nearby tribal communities. The goal is to create a regional “guardians'' network based on Canada’s successful Indigenous Guardians programs. The focus is on investing in communities, expanding training opportunities for residents, and uplifting Indigenous and local knowledge in regards to land relationship planning (i.e., natural resource management) practices. The initiative uses the strengths of Indigenous knowledge to guide Western scientific methodologies and further relationships among tribes and all levels of government and community.

For more information on the grant program funding this project, please visit the Inflation Reduction Act webpage. For more information on the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, visit the Office for Coastal Management’s resilience challenge webpage.