New scientific data showing that Southeast Alaska is warming more slowly than nearby regions will be the subject of an evening summit in Sitka on Nov. 13. The Alaska Sustainable
Fisheries Trust (ASFT), a partner of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, will host the event.
According to ASFT, the state’s southeast coast is projected to play a unique role as a climate refuge – an isolated area that maintains habitat favorable to key species.
Rainforest scientists such as Dominick DellaSala believe there is potential for our region to become a stronghold where everything from wild salmon to big conifers can still find habitat, said ASFT Board President Linda Behnken.
This information and more is part of ASFT’s SeaBank initiative, a multi-disciplinary approach to identify, assess, and communicate the value of the Southeast Alaska ecosystem.
“Our goal is to empower residents, visitors, and policymakers to make sound long-term decisions that promote stewardship and sustainable economics,” said Behnken.
DellaSala is the president and chief scientist of the Geos Institute in Ashland, Oregon and president of the Society for Conservation Biology, North America Section.
The summit dinner, with Thai coho wraps, is a fundraiser for ASFT’s SeaBank Initiative, with tickets available online for $20 at https://thealaskatrust.org/seabank-summit or at Old Harbor Books in Sitka. The event is open to the public and will be live streamed on Zoom.
Those interested in joining virtually can register on the AFT website at thealaskatrust.org.
For more information, contact ASFT Program Director Natalie Sattler at 907-738-1286, or by email at [email protected].
Seabank, a new program of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, offers the SeaBank Chronicles – a series of seven-minute podcasts that transport the listener through the living science of Southeast Alaska’s coastal rainforest.
Listen to discover ancient forests, a wild and silvery nation of salmon, and the human communities finding home among them.
The podcasts – written, hosted and produced by Beth Short-Rhoads – are funded by the Walton Family Foundation, the Edgerton Foundation and the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.
Find the podcasts at https://thealaskatrust.org/seabankchroniclespodcast. New episodes drop every Friday.
SeaBank is a multi-disciplinary approach to identify, assess and communicate the value of the Southeast Alaska ecosystem and to empower residents, visitors and policy makers to make long-term decisions that promote stewardship and sustainable economics.
ASFT’s program, SeaBank, was created to tell the story of Southeast Alaska’s ways of life. For communities of the Alaska Panhandle, this natural ecosystem functions as a richly endowed ban, providing natural capital that is essential to the regional economy.
SeaBank is a diverse nexus of individuals, scientists, organizations and businesses that wish to share the untold story of the region’s ecological wealth and promote the region’s natural products, which support livelihoods in these communities.
Since March of 2020, Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust and the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association have provided more than 650,000 meals of seafood, free of charge, to thousands of individuals/families, including children’s programs, food pantries, women’s shelters, tribal organizations and others. Along with their partners they have donated more than 400,000 pounds of seafood to rural communities, as well as military members and tribal organizations throughout Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
Read more about ASFT programs, including Alaskans own not-for-profit community supported fishery – which donates 100% of its profits to the Seafood Donation Program and Fishery Conservation Network – online at https://thealaskatrust.org/seabankchroniclespodcast.
