Science Education
Preparing the next generation of Tribal resource stewards
The Tlingit people have managed the natural resources of their traditional territory since time immemorial. The Tribe’s natural resources programs continue the tradition of educating Tribal youth about the resources that sustain them, and introduce students to a variety of careers in natural resource science and management.
BMS After School Program
The Sitka Tribe of Alaska Resource Protection Department collaborates with Blatchley Middle School to host an after-school science club. This club provides students with an opportunity to discover more about harmful algal blooms and paralytic shellfish poisoning as well as the threats to subsistence clam harvesting. This program is designed to raise awareness about the threat of PSP while teaching students safe harvesting practices. Students taking part in the club get hands-on experience in field science techniques, field trips to the local STA Environmental Research Lab where testing is done, and guest lectures from local scientists who are experts in these fields. Throughout the lessons, Tlingit culture and traditional values are used with western science to explain common misconceptions about PSP and the threats that our oceans face.
Clam Camp
Sitka Tribe of Alaska Resource Protection Department collaborates with all three high schools in Sitka to host clam camp. This camp happens in the spring semester every year. Its objectives are to increase the awareness of current environmental health issues, promote cultural subsistence harvesting, and provide the tools for students to safely harvest shellfish. During clam camp, students participate in a variety of activities designed to increase their knowledge of shellfish and the factors and conditions that directly cause shellfish poisoning. These activities include guest lectures from local experts, field trips that mimic field research, clam dissections, and microscopy of the ocean water for algal species responsible for shellfish poisoning.
Herring Camp
Yaa Khusgé Yaaw Woogoo – Knowledge of Herring – is an educational collaboration that promotes youth interest in natural resources and introduces them to careers in the field. Held during the time that herring spawn in Sitka Sound, the program combines classroom and lab instruction at all three local high schools with activities in the field, blending Western science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Students learn about the life cycle of yaaw, their cultural and nutritional importance to the Tlingit people, and fisheries management. STA staff also bring dissecting microscopes and developing herring eggs to Keet Gooshi Heen elementary school to encourage student interest in local ecosystems and science. Past partners include Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Sitka School District, Sitka Conservation Society, Sitka Sound Science Center, University of Alaska – Southeast, Allen Marine, and the US Forest Service.
RASOR Program
Sitka Tribe of Alaska is a partner in Rural Alaska Students in One-Health Research. RASOR is a mentoring program for high school students from rural Southeast Alaska communities who are interested in hands-on science. Participants can earn college credit for courses involving applied research. Recent student projects investigated the effects of Covid-19 on the age of shellfish at Starrigavan Beach, and the relationship between macro- and micro-plastics on beaches in Sitka. RASOR also supports student participation in Sitka Whalefest. High school students and their parents interested in learning more about RASOR can register on the program website.