On Wednesday, July 13, the Sealaska lands bill went to markup in the House Committee on Natural Resources. By a vote of 34 to 10, the bill passed out of committee and was referred to the full House for a final vote. This is the closest Sealaska has come to receiving its final land entitlement and is an important milestone for the corporation, its tribal member shareholders and all of Southeast Alaska. Next up is the Senate version of the bill and we hope to see similar success as that chamber of Congress considers the bill.
More than 900 households participated in Sealaska’s 38th annual meeting via webcast, while another 150 tribal member shareholders and guests gathered in Haines, Alaska for the event on June 25. Shareholders voted to retain four incumbent directors, Byron Mallott, Rosita Worl, Sidney Edenshaw and Edward Thomas. Ralph Wolfe, who is Haida, was named the 2011–2012 youth board advisor by the Sealaska Board of Directors.
Sealaska staff recently visited with tribal member shareholders in nine cities (Seattle, Tacoma, Klawock, Sitka, Craig, Anchorage, Ketchikan, Saxman and Hydaburg) for 2011 community meetings. We implemented a new format this year, making the meetings more interactive. Positive feedback from shareholders indicates the new format was a success.
View slideshow from community meetings.
The entire Sealaska family was saddened by the loss of Dr. Walter Soboleff on May 22, 2011. A memorial service that aired statewide on cable TV and around the world through a webcast has been archived and is available on KTOO’s Gavel-to-Gavel website.
Sealaska foresters unearthed a partially complete Haida canoe—estimated to be more than 100 years old—from the forest floor on Prince of Wales Island. The canoe is a culturally rich discovery for Sealaska. Dr. Rosita Worl of the Sealaska Heritage Institute hopes that modern Haida canoe-makers can study the pre-commercial techniques used on this canoe and bring back that knowledge. Read more in the Juneau Empire.
Sealaska board member Clarence Jackson remembers the goodwill the country had for Alaska Natives when ANCSA was before Congress in 1971, while also offering gratitude to the quiet majority of Southeast Alaska residents who continue to support Sealaska and its Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribal member shareholders. Read the article.
