Resource Guide for Mini-Grants

The Alaska Native Science Commission and the Institute of Social and Economic Research intend this Guide to help Alaska Native communities in Alaska take action to begin to address their concerns about environmental changes, particularly changes that raise concerns about the safety of Native foods. This project is to benefit federally recognized tribes in Alaska. The word tribe refers to a certain group of people. The word communities includes the people and the environment. We chose to use the phrase "Alaska Native communities" throughout this guide.

Specifically, we intend this guide to help Alaska Native communities to participate in a mini-grant program funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency and administered by the Alaska Native Science Commission. The Guide is still being developed. We would appreciate your ideas for improvement!

Please Note: Try to use Internet Explorer version 5 or later to view this site. Power-point summaries of Native concerns and research do not work well in Netscape.

For further information, please contact:
Patricia Cochran pcochran@aknsc.org or Jack Kruse afjak@uaa.alaska.edu  
. 

Elaine Abraham, a Tlingit elder from Yakutat, told us, "Why are you starting with talk about concerns? I have enough trouble getting my granddaughter to eat Native foods!" 

She has a very good point. Many Alaska Natives have shared concerns about changes they have observed in fish and wildlife and about contaminants as a possible cause of these changes. At the same time, they also are aware of the many benefits of eating Native foods. We encourage you to think about the cultural and nutritional values of Native foods. Here are links that you may wish to look at before starting the mini-grant application: