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Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities
We support communities to address environmental threats and achieve their vision for a safe, healthy, and sustainable future.
Newsletter Issue 38, August 2020
Four Things You Should Know
- We are excited to welcome three new staff members to our team.
- The United States (U.S.) Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends Congress consider creating a federal climate migration program in a new report.
- Roberta Glenn uses her scientific expertise to support rural Alaska communities to develop informed solutions to erosion impacts.
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced $500 million in available funding for mitigation projects through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.
Staff Update
Diane Sam
Emily Kloc
Jayla Lundstrom
Diane Sam
Diane joined us in June and will support environmentally threatened communities in Alaska’s Northwest Arctic and Interior regions. She grew up north of Fairbanks, where time spent in the forest became a formative part of her childhood and led her to pursue a degree in forestry. Her mother is originally from the Arctic Slope and she has family across north and northwest Alaska. Diane has more than 35 years of experience working with over 80 rural Alaska communities on natural resource management and planning. She has worked with four state agencies, one federal agency, and two non-profit Alaska Native corporations. Diane has always had a passion for serving rural Alaska and is excited to continue to support communities in her position. When not at work, Diane enjoys boat rides and, of course, walks in the woods.
Emily Kloc
Emily joined us in February to support two Yukon-Kuskokwim region communities and lead our communications efforts. Throughout her career, Emily has focused on environmental health issues. After studying civil engineering, Emily moved to Alaska in 2009 and has worked with the State of Alaska Village Safe Water and two non-profit organizations on water and solid waste infrastructure projects, and later advocacy efforts. Emily strives to build meaningful relationships to better serve the communities she works with.
Jayla Lundstrom
Jayla joined us earlier this month as an AmeriCorps VISTA member to support communications efforts and funding acquisition for community projects. She recently graduated from the University of Utah, where she studied political science with an emphasis in sustainable development. She values deep connections with people and places and looks forward to working with and learning from rural Alaska communities. When not at work, Jayla enjoys hiking, biking, and sharing meals with loved ones.
Recent Events
The U.S. Government Accountability Office Recommends Creating a Federal Climate Migration Program
The relocation of Newtok, Alaska to Mertarvik, Alaska was featured as a case study in the recent U.S. Government Accountability Office report as one of two communities in the U.S. that have implemented climate migration. The report concluded that although progress in the relocation has been made, Newtok residents face increased disaster risks because the relocation to Mertarvik will likely not be complete before coastal erosion and flooding make Newtok uninhabitable. Credit: State of Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs.
A recent report published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended that Congress consider establishing a pilot program with clear federal leadership to identify and provide assistance to communities pursuing relocation as a resilience strategy. GAO noted that “unclear federal leadership is the key challenge to climate migration as a resilience strategy.” Many rural Alaska communities are pursuing protect-in-place, managed retreat, and relocation strategies in response to environmental impacts to infrastructure. A lack of coordinated federal support is a key barrier faced by Alaska communities.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is Supporting Erosion and Flooding Risk Assessments in Alakanuk, Alaska and Deering, Alaska
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will support erosion and flooding risk assessment projects in Alakanuk, Alaska and Deering, Alaska through the Planning Assistance to the States program. In Alakanuk, USACE will produce a flood map for community planning purposes and establish a tidal datum. A tidal datum is a reference elevation of sea level and is necessary in order to model future flooding impacts to a community. In Deering, USACE will develop past, present, and future erosion rates by analyzing current and historical aerial imagery and identify areas at risk of flooding. Both projects are expected to be completed by summer 2021. They will increase understanding of risk and enable the community to develop solutions to protect community infrastructure from flooding and erosion impacts.
Solutions Spotlight: Roberta Glenn
Roberta Glenn is pursuing a Master’s degree in Geography from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She hopes to use her scientific expertise to support rural Alaska communities to develop informed solutions to erosion impacts. Credit: Roberta Glenn.
Roberta Glenn is passionate about using science to support on-the-ground solutions in rural Alaska communities. Growing up in Utqiagvik, Alaska, Roberta tagged along as her father, Richard Glenn, a sea ice and permafrost geologist, gave talks around the country about climate impacts in the Arctic. Roberta is guided by a responsibility to her community. Her father, who is not only a scientist, but also a whaling captain and community leader, was the driving force behind Roberta pursuing a degree in the geosciences.
Currently, Roberta is pursuing a Master’s degree in Geography from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a focus on coastal geography and erosion studies in rural Alaska. As part of her studies, Roberta is a Graduate Intern with the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) Coastal Hazards Program. Her work is focused on creating shoreline change and infrastructure impact maps for communities in western and southwestern Alaska. The maps will inform community planning and the development of hazard mitigation strategies. In addition to her father, Roberta has also been inspired by Jaci Overbeck, Coastal Hazards Program Manager, who has been a role model and mentor in her field.
After graduating, Roberta plans to return to Utqiagvik to reconnect with family and her home. Roberta deeply cares about the people of rural Alaska and plans to focus her career on working to improve access to tools and resources necessary for informed community decision making.
Funding Opportunities
FEMA Announces New BRIC Program
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which replaces the Pre-Disaster Mitigation grant program. BRIC will provide $500 million for mitigation planning and projects nationwide. All Alaska Native Tribes with an active Hazard Mitigation Plan are eligible to apply.
- Due Date: Applications open September 30, 2020 and applications are due by January 29, 2021.
- For more information and to access applicant webinars, click here
Upcoming Events
2020 Virtual National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference
All Tribal members in the United States are invited to attend the first National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference (NTICC) hosted virtually by the Institute of Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) with support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Tribal Resilience Program. A full agenda, which will include presentations by Alaska presenters, is forthcoming.
- September 14 – 17, 2020
- Register for free here
Resources
COVID-19 Tribal Resource Center
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) has created a Tribal Resource Center to support Tribes in responding to COVID-19. The site includes information on how to protect communities from COVID-19, Tribal response strategies, and how to request financial and technical assistance.
News Roundup
Alaska Natives on the Front Line – Water and Sewer Infrastructure: Coffee & Quaq recently launched a new podcast series titled "Alaska Natives on the Frontline," aimed at showcasing how the Inupiat are adapting to changing environmental conditions. This 50-minute episode highlights the challenges of delivering sewer and water services in rural Alaska and investigates how erosion and melting permafrost threaten these systems.
How the Coronavirus Pandemic is Affecting Construction of a New Village: The coronavirus pandemic has caused delays in this summer’s construction season in Mertarvik, Alaska. Mertarvik will utilize CARES Act funding to build five homes, in addition to the four already planned.
After Moving to New Village, Mertarvik Residents Say They Are Healthier: It has been almost a year since a third of Newtok’s residents relocated to Mertarvik, and many say that they are healthier and living a more traditional Yup’ik lifestyle in their new home.
Mertarvik, Alaska’s Lack of a Commercial Airport May Have Already Cost Lives: A lack of a commercial airport in Mertarvik, Alaska means there are no commercial flights to bring in groceries and medevac planes often have difficulty landing.
As Arctic Warms, Alaska Inupiat Adapt: Rising temperatures in the Arctic pose new threats to infrastructure and people, but it is important to remember that Alaska Native people have been adapting to environmental change for thousands of years.
About the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities
The goal of the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities (CETC) is to support rural Alaskan communities experiencing infrastructure impacts associated with flooding, erosion, and permafrost degradation. The team does this primarily through grant writing, technical assistance, and project coordination.
ETC@anthc.org | (907) 729-4521 | www.anthc.org/cetc | 4500 Diplomacy Drive, Suite 561, Anchorage, AK 99508
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