Protecting Jílḵaat Aani: Chilkat Indian Village partners to study environmental impacts to traditional territory

by Kyle Kolda and Jessica Kayser Forster

Residents of the Chilkat Indian Village (CIV) of Tlákw Aan (Klukwan) have a vested interest in understanding impacts of environmental change. Located at the confluence of the Chilkat and Tsirku rivers about 20 miles from Deishu (Haines), the village is experiencing increased flooding, avalanches and landslides, as well as changes to traditional foods that are a cultural cornerstone of the Jilḵáat Ḵwáan (Chilkat People). To better respond to these shifts, CIV – a federally recognized Tribe – has engaged since 2018 in several research and implementation projects that weave together the knowledge of the Jilḵáat Ḵwáan with insights from Western science. 

The CIV Tribal government is partnering with two National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded efforts, the Ḵutí Geohazards Project and the Alaska NSF EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) Interface of Change project. CIV is engaging with the components of these projects that seek to better understand the lands and waters of Jílḵaat Aani, the traditional territory of the Chilkat. Both efforts work to unite Indigenous Knowledge and Western scientific inquiry through co-development of research among the Tribal government’s environmental team, community members, and academic researchers. CIV has been able to play a meaningful role thanks in part to Alaska Sea Grant, which awarded the village a Community Partnership Development Grant to support Tribal staff participation in both projects. This grant support has led to tangible results such as a weather station in Klukwan, landslide planning and mitigation, and a new landslide monitoring program. 

The Ḵutí Geohazards Project focuses on developing tools to reduce the risks of landslides and flooding across Southeast Alaska. In Klukwan, input from CIV members led the project team to focus on debris flow avulsions – events in which fast-moving mixtures of rock, soil, and water suddenly change course. These dangerous flows often occur during periods of intense rainfall or rapid snowmelt and have historically flowed under and through houses and buildings in Klukwan. Understanding where and how these channels shift across the alluvial fan of the Tsirku River is essential for protecting drivers on the nearby Haines Highway as well as homes and critical village infrastructure.

To address these risks, the Ḵutí team and the CIV Environmental Department have deployed infrasound sensors, seismometers, and drones to map source channels and document past flow patterns. Data from these efforts will help researchers to understand the processes by which large debris from mountains in the Takshanuk Range accumulates in the upper Tsirku watershed, which can in turn trigger massive debris flows farther down the alluvial fan. With the information from Ḵutí research, CIV is seeking funding from the Alaska Department of Transportation for a new berm to protect Klukwan and the Haines Highway from these debris flows. The project also has an educational dimension. Project researchers, tribal members and teachers from the Klukwan School are working together to develop learning modules and student-led environmental monitoring activities that will connect classroom learning with real-world observation.

While the Ḵutí project focuses on physical impacts of environmental change, EPSCoR’s Interface of Change project centers on the relation between shifts in the environment and the resilience of coastal species vital to communities across Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound and the northern Gulf of Alaska. Support from Alaska Sea Grant enabled CIV Environmental Department staff, Klukwan community members, and EPSCoR researchers to meet more than 10 times to identify key species that are central to the community’s subsistence, culture, and ecosystem health. CIV tribal members with deep traditional knowledge and expertise will further this collaboration by working with EPSCoR researchers to help guide research questions over the next five years.

One result of these collaborations has been an EPSCoR project to monitor the growth of red seaweed at popular harvest sites near Klukwan. Glacial melt is causing continental uplift, shifting intertidal zones and moving red seaweeds further from the tide. This lengthens the amount of time the red seaweeds are exposed to air rather than submerged in water, which may render the seaweeds stressed and vulnerable to herbivory. Students at the Klukwan School assisted scientists in collecting the samples, contributing valuable data about environmental impacts to the health and abundance of this important traditional food. 

Together, the Ḵutí and Interface of Change projects highlight the power of partnerships rooted in both Indigenous Knowledge and Western scientific research. With support from Alaska Sea Grant, the Chilkat Indian Village’s efforts have centered the research around community priorities, fostered educational opportunities, and are generating valuable data while building local capacity for future generations to care for and protect Jílḵaat Aani.