Climate change impacts are threatening traditional Tlingit ways of life in Hoonah, Alaska. Hoonah is the largest Tlingit village, where over 800 year-round residents rely on wild salmon, halibut, berries, deer, spruce, cedar, and other natural resources to meet their needs as well as engage in traditional practices such as carving and weaving. As climate change impacts increase in severity and frequency over the coming decades, the Alaska Native peoples in Hoonah need to have a plan to secure their traditional resources and adapt to oncoming environmental changes.

The goal of this project was to create a climate change adaptation plan in collaboration with Hoonah Indian Association (HIA) Environmental, a department within the Tlingit tribal government. While data is being collected and analyzed on a larger scale for Southeast Alaska, our project aimed to compile and analyze local community data through a variety of collection methods.

We created and analyzed surveys and interviews, as well as hosted a community event to generate novel data related to adaptation strategies. The survey identified which resources were of highest concern within the community, and the interviews aimed to elicit traditional adaptation responses to environmental changes. These methods resulted in a first draft of HIA Environmental’s Climate Adaptation Plan, which will be used to provide outreach and education to the community about adaptation to climate change impacts, as well as to help create a community-led strategy for Hoonah’s future.