NEWS & MEDIA

Growing up in Juneau, Rain Felkl had no fear of the mountains, she said. Her parents would let her play at the glacier or spend the night on top of Thunder Mountain unsupervised, entrusting XTRATUF boots, hand-me-down outdoor gear and the unwavering confidence that characterizes childhood with her safe return home. “They [my parents] didn’t instill fear in us when it came to the outdoors,” Felkl said. Back then, she “didn’t really do anything extreme,” she said. But, today, Felkl—who

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQs3Kce85Is Sealaska’s most recent virtual event invited panelists to share their experiences with cold water dips, an ancient ritual among our people that was designed to fortify the body and spirit against a wide range of difficulties, from weather to warfare. The live virtual event, moderated by Sealaska Board Chair Joe Nelson, featured Richard Peterson, Sarah Dybdahl, Barbara Blake, Konrad Frank and Mona Evan as panelists. The event was part of a month-long campaign hosted by Sealaska in March that

Sealaska invests in Southeast Alaska businesses through a yearly commitment to Spruce Root, Inc. Spruce Root supports businesses through loan capital and support services to promote economic, social, cultural and environmental resiliency.  Sealaska economic development partner Spruce Root just announced the winners of its annual Path to Prosperity business competition, with two Southeast businesses winning $25,000 each. In the competition, 12 finalists receive intensive business coaching from Spruce Root experts. The pool is eventually winnowed to two winners. This year, winners include Naomi Michalsen of Ketchikan-based Kaasei Training and Consulting, and

San Diego’s new mayor, Todd Gloria, is Tlingit, Filipino and has Dutch and Puerto Rican roots. He often describes himself as the proud son of a hotel maid and a gardener. Gloria is San Diego’s first non-white mayor, and also its first LGBTQ mayor.   “I’ve been the first of many things in my career,” Gloria said. “The goal is always not to be the last one.”  Gloria started volunteering on political campaigns as a high school student. He received Sealaska and Goldbelt scholarships to help get him through

Campaign organizers with Alaska Natives Without Land are optimistic that legislation advancing the land claims of Alaska Natives from five Southeast communities will be reintroduced during the 117th Congress, which got underway on Jan. 3, 2021. Haines, Tenakee, Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg were inexplicably left out of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, and were unable to form urban Native corporations. Alaska Natives from these communities have gone 50 years without the economic benefits that are associated with