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Nushagak River Watershed Traditional Use Area Conservation

Elia Ishnook at the Koliganek session Photo © Clark James Mishler Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)Study   Steering Committee: Tim Wanholla-New Stuyahok Philip Akelkok- Ekwok Herman Nelson-Koliganek Daniel Chythlook-Aleknagik Tribal Council Billy Maines-Dillingham and Curyung Tribe Sue Flensburg-Bristol Bay Native Association View slideshows:  Look at images from the recent TEK gathering sessions in the watershed.  Read Updates: Find out how the Nushagak River Watershed TEK study is progressing.         February and March 2006         January 2006         December 2005 Learn more about TEK Visit the websites of other traditional use area planning efforts.         Read Chief Kerry's Moose          Taku River Tlingit Give Feedback: Send your thoughts and questions to Tim Troll at ttroll@tnc.org or call him at 907-276-3133 x120.

© Clark James Mishler

Traditional Use Area Conservation

Traditional use areas are the broad landscapes over which Native people and their ancestors have hunted, fished and gathered. The Nushagak River traditional use area forms the core of the Conservancy’s engagement in southwest Alaska. The Native villages and corporations of the region are working with the Conservancy to develop a vision for the long-term conservation of the traditional use area. The effort includes: 

• Synthesize and digitally map existing data on the habitat and distribution of salmon and other key subsistence species
• Conduct a Traditional Ecological Knowledge Study
• Analyze threats to salmon and other subsistence species
• Identify key areas for conservation
• Build and implement a strategic plan for action

This approach provides the local community with the tools to maintain cultural knowledge and influence local, state and federal decision-making regarding the fish and wildlife resources on which they have relied for thousands of years. 

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

TEK refers to the knowledge and insights acquired through extensive observation of an area or a species. TEK may include knowledge passed down in an oral tradition, or shared among users of a resource. The Bristol Bay Native Association and the Curyang Tribal Council have requested the Conservancy undertake a TEK study for the region, with the guidance of the Nushagak-Mulchatna Watershed Council. The goal of the TEK study is to document residents' ecological knowledge of habitats and sites in the region critical to survival of important fish and wildlife populations.