Greenpeace has been working for four years on trying to develop an alternative to marine reserves in Alaska, especially in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea, and now in the vast and still somewhat pristine Arctic Ocean. It should come as no surprise that the ecosystems of these once rich and living oceans are fast becoming laboratories on how not to manage, as though man could, environments delicate and complex. Because it has been politically impossible to create the successful and ocean repairing marine reserves, we have been looking at creating marine cultural heritage zones (CHZ) in and around coastal communities as well as critical habitats within our country’s 200 mile exclusive economic zones (EEZ) here in Alaska.
And today we are another very important step closer to realizing our dreams. The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) is the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska. Its membership includes 178 villages (both federally-recognized tribes and village corporations), 13 regional Native corporations and 12 regional nonprofit and tribal consortiums that contract and run federal and state programs. This organization has and continues to successfully represent our people in Congress, with businesses, and the State of Alaska. Just a week ago, AFN unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the creation and establishment of CHZ’s to protect our foods and the habitats upon which they depend for survival. This task, given a birth by our State’s Alaska Natives remains a daunting task. The lobbyists, lawyers and politicians of the billion dollar a year industry, the commercial fishing industry, will be fighting the development every step of the way. However, one of the most powerful traits of our people is the strong attitude of patience. If nothing else we are a very patient people, and we will see this priority to fruition. We were here before our waters were destroyed and we will be here when the commercial fishers move on. This is home. What we envision CHZ’s will do is similar to what marine reserves do but with more local input in uses and management.
We want to find a way to move destructive fishing practices away from our homes and critical habitat and involve local and traditional knowledge to the management of these protected zones. We the Unangan (Aleut), Yupik and Inupiat Eskimo invite you to join, what most surely will be, our long vigil to protect our waters, our homes, our foods and the food upon which they depend. Offshore oil drillers, large commercial fishing conglomerates and fish stick sellers are a seemingly powerful group. If we work together to stop the slow death affecting our waters and our environments, we will succeed. We the Alaska Native people are not quitting, for we know our ancestors worked to ensure our survival with our bounty. Join our work.
Greenpeace is working tirelessly to join our peoples of Alaska, our peoples of the Arctic to ensure a healthy planet. A patient journey guided by the wisdom of our ancient peoples cannot fail. We are all necessary parts of this walk, a walk together that must realize the dreams of all our peoples; to live where plants and animals are not our enemies but rather our co-inhabitants of this beautiful planet.
