The Challenge

The Chilkat Valley faces pressure from industrial mineral exploration and resource extraction projects that threaten essential natural and cultural resources and the way of the life of the Jilkaat Kwaan. The Chilkat Indian Village required a facilitator to lead a collaborative group that could ensure state and federal permitting agencies were fully informed of the valley’s unique tribal and environmental conditions. The primary challenge was to bridge the gap between technical resource data and the protection of a way of life for future generations.

Phase 1: Planning and Collaborative Foundation

I worked with the CIV Tribal Government to establish the CVWG as a tribally-led collaborative. This involved defining a mission centered on protecting the natural and cultural resources of the Jilkaat Kwaan traditional territory. I facilitated the alignment of diverse participants—including technical experts and regional stakeholders—around a shared commitment to respectful dialogue and honest information sharing.

Phase 2: Sustained Facilitation and Information Exchange

For seven years, I facilitated quarterly meetings that served as a critical hub for resource management data.

  • Technical Synthesis: I guided participants in contributing technical expertise and coordinating trainings to ensure all stakeholders had access to high-quality information regarding aquatic and environmental conditions.
  • Integrity of Dialogue: I maintained a neutral, safe space for sharing ideas while strictly upholding the group’s values of honoring differences and speaking honestly.

Phase 3: Impact on Policy and Permitting

The sustained work of the CVWG provided the information necessary to challenge and refine proposed development permits.

  • Regulatory Correction: My facilitation supported the effort to identify significant gaps in analysis regarding tribal and natural resources in mineral exploration permits.
  • Legal and Environmental Outcomes: This collaborative work was instrumental in litigating and improving several permits that originally failed to meet state and federal Clean Water Act parameters, ultimately ensuring higher standards for environmental protection in the valley.

 

  • Client: Chilkat Indian Village, Klukwan Tribal Government
  • Scope: Long-term tribally-led facilitation Facilitation, Strategic Alignment, & Regulatory Analysis
  • Duration: 2016–2022
  • Participants:
  • Outcome: Improvement of development permits to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act and the protection of cultural and aquatic resources.

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