We can’t protect the Tongass without supporting the people who live here. SCS recognizes that our ability to live sustainably within the natural environment is contingent on the health and well-being of the people who call these lands and waters home. For many people in Southeast, the food we harvest and gather from the surrounding environment is critical to our way-of-life and our home economics. As pre-existing economic inequality is worsened by the effects of climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to recognize that community health and honoring the land go hand in hand. The Sitka Conservation Society recognizes this in its programs that directly invest in people’s wellbeing, such as Fish to Schools and the Sitka Mutual Aid Network.