2002 RDC Annual Meeting: Native Corporations:
The Future Face of Alaska's Economy
Marie Greene, President
NANA Regional Corporation
Taikuu, Janie. Good afternoon everyone. I appreciate the invitation from the Resource Development Council to be a participant in your 27th Annual meeting. It is a privilege to be able to join Jacob Adams and Barbara Donatelli this afternoon. Quyaanna.
Before I share with you my comments, I wanted to take a moment to congratulate and thank CIRI and ASRC for their hard work and commitment to leading and growing two of the more successful Native Corporations in the State. Thank you.
As with other Native Corporations, NANA faces similar challenges of balancing our Native way of life and values with the desire to be successful in this world of commercialization, commerce and economic development otherwise known as corporate America.
It is June. The days are long, bright, and warm. Spring has arrived in the NANA region and many are beginning their gathering and hunting of our Native foods. All winter long when the days are short, dark, and cold we look forward to another spring. In the spring when the ice breaks up we fish for smelts, herring and white fish. Hunting begins for oogruk, the bearded seal and beluga. The leaves on the willow bushes are just coming out and we pick fresh leaves, called sirra and dip them in seal oil. It is time to gather eggs, hunt for muskrat and to go to fish camps for the white fish, trout, and pike. The migrating birds are back. Those are the resources most people are thinking about right now in the NANA region.
I was born and raised in the small village of Deering located off the north shores of the Seward Peninsula within the NANA region. My grandmother raised me and taught me the traditional ways of our people. We did much of our subsistence gathering and fishing throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons in or around the Inmachuk River that runs near the village. I remember during this period of time that gold mining activities near our home village were also taking place. One day, when the gold mining activities stopped, my grandmother and I witnessed as we picked roots, greens, berries and seined for white fish, trout and salmon; the remains of the booming gold mining industry. The land was literally torn apart with deep dredge ponds every where, roads were not maintained, and the river channel had changed due to the dredging leaving my grandmother and others in the village concerned about the spawning of the salmon. This was not responsible resource development.
In the 70’s after NANA incorporated and many of the shareholders began voicing the need for jobs, the leadership reported the discovery of a large zinc deposit and discussed with us the possibilities of opening a zinc mine. Eventually, when it came to the vote of the shareholders present at that particular annual meeting, I voted against the development of the Red Dog mine. I voted no because I was concerned about our land, the environment, and the way of life that my grandmother taught me. After careful consideration and taking into account the extensive shareholder participation and the strong interest the elders demonstrated throughout the planning process ensuring the protection of our subsistence way of life, I ultimately agreed. Thank you John Shively for your efforts and hard work. It was understood by all that if mining is done responsibly and operations conducted in a way that does not jeopardize the environment inclusive of a reclamation plan, then NANA should seek to develop this large zinc deposit.
Resource development on our land will always be a challenge but I expect it will be a part of our future for many years to come. As long as we can balance the good will of our communities and maintain the good health of our subsistence resource, we can continue to look towards resource development. NANA will continue to explore opportunities in this area and pursue those that make economic sense.
In our region thirty years ago there were very few jobs. A few people worked in the schools, a few worked in city government, and there was seasonal work. The development of Red Dog was accepted on the condition that our partner, Cominco then, Teck Cominco now, would employ our shareholders; protect our environment, and our subsistence way of life. Today NANA shareholders hold nearly 60% of the jobs at Red Dog. NANA values this partnership and appreciate the efforts of Teck Cominco.
So what are our challenges? Education – It is our goal NANA shareholders will one day be able to operate the Red Dog mine. We recognize that in order to help us achieve this that our educational systems need attention and continuous improvement, so several years ago a number of organizations including NANA, the Alaska Technical Center, the Northwest Arctic Borough, the Maniilaq Association, Teck Cominco, OTZ Telephone Cooperative, Kotzebue Electric Association, a number of tribal governments, Northwest Arctic Borough School District and the University of Alaska’s Chukchi Campus joined together to form the Northwest Arctic Higher Education Consortium. Our goal is to work together in partnership to address our higher education and training needs utilizing existing resources and institutions to produce a future workforce, which is proficient in basic skills and academically equipped. More recently, the North Slope Borough, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, North Slope Borough School District, Illisagvik College, UIC, and Philips joined this effort to develop their workforce as well. We are making progress.
ANCSA corporations are creating a pool of educated young Alaskans that will not only help run our enterprises but will also be available to manage other non-Native enterprises. ANCSA has created a path to careers; education and training opportunities that otherwise would not be available. We are not making progress as quickly as we would like, but progress is being made. Imagine though the progress we could make, working in alignment, combining our resources, collectively moving forward in this effort.
I would like to thank the Resource Development Council for your commitment to education through the Alaska Mining and Energy Resource Education Fund (AMEREF). NANA has supported the AMEREF fund for over 15 years and it is these kinds of educational efforts that are going to provide the incentive for our shareholders to be a part of the mineral industry and to move up into management positions as they become available in our region.
Today, the NANA region is blessed with strong organizations like Maniilaq Association, the Northwest Arctic Borough and the Northwest Arctic Borough School District all serving our people. Many of our tribal governments are stepping forward as they prepare themselves to take on the responsibility of providing needed services at the local level. As our non-profits are able to focus on what they do best, we at NANA will focus on what we do best, seeking out business opportunities that bring both jobs and revenues not only to benefit the NANA shareholders, but to benefit the state overall.
ANCSA corporations are very aggressive “sales people” for the development of Alaska. The success of Red Dog has also demonstrated to the international mining community that not only can large mines be successfully developed here, but that partnerships with local communities and the state can bring large projects into production, contributing in a very significant way to the economy of our State.
I am looking forward to the next 30 years. I am not sure I can predict what will stay the same and what will change but I can say that NANA Regional Corporation will continue to work towards fulfilling our mission of enabling our people to achieve their goals by living productively in traditional and modern worlds.
NANA is now involved in thirty-five business operations, which employ up to 1800 Alaskans. We employ another 1200 outside of the state of Alaska. As we grow, our impact on Alaska’s economy will also grow. We have learned that when groups of people come together in harmony to focus on a common objective, “good for all,” that we have been successful.
Over two years ago, the North Slope Borough and the Northwest Arctic Borough joined together in partnership, to create the Northwest Arctic Economic Development Summit. Two summits have been held to date. A third summit is scheduled to take place in Kotzebue this coming September. Although economic development has been the objective, both regions have discovered that healthy communities, an educated and skilled workforce and the preservation of our way of life are essential to responsible economic development. The Resource Development Council saw the wisdom in this collaborative effort and played a significant role in making it a reality. Thank you Tadd and Carl for your hard work.
Alaska will continue to see an increased economic influence by NANA and our sister Alaska Native Corporations. We will continue to grow, and we will become more diverse as we seek long-term sustainable solutions. As new opportunities appear on our horizon, it has always been our tradition; we will evolve to take advantage of new tools. And shareholders will become more and more adept at using these tools.
We will continue to be responsible stewards of the land and resources that we depend on for our subsistence lifestyle. And we at NANA will continue to embrace partners in government and the private sector who recognize the wisdom of helping us achieve financial and personal success, while maintaining our proud cultural heritage.
Native Corporations throughout the State of Alaska have played a major role in the economy of Alaska. We have made a significant impact since the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and Lord willing, we will continue for generations to come. Taikuu and may God bless you all.
