Summaries of 2006 Winning Proposals

Four Winds from Dillingham (Western) Alaska was awarded $20,000 to fund a project titled Culture and Tradition Shown Through Quilting and Beading. This project was represented by March Runner.

Four Winds, a quilting and beading craft enterprise, will provide instructions, supplies, production space and marketing for rural Alaska artisans. Machine quilting capabilities will be made available initially to quilters in the Bristol Bay region who wish to ship their quilts out for finishing, with services provided at cost. Quilters wanting to complete their own quilts can do so by renting the quilting machine from Four Winds.

In addition to service and equipment rental (including looms), Four Winds will provide instructions, designs for beading and craft appropriate work-space at cost with sales of supplies (i. e., threads, fabrics, patterns, beads) and equipment. Contracts for Four Winds' classes are being established with the Dillingham Middle School, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Dillingham Campus as well as with JAKE's Place the alcohol/drug treatment centers and S.A.F.E. the women's shelter in Dillingham, Alaska. Four Winds benefits crafters outside the urban areas, such as Fairbanks and Anchorage. In rural Alaska, few businesses exist where crafters can obtain materials, equipment and supplies without on-line capabilities, expense, and time. All of which make the activity not cost effective for hobbyists, cultural, or entrepreneur application levels in our area.

ArXotica Bath & Beauty products derived from Nunataat (Tundra Botanicals) was given $20,000 in seed funding for their project, which was represented by sisters Michelle (Macuar) Sparck, Amy Sparck and Cika Sparck.

Tundra botanicals (Nunataat) are time honored, trusted and tested elements from the vast wilderness of Southwest Alaska. Their scents, their color, their nutritional and healthful properties are unparalleled. Because Alaska's summers are so exaggerated, the midnight sun intensifies the production of sucrose and antioxidants. ArXotica will produce a range of Cosmetics & Toiletries (C&T) derived from the inherently organic flora of the sub-Arctic tundra. By necessity, ArXotica will control the production and distribution of its quality, high-end designer product line so as not to compete with Alaska Native Subsistence resources. Gathering remains a time consuming stoop-labor despite having been able to fuse technology with many traditional hunting and trapping techniques. It is also a noble, spiritual and nourishing practice for Alaska's ancient Eskimo culture. With success and financial stability, ArXotica envisions itself as an agent of change, focusing on the honoring of Elders, the empowerment of women, mentoring and nurturing children, and improving education and opportunities for Native people.

Nunivak Arts & Crafts was awarded $20,000 in seed money, plus a People's Choice Award worth $1000. The project is headed by John Oscar of Oscar's Originals (www.oscarsoriginals.com) in Mekoryuk, Alaska.

Oscar's Originals wishes to establish the Nunivak Arts & Crafts in the Cup'ik community of Mekoryuk. The local Nuniwarmiut Reindeer and Seafood Products (NRSP) business harvests about 1,000 reindeer per year and discards reindeer beards, hides, hoofs and even horns. NRSP makes limited horn sales to the Asian market, but has not invested in other revenue potential.

The Nunivak Arts and Crafts would expand the type and quality of arts and crafts sold, create new product descriptions from reindeer products, as well as continue traditional art forms (i.e. masks, dance fans, snow goggles, and hunting tools).

Bering Strait Inuit Cooperative, out of Nome, Alaska was awarded $10,000 for their project, Artist Development in the Bering Strait Region, represented by MaryJane Litchard, Brian D. Bourdon and Charles Pullock.

BSIC will be a viable avenue for economic development in the Bering Strait Region. This region is home to a large population of renowned indigenous artists, all of whom are potential marketers.

The success of the BSIC relies on the development of its membership drive, and the ability to purchase and market works of authentic art. BSIC will maximize the retail marketing of traditional products while furthering the Bering Strait region's art and culture and the use of natural traditional resources.

For the first year, the goal of the BSIC will be to attend five conferences to help increase membership, and to sell authentic Alaska Native arts and crafts. BSIC will promote the cooperative through brochures, flyers, and newspapers to help gain awareness from prospective artisans. BSIC, over time, will develop documents detailing Western Alaskan regional artist lifestyles, art work, family and communities.

Alaskan Sports Sleds, represented by DuWayne and Helen Johnson, was awarded $8,000 is start-up funding.

Alaska Sports Sleds are winter season sleds used for recreation and utility. The sleds will be available in three lengths to accommodate various age, height and weight ranges. The sled lengths will start with a four foot runner that will target ages 3 to 6 years old. A five foot runner will cater to ages 7 to 10 years of age and the six foot runner will target 11 to 16 year old children. These sleds will be shipped fully assembled and they will include a toe bar that will hook up to a snow machine and information on how to harness to the family dog. The sleds can be used for towing groceries, camping gear, and firewood.

The web based business will advertise in local newspapers and by word of mouth in order to promote the sled as the ideal winter sports equipment to get kids out doors.

Kingeekuk's Parts & Repair Service, represented by Fred Kingeekuk and Hogarth Kingeekuk Jr., was awarded $30,000 for their Rural Alaska Small Parts & Repair Shop .

Kingeekuk's Parts & Repair Shop is a dealership program that sells parts, mod kits and motor oil products. It will also provide a repair service specializing in basic repairs (engine overhauls, piston replacement, piston ring inspections replacement, bearing replacements, gasket seals inspections and /or replacement), tune-ups (carburetor cleaning, adjustment, synchronizing, engine timing, valve timing) and maintenance work. Annual tune ups will be offered with use of exhaust gas testers, diagnostic instruments, compression testing and other testing equipment. Space to work will be available along with tools for a rental fee for those who would rather work on their own vehicles. Technical assistance can be provided if requested by a customer. The shop will also sell minimum supplies of protective gear (helmets, chest protectors, elbow pads, knee pads, other riding gear materials and clothing) by request.

The shop will also host job training program for local youth. The students would have a chance to gain hands on experience with small engine repair, as well as learning on-the-job business skills in areas such as cashiering, merchandise stocking, janitorial work, reception, basic book keeping and accounting skills.

Alaska Village Initiatives, represented by Charles Parker and Jane Geotzinger, was awarded $20,000 for their project Development of Alternative Renewable Energy.

AVI is seeking seed funding to determine the feasibility of establishing local biomass feedstock production (primarily wood chips) on a sustainable basis. With this information AVI can then develop and implement the appropriate business model. If justified by the potential market, AVI can evaluate the cost effectiveness of building manufacturing facilities or developing a business as a distributor of the technology.

By evaluating the local management structures, AVI will establish whether there is a sufficient need to also develop a feedstock production aspect that would either directly employ local suppliers or provide consulting services to local entrepreneurs or village corporations. In order to accomplish this, AVI will conduct five feasibility studies and develop business models for harvesting and utilizing local biomass for heat and electricity production in rural Alaska Villages. Business models will include a comparative analysis type of business structure, biomass technology types and costs, and forest/biomass management methods and costs.

David C. Smith, with the City of Nuiqsut, was awarded $10,000 in start-up funding for Wild Medicinal Plants of Nuiqsut.

The City of Nuiqsut is surrounded by oil and gas activities that have a tremendous social and cultural impact due to both the uncertainty and ongoing rapid changes in and around the community. A wild medicinal plant grows all over in the area both near the community and along most of the permanent gravel roads serving the Oil Patch. The plant has been identified as Artemisia borealis. It grows for about 96 days annually in almost total direct sunlight. Several scientists have said it can be of great value in cancer treatments. Coordinating with Alaska Green Gold, several Chinese scientists are very interested in further evaluation of this traditional Alaskan medicinal plant, commonly called "stinkweed." In the proposal, Nuiqsut youth would both cultivate this wild plant and collect it in volume from the wild this summer in order to determine its true value and its potential to provide a significant boost in local employment in Nuiqsut and other Native communities between Barrow and Bethel.

The Noatak Organic Farming Cooperative was awarded $22,000 for a project represented by Chris O'Neil entitled Noatak Natural Products and Organic Farming Cooperative.

The problems of lack of jobs and high importation prices have combined to make organic vegetables completely unavailable for residents of The Native Village of Noatak. Residents have recently completed a two year project to establish what varieties of vegetables would grow in Noatak, with very favorable results. Based on the data, The Native Village of Noatak has made available five acres for lease for the establishment of a "Pick-your-own" organic vegetable farm, a cut-flower business, and a strawberry farm. A cooperative will be established that will be responsible for maintaining equipment, marketing value-added products for members, facilitating education with the community youth 4-H club, and serving as a model for a region-wide education project. The cooperative will be supported by a percentage of income from each member and run by a board consisting of all members, with an elected president to handle operations. In addition to offering fresh organic cut-flowers, vegetables and strawberries, farmers will offer value-added products such as dried flower arrangements, kim chi, berry jam, and frozen vegetables.

Delta Junction Biodiesel Pilot Plant, represented by Robert Kocsis, Laura Nutter and Hans Geier of Delta Junction, was awarded $20,000 in funding.

The plan is to assemble and test a pilot biodiesel manufacturing plant in Delta Junction. This business will physically extract oil from canola seed grown in Delta Junction and other farming areas. The oil will be used for human consumption, presscake for a high quality animal feed supplement, and converted into biodiesel as a substitute for petroleum diesel oil. Presscake is a co-product of the oil manufacturing process. It is a highly nutritional animal feed supplement that is used in the dairy, beef, and pork agricultural industries as well as for chickens, horses, rabbits and other alternative livestock enterprises. Sales of the feed supplement will offset the purchase price of unprocessed canola from area farmers. All of the products of this pilot plant are currently in use statewide, and demand is evident.

The manufacturing process is well known, but the machinery needs to be purchased and set up in a facility to produce canola seed oil for the Alaskan market.

Chickaloon Village, represented by Jennifer Harrison, was awarded $25,000 for the Chickaloon Four-Season Greenhouse project.

The Chickaloon Greenhouse will serve as a model four-season herb, vegetable, berry and flower production facility, powered by the wind and sun, and heated with sustainable harvested wood. The Greenhouse will operate nine months out of the year producing a variety of crops for market. Each season will bring a different set of produce as well as a different marketing strategy. Elders within the community will assist in running the plant nursery while mentoring youth interns.

As the Greenhouse business grows, gardening services - such as community composting, garden design consultation, landscaping services, community classes specific to greenhouse growing, ecological building, renewable energy and sustainable economic development - will be added gradually.

Manufacturing Health Products from Southeast Alaska Forests, represented by Esther Ashton of Alaska Resource & Economic Development, Inc. was awarded $25,000.

Alaska Resource & Economic Development, Inc., a non-profit organization, is launching the Tongass Health Products Initiative, to produce scientifically-proven beneficial health food supplements. In accord with its mission of building healthy, sustainable economies, ARED is developing this project to maximize the benefits to local communities. The health food industry is entering Alaska to harvest and market neutraceuticals. This industry's entry will fall into a well-paved model of hiring Alaskans as "berry pickers," ensuring Alaska's position at the bottom of the economic "totem pole" in this million-dollar business.

ARED intends to shift this industry's involvement with our natural resources in the direction of a locally-based, healthy and sustainable diversification of the region's economy. Initial products will focus on wild blueberries. Blueberries have one of the highest rated oxygen radical-absorbing capacities (ORAC) of any food in the world. Alaska wild blueberries contain a significantly higher rating of ORAC than the high-bush variety of blueberries. To find the appropriate return-consumer, ARED will initially market products to the thousands of tourists visiting Alaska in the growing cruise ship industry.

Han Athabascan Grocery & Native Arts Store, represented by Joanne Beck of the Native Village of Eagle, was awarded $12,000.

Eagle Village plans to operate a year round grocery store that will provide for its 200 community members. The cost of freight will be reduced in the summer by hauling supplies over the Taylor Highway. The road is officially open from April 15-October 15. During winter months, Evert's Air will bring mail and freight. In addition to groceries, the store will feature Native arts and crafts during summer months.

When the road is "open," an estimated 12,000 tourists visit Eagle Village. The village has not had an opportunity to tap into that resource due to lack of revenue. It hasn't advertised for tourists to come into the village because it doesn't yet have anything to offer. When the store opens, advertisements will be placed in the local monthly newsletter and posted on bulletin boards. Store information will be conveyed to Holland America. Currently, the tourists stop at the only store in Eagle after they visit the museum. All businesses in Eagle are located in the city, which is three miles away from Eagle Village. The only business in the village is the landfill, which does not make a profit. The village store will provide jobs for tribal members. Within the first year of operation the store will become independent and self sufficient.

The Interior Alaska Native Artists’ Cooperative, represented by Dixie Alexander of Fairbanks, was awarded $25,000.

The Interior Alaska Native Artists' Cooperative (IANAC) will provide rural Interior Alaska and Fairbanks artists with a means to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs through a jointly owned and democratically controlled venture. Alaska Native artists will pay a membership fee and will self administer the cooperative by serving on the board and through voting. The values of self-help, democracy, equality and solidarity will be emphasized. Business benefits may include reduced start-up costs, lower overhead and minimized risk. The cooperative will establish an artist database to facilitate communication and encourage participation.

Other objectives of the cooperative may be: (1) Participation in a Fairbanks Community Marketplace operating in conjunction with the Farmers' Market where Native artisan space is available to different communities and/or the Summer Arts Market during Golden Days. (2) Collaboration with other arts organizations across the state. (3) Consistent marketing and advertising. (4) Business training or a mentor/protégé for members. (5) Higher quality artwork. A cooperative coordinator will be hired to research the best approach for the development, creation, and objectives of the cooperative.

Glacial Skincare, represented by Lauren Padawer of the Alaska Glacier Mud Company, was awarded $16,000.

Alaska Glacial Mud Company harvests a microfine glacial sediment on the Pacific Coast of Alaska and adds value to the raw material by manufacturing a high quality 'Made in Alaska' skin care product line using traditional Alaskan botanicals. The company is backed by a commitment of sustainability to the ecology and to its people that reveal the purity and essence of Alaska cultural heritage through environmentally efficient methods of harvest and production, pure ingredients and local philanthropy.

AGMC glacial skincare stands out from the competition because of marketplace innovation, the purity of the ingredients, and healthy skin benefits. Customers will be attracted to this product because of its quality, sustainability, and its symbolism of the pure Alaska landscape. The product line will initially be marketed to souvenir/gift shops in Alaska, secondarily to day spas in Alaska, and thirdly to cosmetic manufacturers and spas outside of Alaska.

North-South St. George Island Institute Company was awarded $50,000. This project is represented by Karin Holser of NoMetata!

The purpose of the North-South St. George Island Institute is to establish a cross-cultural learning center using traditional skills, local knowledge, existing resources, and on-going research, as well as leveraging St. George's unique location in the Pribilof Islands. The institute will be a center for research and learning for students of all ages from around Alaska and around the world. The institute will be housed in historical buildings located in immediate proximity to major scientific and tourist attractions - bird rookeries, seal rookeries, and tide pools. The long-term objectives of the institute are to retain and share traditional Aleut skills and knowledge (e.g. basket weaving, boat building, skin sewing), stimulate economic development through increased patronage of existing amenities such as the hotel, store, and coffee shops, develop a summer science/cross-cultural program for urban high school students, increase opportunities for local youth, and develop an undergraduate field research facility for Alaska's universities.

Unity Catering, represented by Barbie Baumgartner of Unity Outreach Inc. in North Pole, Alaska was awarded $30,000.

Unity Catering Services was established as a business in 2004 to generate revenue for the Street Ministries/Ester Mission and Unity Compassion Center housing expenses, and to provide on-the-job-training and employment for the center’s residents, specializing in Alaska Native cuisine. Unity Compassion Center residents include locals and people from nearby villages who are looking for help rebuilding their lives. Unity Outreach strives to assist consumers or clients to become self-sufficient, thereby positively impacting workforce development efforts in their villages and communities.

Caribou-Adventures, represented by Agnes and Edward Halistone of the Caribou-Adventure Company, was awarded $30,000.

Caribou-Adventures offers guided wildlife/eco-tours, subsistence hunting/fishing/gathering observations, arts and crafts manufacture, river/lagoon/ocean kayaking and custom tours. In the winter, the company is based out of The Native Village of Deering. It plans to offer guided western Arctic caribou herd tours, wildlife observations, trapline/ice fishing participation and observation, camp tours, village to village tours, and custom touring.

Togiak Cultural Tourism Development was awarded $20,000 in start-up funding. This project was represented by Paul Markoff of Togiak Outfitters, Inc. (www.togiakoutfitters.com)

The company goal is to grow as one of the economic leaders within the village by sharing and contributing knowledge and experiences as it proceeds with sustainable cultural development activities. The Togiak culture is valued as a non-depleting resource within the natural resources of the land. Togiak Outfitters' design and intention is that all can benefit directly, and find personal value in the Togiak area, a land of many mysteries to be discovered through its people.

Togiak Outfitters offers knowledge based cultural tourism opportunities and consultation. Services provided are "custom" to client needs. An outfitter in the wilds and isolation of Alaska provides not only the equipment for the adventure, but the resources and ideas for the direction of the client's adventure. Togiak Outfitters is equipped, knowledgeable and experienced. Togiak Outfitters will let customers know about some of the opportunities and resources that are available and help them put their packages together.

Axel and Kathleen Svenson of Alaska Racing Tours in Metlakatla received $20,000 in funding for ThrillerAlaska's Native Tours.

Alaska Racing Tours is a combination of tourism, culture, and arts & crafts, which, in the summer of 2006, will directly benefit 60 Native Alaskans through employment and sales, and will indirectly benefit hundreds more by delivering 6,000 tourists on scheduled runs to Metlakatla, the only Indian Reserve in Alaska.

Currently only float planes and a ferry serve Metlakatla. However, their schedules and capacity are not the most convenient for tourists. The ThrillerAlaska, the only off-shore race boat on the West Coast, can bring 80 visitors to Metlakatla per day, making the 16-mile run in a jaw-dropping 18 minutes. In Metlakatla, visitors will enjoy traditional Native dancing in the Long House, followed by a snack of local delicacies. They will then walk to the Artists' Pavilion to watch local artists creating art, including carving and jewelry making. Visitors may also purchase Tsimshian art.

Alaska Educational Tours, represented by Jill Wheeler and Tonia Lawrence, received $20,000 in funding.

Alaska Educational Tours (AkEdTours) offers high quality, customized, educational land tours to educators and special interest groups. The company showcases Alaska's unique ecology, cultural heritage and history by immersing educators in rural communities, i.e. "Alaska - off the beaten path."

AkEd clients will travel to rural communities in Southcentral Alaska where they will participate in daily activities with residents and attend workshops facilitated by Alaskan experts and artisans. Additionally, educators will have the opportunity to register for a professional development course through the University of Alaska Anchorage where credit will be earned for creating a teaching unit based on their experiences.

Ulric J. Ulroan of Chevak Bird & Culture Tours was awarded $25,000 in funding, plus a $1000 People's Choice award.

Kashunamiut, or what is today called Chevak, is 135 miles northwest of Bethel, approximately a 55-minute flight on small to medium planes such as Pipers and Cessna's. The snowfall averages 60 inches per year and freeze-up occurs in October with break-up in June. The population is just under 1,000, slightly less than sister village Hooper Bay. Chevak is 10 miles inland from Hooper Bay and 17 miles from the Bering Sea coast. With a maritime climate, Chevak temperatures range from 25 below zero in the winter to 79 in the summer. In collaboration with experienced guide Karla Hart of the Department of Fish and Game and Victor Emmanuel Nature Tours, the Chevak Bird & Culture Tours is in the planning stage for engaging in eco-tourism in a nearby waterfowl nesting region in the summer of 2007. This activity can serve as a gateway to other forms of eco-friendly economic development and improve the quality of life in Chevak.