Sealaska selected 11 acres in Redoubt Bay, under a provision of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act – 14 (h)(1)c – which allows regional Native corporations to apply for title to historical places and cemetery sites across the state.

Sealaska made the Redoubt selection in 1975, but the formal conveyance took decades.

To the surprise of many, the Sitka Tribe supported Sealaska’s selection. The two organizations signed a management agreement in 2013 spelling out how they would work together, once the transfer was complete.

That’s now happened, and the Tribe’s CEO Lisa Gassman said Sealaska would be back this summer to expand that original agreement.

“They need to acknowledge that the lands that they own under traditional Lingít law, the Kiks.ádi were the true owners of Kunaa and therefore they believe that tribal citizens should be the direct beneficiaries of this land,”said Gassman. “What they have talked about is ensuring that fishing still happens out there. They understand – and that’s why they got this land – was because it was fishing had historically happened out there.”

And fishing is still happening at Redoubt. For over twenty years, the Forest Service has fertilized Redoubt Lake, producing a run of sockeye salmon that typically reaches the tens – and sometimes hundreds – of thousands. Scores of Sitkans take the 17-mile skiff ride to dipnet in Redoubt Falls (and now to set seine nets). Tribal Council member Steve Johnson said the Tribe and Sealaska had to be clear that fishing will continue unimpeded.

“We know that Redoubt is a very important subsistence area to a lot of us,” said Johnson. “And I mean so much food goes into so many freezers in this town from that area, and so we want to make sure that we’re transparent in our dealings with it, and that access and things will be preserved.”

Although continued federal funding for lake fertilization is a question mark, council members assured the assembly that the Forest Service would continue to have an easement to install and operate the weir at the top of the falls. Additionally, council member Lillian Feldpausch noted that Sealaska and the Tribe would keep policies in place, particularly the prohibition against dogs on shore.

Other issues discussed by the Tribal Council and Sitka Assembly:

1. Update on Katlian Ave. sidewalks and the demolition of Daginaa Hit (CBS and STA will cost-share the demolition.
2. Preservation of 203 Kaagwaantaan St.
3. Review of STA’s local legislative priorities.
   • Transfer ownership of old airplane float and submerged lands to Tribe for building expansion.
   • Incorporate AK Native Knowledge Network curriculum into Sitka Schools.
   • Continued cooperative work on housing.
   • 204 Siginaka Way traffic safety (move Eliason Harbor traffic below STA’s parking lot).
   • Improve municipal infrastructure in Sitka Indian Village.
   • STA input on proprosed Lincoln St. improvements.

Urban Bears

The rule about dogs at Redoubt is meant to protect pets against harmful interactions with bears, which are abundant at Redoubt. And they’re abundant back in Sitka as well, and much more active earlier in the season than in past years.

Council member Martha Moses expressed her continued frustration at the wide disparity between the relatively small fines paid by residents cited by the Sitka Police Department for leaving garbage out, and the $320 citations handed down by troopers for illegally feeding wildlife.

Tribal chair Yeidikook’áa said she felt privilege was involved, as many residents simply did not have a garage, or adequate freezer space, to store garbage until collection day.

One bear has already been killed by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game this year in Sitka. The recent record of 14 kills in Sitka was set in 2021. Council member Lillian Feldpausch felt 2025 was off to a bad start.

“When the bear is breaking down a shed, a garage, and if their garbage is secure, what’s next?” she asked. “The house? It’s going to be a bad year. It just feels like a bad bear year.” 

Feldpausch said she respected bears, “but I think we need to be a little more aggressive.”

Council member Lesa Way thought a 24/7 bear-proof dumpster at the transfer station would aid residents like her who want to be responsible about garbage after work hours.

“It would be so nice to have just a dumpster out in front that at five o’clock or at seven o’clock at night, when I’m done (with work) and I’ve got to get rid of garbage, that I could just take it up there,” said Way.

Sitka municipal administrator John Leach liked Way’s idea. He said that the city was already experimenting with bear-proof dumpsters.

“We heard great things about the system they put in place at the Trooper Academy, and that’s why we’re trying the dumpster thing,” said Leach. “We had a couple of those dumpsters available in the harbor system – the roll-off units – so we’re keeping those in a centralized location that hopefully gets the garbage away from the homes. And if the bears try to get into the dumpsters, they’re not going to be able to get into those dumpsters. And we’ll pick those up once a week.”

Leach said staff would monitor the new dumpsters throughout the season, to determine if they are something the city should adopt in the future.

The two governments in Sitka get together for a meal and an informal meeting a couple of times a year. Most recently, two days before the community will be swarmed by cruise passengers.

Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz apologized for what is likely to be a wild start to the visitor season.

“So the goal going forward is to not have 9,000,” said Eisenbeisz. “A week ago, it wasn’t. This port call was added very late in the agenda. So Thursday will be busy. What a way to kick off the season.”

There will be three ships in port on Thursday in Sitka – rather than two – with a total passenger capacity of 9,300. The late-comer is the Nieuw Amsterdam, which notified Sitka’s port director about a week ago that it was making an unscheduled call. Combined, the three ships have several thousand crew, many of whom catch a shuttle for the seven-mile ride into town, and can raise the actual number of visitors into five figures.

Sitka officials at the meeting were wary of a possible citizen initiative that would limit summertime cruise visitation to less than half of last year’s record season. The mayor cautioned the Tribal Council that recent efforts by city hall to establish a Parks & Recreation program, assume responsibility for maintenance of the schools and the Performing Arts Center, and to take over management of the school swimming pool, would all be jeopardized by limiting cruise ship calls.

Mayor Eisenbeisz described a simple trade-off: increased tourism or local amenities.

“I think that’s a choice that community can make,” he said. “The other side of not having buses on your streets, is not having a parks & rec program too.”

Tribal Council member Lillian Feldpausch, however, thought the argument was overstated.

“What is it going to take to be able to run at minimum some of these programs?” she asked. “Because that’s kind of like holding people hostage to say, ‘You don’t have these, you know, we don’t get the funding for these, say goodbye.’

Mayor Eisenbeisz said it was not his intention to hold anyone hostage, and that more work needed to be done on tourism. Rather than impose a season limit, he believed Sitka could better manage a daily limit, and one day a week with no ships at all.

Municipal administrator John Leach said the city was investigating a regional strategy to manage cruise traffic, because if Sitka enforced a day with no ships, the cruise lines would go to other towns, and possibly increase congestion there. He wanted a solution that didn’t involve the courts or a ballot initiative.

“Because when it goes to the ballot box, there’s, there’s legal implications on either side pro or against,” he said, ” and it’s going to affect another community.”

As for the cruise passengers, no one disputes that their arrival will be both an economic and culinary boost. A new food truck offering Hawaiian Doughnuts is parked downtown, along with another specializing in Cuban food. “Welcome back to all the food trucks as well,” the mayor said. “I’m pretty excited about that.”

The Sitka Sac Roe herring fishery is managed by ADF&G and takes place every spring. Historically, the Sitka Assembly has not taken a position on its management. At a meeting in January (01-09-18), the Assembly passed a resolution calling for conservation of Sitka’s herring stock.  (KCAW file photo)

After nearly three hours of testimony and deliberation, the Sitka Assembly gave their official support to the Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s conservation position on the sitka sac roe herring fishery during their regular Tuesday meeting (01-09-18).

Their resolution (Res 2018-01), passed by a 4-2 voted, stated the Assembly shares “STA’s concerns about conserving the Sitka Sound herring stock and protecting the subsistence harvest of herring eggs in Sitka Sound.”

Twenty one Sitkans testified in favor of the resolution out of concern for the forage fish. They fear the collapse of the Sitka Sound herring fishery, as has happened in other communities.

Lillian Feldpausch: You know the herring used to come up in Camden. They’re not there anymore. They used to be up in Chatham, Lynn Canal, Ketchikan.

Matthew Jackson: I’m from Ketchikan, where there’s no longer a viable herring population. I’ve lived in Sitka for the last four years.

Keith Nyitray: I’ve lived in the Kasiana Island group going over 19 years now and over those 19 years, I have witnessed the decline in the spawning population in a very traditional area.

Elsa Sebastian: I grew up in Point Baker, a place that is also now devoid of herring spawn. In fact, when I grew up there, I didn’t even realize as a child that we once had herring that would fill the bay, that would blacken the bay, and that herring eggs would watch up in our beaches.

Jaclyn Cedar: Herring spawned in the back chuck, in the front chuck, and outside in Clarence Straits. Well, herring seining was allowed there – I believe in the late 70s and early 80s. It didn’t take ‘em many years and they annihilated the herring.

Many Sitkans – seven in total – also urged the Assembly to vote the resolution down. Several backed the scientific modeling of Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which indicates the stock has only grown in size. Many argued that limiting the fishery could have negative fiscal impacts on the whole community in the tens of millions of dollars.

Chelsea Goucher: Please allow the Board to do what they do best and maintain neutrality on this issue.

Steve Reifenstuhl: Supporting this will put the Assembly’s fingerprints on a proposal that, if passed by the Board of Fish, will decrease city revenue significantly. Probably over $100,000 in raw fish tax, bed tax, lost electrical receipts, and a huge multiplier effects to our community. In addition, the city will be spending a message to processors and fisherman that you do not support their industry.

Richard Riggs: In the case of the City of Sitka, if those revenues are not realized, it simply broadens the fiscal gap and further exaggerates the fiscal challenges our community and Sitkans are facing.

Wayne Unger: ADF&G is very responsible and professional in how they manage that fishery and they are doing a beautiful job of it in how they manage that fishery, as they do with the other fisheries as well.

Steve Reifenstuhl leads the Southeast Herring Conservation Alliance. Richard Riggs and Wayne Unger work at Silver Bay Seafoods. They are the biggest processor Sitka sac roe herring when the fishery opens.

In the end, the resolution passed, with sponsors Kevin Knox and Aaron Bean voting for, as well as Ben Miyasato  and Richard Wein, who asked, “What would the herring do?”

Mayor Matthew Hunter and Bob Potrzuski voted against, stating that while they fully support Sitka Tribe of Alaska, they didn’t think it appropriate for the Assembly to back proposals before the Board of Fish.

“I have never thought that this was our job,” Potrzuski said. “I appreciate everybody’s testimony and I think it will be great testimony in front of the Board of Fish because they’re going to be able to do something about it.”

Assembly member Steven Eisenbeisz was not in attendance. The Board’s first session on shellfish begins tomorrow and finfish on January 15th.

In other business, the Sitka Assembly also heard a report (The Rand Corporation) from the RAND Corporation about their bid for landslide research funding and from several citizens pushing to raise the legal age of tobacco sales to 21.

City Administrator Keith Brady also informed the Assembly that the city’s public works department did not get the federal permits needed to replace the failing pilings on the O’Connell Dock. As a result, the city will not be able to save money by working with the contractor already in town.

“We’re hoping that our suggestions and the rate study that we get back will us rationalize or justify re-doing the pilings on O’Connell and help re-pay back the work that’s being done out there,” Brady.

The Assembly also passed, on first reading, an alternative allocation method for receiving tax revenue from the state on fish processors.

Ben Miyasato and Lawrence “Woody” Widmark get sworn in at a Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Council meeting on Wednesday (12-2-15). (Photo courtesy of Sitka Tribe of Alaska)

The Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Council swore in two returning members at a meeting Wednesday (12-2-15). But now it’s looking for two more tribal citizens who want to be part of the federally-recognized government body.

Ben Miyasato and Lawrence “Woody” Widmark took the oath to retain their positions. Lillian Feldpausch, who also won a seat in the tribal election last month, declined to take it.

Tribal Council Chairman Mike Baines says Feldpausch works for the Tribe’s social and family services department.

“We have an ordinance that requires if an employee gets elected they have to resign their position with the tribe before they get sworn in and she decided to keep her job,” he said.

There were four open seats for the tribal council. With only three candidates, the final position was going to be decided by write-in votes but there was a tie at the polls. Austin Inman, Harvey Kitka, and Nels Lawson received four votes each, which wasn’t enough to secure a seat on the council. And there was confusion over which Nels Lawson, father or son, was being written in.

The council has until the end of the month to appoint new members. Three people have already expressed their interest – Lisa Wade, Clara Gray, and former Sitka Tribe of Alaska general manager Lisa Gassman.

Baines says the council decided to call for applicants until December 15. Qualified tribal citizens can contact him for consideration by dropping off a letter at 456 Katlian Street or email him at Mike.Baines@SitkaTribe-nsn.gov.

The council will have one new member, Lillian Feldpausch (Feld-pouch), come December. Incumbents Ben Miyasato and Lawrence “Woody” Widmark retained their seats.

The fourth seat was to be decided by write-in votes, but at the polls there was a three-way tie. Austin Inman, Harvey Kitka and Nels Lawson received four votes each, which wasn’t enough to secure a seat on the council. There was also a discrepancy between which Nels Lawson, father or son, was written in.

Tribal council chairman Mike Baines says because there wasn’t a clear winner, the council will appoint someone to fill the fourth seat before the end of December.

The council’s two-year terms are up at the end of this month and policy allows 30 days to fill any vacant seats. Baines says the council will choose someone in the next few weeks.   

The council has gone through some transformation recently. Council member Harry Kitka left the board due to medical reasons and member Clara Gray took over his position. She decided not to run again. Another member, Thomas Gamble, was stripped of his responsibilities.

Feldpausch, Miyasato and Widmark will be sworn in Dec. 2.

Only 85 tribal citizens — out of 1,900 — voted in the Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Council Election on Tuesday (11-10-15). (Photo by Mike Hicks)

The Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Council has three firm members for its four open seats, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s election. The other member, who was to be decided by write-in votes, is still up in the air.

Downloadable audio.

Ben Miyasato and Lawrence “Woody” Widmark were the top vote-getters in the Tribal Council election, with 64 votes each. Lillian Feldpausch (Feld-pouch) also won a seat, with 54 ballots cast.

But, there were four open seats on the council, leaving a write-in candidate the option to become a sitting member  Sitka’s federally-recognized tribal government.

Voters wrote in three different candidates at the polls – Austin Inman, Harvey Kitka and Nels Lawson. Each – by pure coincidence – received four votes, which was below the 10 needed to actually secure a spot as a write-in. To further complicating matters, tribal council Chairman Mike Baines says there’s more than one Nels Lawson in town.

“Some write-ins just said Nels Lawson,” Baines said. “One of them said Jr. and the other one said Sr.”

So, he says, the council is going to have to figure that out before going any further.

“First I’m going to contact the three to find out if they are even interested,” Baines said. “Maybe they’re not even interested I don’t know but nobody has found that out for sure.”

Inman says he was thrown off guard when he heard he was a write-in candidate. He says he hasn’t given any thought to being a member of the board.

Kitka, who resigned from the council this summer due to medical reasons, says that he did not expect any write-in votes either.

“I voted for Nels Lawson,” Kitka said.

The retiree says he would sit on the board if the other candidates were not interested.

KCAW could not reach either Nels Lawson for comment.

Voter turnout for the election was low – about half of the number from last year. Only 85 tribal citizens voted in this election out of 1900 who are eligible to vote.

Miyasato attributes the turnout to the slim field of candidates.

“There was not a whole lot of issues out there this year,” he said.

But, he says, the tribe could have organized more events, such as forums that have been done in the past, to encourage more participation by tribal citizens.

“It’s always good to have a tribal forum because it gives the tribal citizens the opportunity to ask questions,” he said. “We do need more participation we do need to have people show up at elections.”

Miyasato says that even with the small turnout he feels like the voters showed support with what the council is doing.

“I always look at it as validation but at the same time continuation. Being tied with Woody for top vote-getter I think that was a good vote of confidence in regards to how we’re doing on council,” he said.

Baines echoed Miyasato. He says he’s hoping people are satisfied with the way things are going with Sitka Tribe of Alaska.

The tribal council will certify election results at its meeting Nov. 18 and swear in new members on Dec. 2.

(KCAW photo/Rachel Waldholz)

The Sitka Tribe of Alaska is holding elections for tribal council today (11-10-15). Tribal citizens can vote on three candidates for four open seats. Ben Miyasato and Lawrence “Woody” Widmark are up for reelection and former member Lillian Feldpausch is on the ballot again. She lost her seat last year to Bob Sam.

Tribal Council Chairman Mike Baines says the fourth open seat will be decided by write-in votes.

“If somebody wants to get on all they have to do is round up their family and friends to vote for them and they should have a pretty good chance or one of them will,” he said.

The election follows a shake up on the Tribal Council this summer. Council member Harvey Kitka left the board due to medical reasons and member Clara Gray took over his position. Baines says Gray decided not to run again for family and professional reasons.

Another member, Thomas Gamble, has been stripped of his responsibilities for being disruptive at meetings. His term expires at the end of this month.

Polls will be open from 8 in the morning until 8 in the evening at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi. Votes will be tallied immediately after they close. Baines says he hopes that tribal citizens participate.

“I just hope everyone gets out and votes,” he said. “It’s pretty important.”

Tribal citizens must bring identification to vote at the polls.

Of the 1900 tribal citizens eligible to vote, 1800 of which live in Sitka, 174 voted. (KCAW photo/Rachel Waldholz)

Although it’s not a major changing of the guard, the Sitka Tribal Council will see some turnover if the unofficial results of Tuesday’s (11-11-14) election hold up.

With a voter turnout of 174, fewer Tribal Citizens than usual turned out to decide who will control Sitka’s federally-recognized tribal government. 

Downloadable audio.

Mike Baines will return as chairman for another two year term. He earned 104 votes to challenger Cliff Edenshaw’s 61 votes. In the past decade, Baines has seen some promising changes. 

“It almost seemed like the tribe was getting kind of stagnant. Just not setting high goals for increasing income and expanding services. And that’s what I hope to do in the next couple of years.

Tribal citizens also returned Michael Miller and Rachel Moreno to their seats on the council with 125 votes each. Wilbur Brown earned 110 votes.

Moreno also was the top vote-winner two years ago. She said, “It’s just really an honor to be able to serve our people and to be appreciated for it is just such a bonus.”

The candidates for Tribal Council took audience questions last Sunday (11-2-14). The event was organized to encourage voting. (Mike Hicks/KCAW photo)

But not all incumbents fared as well. Council member Lillian Feldpausch lost her seat to Bob Sam by a tiny margin, 106 votes to 109.

“Wow, that’s really close,” said Sam upon learning that he won by three votes. 

Sam put his name forward at the last minute to introduce some competition to an otherwise predictable election.

“Four seats come up and only four people run wasn’t a good thing,” said Sam. “So I’m glad I ran.”

Of the 1900 tribal citizens eligible to vote, 1800 of which live in Sitka, only 174 voted. That includes absentee ballots available two weeks before. The last time Wilbur Brown was elected, voter turnout was over 300.

“It could be taken two ways,” said Brown. “It could be feeling like the Tribal Citizens don’t feel like they have a voice, which I don’t think it is. But also too that they feel confident in the folks that are running and want to keep things status quo.”

In general, Brown believes voter turnout is higher when there’s a hot button issue on the table and that a low turnout does not signal voter apathy. Moreno thinks voters are content.

Moreno said, “Even though that appears to be a low number, when there are contentious topics that come up and people feel very passionately, they will come out and vote. If they feel like there needs to be a change, that’s when they put forth their vote and exercise that power that they have.”

These elections results will not be official until next Wednesday, during the regular Council Meeting. Moreno looks forward to keeping the momentum of the tribe going.

“I just look forward to what we can do and what we can continue to do for them,” said Moreno.

Moreno with fellow candidates for Tribal Council (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

Polls are open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. (KCAW photo/Rachel Waldholz)

It’s been a long election season, but for many Sitkans, there’s one more chance to vote. The Sitka Tribe of Alaska is holding its election today, Tuesday, Nov. 11, to choose a chairman and four council members. We’ve collected our coverage of the candidates, along with their candidate statements, below.

Tribal citizens can vote at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Tribal Chairman

There are two candidates for Tribal Chairman: current chair Michael Baines is running for a second term against Cliff Edenshaw.

Candidate profiles: Michael Baines | Cliff Edenshaw

Candidate statements: Michael Baines

Cliff Edenshaw did not record a candidate statement. 

Tribal Council

Five candidates are running for four seats on the Tribal Council: Wilbur Brown, Lillian Feldpausch, Rachel Moreno, Michael Miller, and Bob Sam.

Candidate profiles: Wilbur Brown | Lillian Feldpausch | Rachel Moreno | Bob Sam

Candidate statements: Wilbur Brown | Rachel Moreno | Bob Sam

Michael Miller did not respond to requests for an interview, and Miller and Lillian Feldpausch did not record candidate statements.

Known during the Assembly race as the candidate “Not Afraid to Say No,” Feldpausch says she also is “willing to learn to adapt.” (KCAW photo/Rachel Waldholz)

Lillian Feldpausch wants to see a tight ship at the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. She believes that if the organization stands by its policies and procedures, better quality service will result for tribal citizens.

Feldpausch is running for her second two-year term on the Sitka Tribe of Alaska Council.

Downloadable audio.

In case you haven’t met her, this is Lillian Feldpausch.

Introduces herself in Tlingit, then she translates.

Feldpausch has three priorities guiding her service on the council.

“One is financial stability. Making sure that we have good foundation so that we can continue to grow. The other is subsistence. Subsistence doesn’t just affect tribal citizens, it affects the community as a whole. And then making sure that we have good, reliable health care.”

The Sitka Tribe has 4,000 enrolled citizens, many of whom reside here. She believes this is a compelling reason to keep the Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital open, and to avoid the further migration of jobs in the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. She calls the phenomenon “Juneau Creep.”

“I’d like to be able to ensure that — and I said it before during my campaign for assembly — I want to keep SEARHC here.”

Feldpausch says that the purpose of tribal government is to make the lives of its citizens better, and health care is critical to that goal. The Tribe experienced few bumps during her first term — there were some financial issues, and high turnover in employees. She thinks the Tribe’s ability to both advocate for citizens, and deliver services, deteriorates when internal problems are a distraction.

“We want to be able to retain qualified staff. And then we also want to make sure that the quality of work that we put out is there, so that we don’t overstress our employees.”

Feldpausch herself has been one of those employees. She worked as a tribal youth program coordinator, and helped launch the Boys & Girls Club. She’s since moved on from the tribe for her paycheck — she works as a personal banker at Wells Fargo now — but her involvement in the organization has deepened since joining the Council in 2012. She chairs the finance committee, and holds seats on the herring and gaming committees. She’s also on the board of Sitka Tribal Enterprises, the Tribe’s commercial arm.

Her own relationship with the Tribe highlights her biggest concern: becoming spread too thin and losing focus on the mission.

“Everyone always comes up with great ideas, but we have to be able to step back and take a look at it, and make sure that the quality of the product that we’re delivering is not affected.”

That product is mainly social services, and resource advocacy and protection. Feldpausch’s husband Jeff runs resource protection for the Tribe. She’s particularly concerned about preserving Sitka’s rural status under federal subsistence rules, and she believes herring are more valuable to the ecosystem in the water than in nets.

It’s a tough line, but Feldpausch says disagreements — especially on the council — create movement.

“Not everyone needs to agree. That’s where we learn — from differences.”

Feldpausch is familiar even to Sitka residents who are not tribal citizens. She ran in October’s assembly race and finished 4th with 525 votes. She says people occasionally approach her and remind her of their vote, and “it doesn’t go unnoticed.”

She also says people remember her unofficial campaign slogan, but they might not have heard the rest.

“Of course I’m Not Afraid to Say No — we all know that — but I’m also willing to learn to adapt.”

Feldpausch was raised in Kake, but started her family in Sitka and now calls this town home. She and her husband have three children. Only the youngest is still in the local school system.

KCAW’s Emily Kwong contributed to this story.