A newly acquired 150-acre site at the head of Berg Bay sacred to the Huna Tlingit has been protected through a collaborative partnership and added to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Southeast Alaska.
The property encompasses a large portion of Chookanheeni (Grassy River), site of an ancestral Tlingit village and the place of origin of the Chookaneidi Clan, The Conservation Fund and National Park Foundation said in a statement Monday, Sept. 28. The site is one of the tribe’s most revered sites and eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property.
Generations of Huna Tlingit hunted, fished and gathered on the surrounding lands and waters and tribal members retain strong ties to the area.
“The identity of the Huna Tlingit depends on maintaining meaningful connections with Glacier Bay Homeland,” said Bob Starbard, tribal administrator for the Hoonah Indian Association. “Bringing our youth to sacred places like Chookanheeni to harvest fish, to learn our stories, to be part of our history, and to walk with ancestors — that is what sustains our culture. We cannot and must not let that go.”
The site had faced potential development as one of few parcels left within the national park boundary not in federal ownership. When it was listed for sale in 2018 the Hoonah Indian Association and the National Park Service prioritized federal acquisition of the site to protect its cultural values the Berg River, which supports sockeye, Coho and pink salmon. The surrounding lands are important habitat for black and brown bears, moose, wolves, bald eagles and migrating waterfowl.
Phillip Hooge, superintendent of the national park, said that recognizing the importance of the site to the Huna Tlingit and its ecological significance, NPS worked with the Hoonah Indian Association, The Conservation Fund and National Park Foundation to find a conservation solution. The Conservation Fund purchased the land with support from the National Park Foundation and additional private contributions in 2018. NPS acquired the land in September using funds from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Passage of the Great American Outdoors Act in August, an effort supported by Alaska’s congressional delegation, ensured permanent funding for more such projects in the future, according to NPS and The Conservation Fund.
