Food Preservation/Agriculture

Food Preservation promotes self-sufficiency and improves the diets of Alaska Natives by planting vegetable starts, testing and modifying soil to increase yield, and providing on-site gardening assistance. The program also provides financial support to Camp Sivunnigvik and teaches food preservation classes in salting and pickling fish and jam making with fresh berries.

Housing Improvement

The Housing Improvement Program (HIP) provides renovation of substandard housing and construction of new housing for eligible applicants with the greatest need, using the guidelines provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and their selection criteria.

Realty

The Realty program provides information, counseling, and other assistance to Alaska Natives concerning pending Native Allotment claims, forest management, general land management, property rights, probate matter, and wills.

Rights Protection

This program protects the rights of individuals who own restricted lands, such as Native Allotments and town site lots, within the Northwest Arctic Borough. Rights Protection activities include preparation of reports for trespass damage claims and field investigation of alleged boundary conflicts.

Subsistence

The Subsistence program preserves the subsistence rights of Native Alaskans in the Northwest Arctic Borough. The program works closely with local hunters, who provide fresh samples of fish and game for contamination testing. The office provides copiesof current hunting and fishing laws and regulations, upon request.

Traditional Foods

Traditional Foods provides supplemental fish and game to elders aged sixty and over in Kotzebue. Through the Hunter Support agreement, the program also provides support funds for tribal governments to enable local volunteers to purchase ammunition, gas, and oil to hunt for village elders who are no longer able to harvest traditional foods on their own.

Tribal Environmental Protection

Started in 1997 with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this program provides technical assistance to tribal governments to identify, assess, and monitor environmental issues. Tribal Environmental Protection also works extensively to educate and promote ownership, responsibility, and prevention to community members, and have developed regional training sessions in the villages.