Since 2007, Klukwan has been participating in RurAL CAP’s Village Planning and Development Initiative. Funded by the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development, the Initiative is a 3-year program designed to provide technical planning assistance to 10 rural communities.

Klukwan is a small, ancient, Alaska Native village positioned on the banks of the Chilkat River in Southeast Alaska. Klukwan is located 22 miles north of Haines, off the Haines Highway. It lies at the junction of the Kleheni and Tsirku Rivers, 100 miles northeast of Juneau. Klukwan is the only inland settlement in Southeast Alaska. The name Klukwan is taken from the Tlingit phrase Tlakw Aan which literally means “Eternal Village”. According to local oral history, Klukwan was originally settled many years ago by a group of Gaanaxteidi (Raven Clan) men and their Kaagwaantaan (Eagle Clan) wives. The village site was chosen because of the rich, natural environment. The culture and people of Klukwan are predominately Tlingit.

On January 9, 2009, Charlene Stern and Janet Hall, Community Planners with RurAL CAP, facilitated a strategic planning meeting in Klukwan. During the meeting, 38 community members explored their collective vision, goals and priorities for the plan. Various members of the community were involved in the process of preparing this plan, including people associated with the tribal government, elders, youth, and other residents of Klukwan. The Chilkat Indian Village directed the planning process. In March, a draft plan was submitted to the community for review.

A primary resource in the development of this plan was the publication, Let Your Assets Be Your Guide: A Handbook for Community Planning, developed by the Rural Alaska Community Action Program in partnership with the Denali Commission. Using this framework, the community considered their vision, goals and priorities for the future. The plan is intended to act as an articulation of the community’s vision, and as a springboard from which more detailed plans may be developed. The Chilkat Indian Village Community Comprehensive Strategic Plan completed in 2002 was also used as a basis for the 2009 plan.

Welcome to the Community Planning Section of the Denali Commission.   During the past several months, there has been lots of planning activity in Chevak, Toksook Bay and Klukwan.  With support from USDA/RD,  RurAL CAP is assisting these and seven other communities to develop, update and implement their community plans.  To date, community plans have been completed for Russian Mission, Chevak and Toksook Bay.  These plans can be found on the State of Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development website at: www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_Results.cfm

In October 2008, a national planning conference was held in Anchorage called, Leading Change: Blending Indigenous and Western Planning Tools.  Over 250 people attended the conference from Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, the lower 48 states and Australia.  Highlights from the conference can be found on the website at www.leadingchange2008.com.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for two upcoming planning events:

·         Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit on Climate Change, April 20-24, 2009 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, Alaska

·         National American Planning Association Conference, April 25-29, 2009 in Minneapolis, Minnesota