Sustaining Community
Description:
We are Shaped by the Land and Sea

"We care for the land because we are a part of it."
- Pam Leask, Ketchikan Resident

The land and sea shape the way we live, creating a profound sense of identity. There are certain shared experiences that connect us, the necessary ferry trip to the airport on nearby Gravina Island, the sound of floatplanes buzzing low overhead, and the fish in our freezers. Residents have an engrained sense of identity based on our neighborhood or even if we live north or south of town.

Ketchikan calls itself "The Salmon Capital of the World," and it certainly has the look of a bustling fishing town. During the fishing season, charter boats, seiners, and trollers shoulder close to one another at the city docks. Cruise ships arrive bringing an influx of visitors. Summer tourism along with the fishing industry, brings the "seasonals," who come for temporary jobs and sometimes decide to make this place home.

Regardless of the season, Ketchikan is a town of gatherers. We gather to sustain our ourselves and our lifestyles. We gather foods and resources to fill our pantries, maintain connections with our ancestors, create our art, and build our futures.

We gather because we can and our island provides us with the opportunities to do so.


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We are Shaped by the Land and Sea
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