GSS Welcomes Alaska Staff
GSS has entered a new era by employing its first staff in the 49th state, Alaska!
GSS is excited to share the news of its partnership with the Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC). The partnership is centered on the creation of updated wetland maps for the National Wetland Inventory (NWI) but also includes creating opportunities for BBNC shareholders and residents of the region to be involved with some of the work being done in the area. The first of these opportunities has resulted in GSS hiring two staff members who will work remotely from Anchorage, Alaska.
BBNC is one of twelve Native Corporations formed in 1971 when the U.S. Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). ANCSA divided Alaska into 12 geographic regions. Alaska Natives then organized a “Regional Corporation” for each region. These Corporations provide a means by which Alaska Natives can derive economic benefits from their natural resources as well as manage and protect them. Native corporations are the largest private landowners in Alaska, with over 44 million acres of selected land in Alaska.
GSS, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), and BBNC are undertaking wetland mapping for the National Wetland Inventory, as well as creating community outreach and engagement opportunities. To that end, GSS has brought on two regional staff members, Chad Woods and Larissa Kramer.
Chad and Larissa are both from the Bristol Bay region of southwest Alaska and have worked with the BBNC on past projects and tasks important to the region. Chad is a recent graduate of the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) with a degree in Geology and Larissa is completing her degree from UAA this spring.
“Not only are we excited to have Chad and Larissa join us as staff to complete an important project, but they both will bring regional and local landscape knowledge to the project. Chad and Larissa also represent an example of how GSS can work in unique situations and include local stakeholders in our important work.” -Andrew Robertson, Executive Director of GSS
As staff members of GSS, Chad and Larissa also join the Saint Mary’s University (SMU) community, though they will work remotely from Anchorage, Alaska where the BBNC has its corporation’s headquarters. They join a mapping team already in place for the Bristol Bay area, headed by GIS Analyst Katie Engelmann. Katie has been with GSS for 4 years and has significant experience working in Alaska and with remote staff from our Twin Cities office.
“I am very excited for Chad and Larissa to become members of our team and look forward to their contributions. We’re even hoping to see them in person this summer as we travel to Alaska again.” -Katie Engelmann
As in past years, GSS will have numerous staff traveling to areas around the U.S. for fieldwork related to projects, and Engelmann will be working in the Bristol Bay region along with GSS’s Kathy Allen. They are hoping to welcome Chad and Larissa in-person at that time.
Recently, GSS’s Project Manager Eric Lindquist traveled to Anchorage to deliver equipment and training to the new staff members, while also meeting others from the BBNC. GSS has experience with remote staff, having thrived through the coronavirus pandemic as well as implementing part-time work-from-home opportunities for its Winona staff. GSS has continued its success in the world of GIS, remote sensing, and natural resource analysis, as well as managing a staff of over 100 (currently 45 full-time and 55-60 students) and the management of extensive data holdings while adding the ability to work remotely.
Another aspect of GSS’s work in the area is inventory and analysis of the controversial proposed Pebble Mine, located in the Bristol Bay region. The proposed open-pit gold and copper mine would sit in the headwaters of the Bristol Bay salmon fishery, the largest natural salmon stock remaining in the world. There is concern that the mine construction and operation would jeopardize water quality in the region, with potential impacts on the long-term viability of the fishery. GSS is currently working to map and understand hydrologic connectivity between the proposed mine site and downstream salmon habitat.
The BBNC project is slated for completion in 2026, but GSS is hoping the connections and employment can expand and last long after this project.
