Native Village of Port Lions

Departments

Environmental Department

In 2000, the Native Village of Port Lions successfully negotiated a USEPA Indian General Assistance Program (IGAP) grant, and our Environmental Department was created to strengthen and build management capacity for addressing local environmental issues.

We’ve made significant progress in many areas, including solid-waste management, recycling, scrap metal, water quality, Freon removal, oil-spill response, indoor-air quality, outdoor-air quality, and community education and outreach activities.

The Environmental Department will continue to identify and plan cost-effective management for local environmental issues. We will increase our ability to facilitate a recycling program for our community and will continue to develop partnerships with other organizations and work closely with local youth to improve our education and outreach program.

Read more.

Transportation Department

The goal of the Transportation Department is to seek funding to conduct maintenance and construction projects on our roads that are currently in the Indian Reservation roads inventory.

To receive funding, we must update our Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Reservation Roads Inventory yearly. The inventory identifies which routes are our public roads. The routes can include: bridges, trails, future roads, scenic byways, bicycle trails and more. We currently have 22 routes on our inventory and are ready to add more.

In 2008, the community made a priority list of the order in which it would like to see construction projects done on specific routes.

We generate IRR funds based on the routes we currently have in our inventory. The amount of funds per route and year is based on many characteristics of that route. Length, width, surface type, pot holes, housing units and traffic counts are just some of the criteria at which the BIA looks to determine the amount of funding each route will receive.

Family Services ICWA

We are all responsible for the health, safety and wellbeing of Port Lions’ children.

Help is available. If you or a child you know needs help with a negative home life, please contact the Native Village of Port Lions Tribal Family Services Coordinator here. It’s confidential.

Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) policy

Congress declares it is the policy of the nation to protect the best interests of Indian children and to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families by the establishment of minimum federal standards for the removal of Indian children from their families and placement of such children in foster or adopted homes that reflect the unique values of Indian culture, and by providing assistance to Indian tribes in the operation of child and family services programs.

This confidential service is available through the Native Village of Port Lions under the Tribal Family Services Coordinator.

Agriculture

In 2015, the Native Village of Port Lions partnered with the Kodiak Archipelago Leadership Institute and three other rural communities on Kodiak Island (Ouzinkie, Old Harbor and Larsen Bay) to apply for an Administration for Native Americans – Social and Economic Development Strategies (ANA SEDS) Grant.

Upon award of the grant, the Native Village of Port Lions and community volunteers began to envision, design and construct the Port Lions Farm. High-tunnel-hoop houses with raised garden beds will be used to house a variety of crops, including fruit trees and outdoor, tiered garden beds and several potato towers. Currently, the farm is home to 45 Americana and sex-link chickens and six heritage turkeys.

By the end of the three-year grant cycle, the goal is to have established local access to affordable, fresh produce and eggs while providing for increased long-term economic stability through tribally owned and operated food production.

The Alutiiq Language

Documenting and preserving the northern dialect of the Alutiiq language is crucial to our heritage. Through digital and video recordings of Port Lions Alutiiq speakers, research and interviews with Elders, we are working to transcribe and appropriately archive our language. A collection of our materials will be replicated and distributed to partnering agencies.

The Alutiiq Language Preservation Project strives to create instructional programs designed to benefit different learning styles. As the project develops, we’ll provide more information on how you can get involved in the preservation of this important piece of our cultural identity.