A preliminary investigation of the lichen biota associated with recently deglaciated terrain in southeastern Alaska

Glaciers worldwide are currently retreating at unprecedented rates, revealing large tracts of newly exposed rock and till. We present the results of a preliminary, qualitative investigation of the lichen diversity of transient habitats near three glaciers in southeastern Alaska: Muir Glacier within Glacier Bay National Park, and Baird and Patterson Glaciers in the Tongass National Forest. This work is noteworthy as it (i) documents previously undescribed lichen species and communities within rapidly changing glacier habitats, (ii) illustrates the importance of cryptogams (lichens, bryophytes, algae, and cyanobacteria) in the primary colonization of recently deglaciated terrain, (iii) sets apart the lichen biota of recently deglaciated terrain in southeastern Alaska from that of other glacial regions worldwide (e.g., the European Alps, Svalbard, and southern South America) and even other parts of Alaska (e.g., Brooks Range), and (iv) emphasizes the importance of more lichen studies that focus on this rapidly changing habitat. The lichen biotas found at different successional stages near these glaciers are described and compared. The role of lichens and other cryptogams in post-glacial vegetation initiation, the threats to the lichen biota, and suggestions for the possible origins of the lichen propagules that colonize these newly exposed surfaces are also discussed.

Tlingit geographies of hope: Clan, corporation, and sustainable economies of place

The essay argues that geographies of hope for Tlingit communities in Southeast Alaska begin with a strong sense of place, both social and geographic. In Tlingit, the matrilineal clan—the repository of heritage, identity, and property—constitutes the collective, animate source of resilience, hope, and renewal. We examine the ways in which clans continue to operate as institutions of hope and destiny, especially through the memorial ku.éex’ or “potlatch,” a ritual of restoration and replacement. This ritual is thriving in the 21st century despite no external funding or recognition from the state. It is a wholly Tlingit institution built on socio-geographic values of sustainment of the matrilineal clan as an immortal being. What remains to be re-animated, however, is clan territory. Most Tlingit territory has been appropriated by the Tongass National Forest and Federal and Alaska state waters. Native corporations hold about 2% of the Southeast Alaska land base, and clans hold nothing except, in some cases, recognition of their historical association with particular historic sites and territories. The reinvigoration of cartography with Tlingit place names is a step toward furthering recognition of clans’ historical and contemporary ties to places in a tangible and hopeful way. Yet, culture needs a material base, and mere recognition of traditional toponyms will not be enough. Many clans seek a more substantive livelihood relationships with and custodial role over their territories, not only as sacred properties but as sources of sustainment, strength, and well-being. This requires new thinking on the part of indigenous economic institutions, like Alaska Native business corporations, along the lines of a traditional (Tlingit clan) “house,” an economic unit in the spirit of the original Greek term for economy, oikos (“house”). The integrated restoration of sociocultural, economic, and geographic sources of collective well-being will further enliven Tlingit geographies of hope.