Environmental DNA (edna), or the DNA shed from an organism and detected within the environment (water, soil, air), is a powerful tool for empowering indigenous monitoring and management of…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) awarded the Chilkoot Indian Association (CIA) a $376,034 Project Grant under the Tribal Wildlife Grants (CFDA 15.639) program. The funding will support the establishment of an environmental laboratory in Haines, Alaska to expand the CIA's environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring capabilities for tribally important fish and wildlife populations in Southeast Alaska. The project aims to build tribal capacity to monitor culturally and traditionally significant species using eDNA techniques, which have been successfully demonstrated by the CIA in previous initiatives. The laboratory will serve as a resource for other Alaskan tribes to utilize for eDNA sample processing and analysis. The grant award has a period of performance from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026.

Environmental DNA (edna), or the DNA shed from an organism and detected within the environment (water, soil, air), is a powerful tool for empowering indigenous monitoring and management of culturally and traditionally important fish and wildlife populations. The chilkoot indian association (CIA) has been a regional leader in integrating edna into fisheries monitoring initiatives since 2014 within southeast alaska. CIA has successfully demonstrated the relationship between edna concentrations and important fisheries populations in various contexts and continues to expand its edna monitoring programs. The ever-growing number of edna samples collected annually, additional target species of interest, and interest in investigating additional population-level genetic questions has led CIA to identify the need of establishing our own environmental laboratory here in deish to support cias edna monitoring efforts and be a resource for tribes throughout alaska to utilize for edna sample processing. In partnership with the US fish wildlife service tribal wildlife grant initiative, CIA proposes to build tribal capacity to monitor tribally important fish and wildlife populations using edna through the establishment of an environmental lab in deish, alaska (present-day haines, alaska).