RSS 1.0University of Alaska Anchorage
Mission: The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) transforms lives through teaching, research, community engagement and creative expression in a diverse and inclusive environment. Serving students, the state, and the communities of Southcentral Alaska, UAA is a comprehensive, open access, public university established on the ancestral lands of the Dena’ina, Ahtna, Alutiiq/Sugpiaq, and Eyak/dAXunhyuu Peoples. Vision: We are known as a university of distinction, transforming lives and communities. Aspirations: We put students first. We create a culture of equity and inclusion by embracing our diversity. We embrace our role as a trusted and respected community partner. We positively impact communities and the world through innovation. We accelerate excellence through continuous improvement.
Sub-communities within this community
Recent Submissions
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The effects of winter street treatment on Chester Creek Water Quality During Snow Melt EventsWater quality parameters for temperature, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity and ion activity for calcium, chloride, and magnesium were measured during a period of five winters at eight locations along Chester Creek that flows from the Chugach Mountains east of the Municipality of Anchorage through the Municipality to the west into Knik Arm. The goal of the project was to identify the impact of meltwater on water quality due to common winter street treatments. Each year had its unique conditions. Melt events occurred when air temperature reached above freezing which were sometimes accompanied by rain events that enhanced snowmelt. Melt events throughout the season varied between four and nine with no considerable trend over the duration of the project. Maximum snowpack due to record snowfall occurred in winter 2022/2023 and 2023/2024. Electrical conductivity, which measured the total ion concentration in the water, and turbidity, which measured the concentration of particles, showed the major impact on water quality during melt events. Both parameters can be related to street treatments with salt/deicer and sand/gravel which are used on streets, parking lots, and walkways to reduce hazardous conditions, and both parameters generally increase from the east to the west as the creek runs through the Municipality. The highest electrical conductivity and turbidity were measured in the Middle Fork of Chester Creek at the Northern Lights location and directly in storm drainages at the Seward Highway location. The electrical conductivity correlated well with chloride concentration--a major compound of deicing agents and salts. This supports the assumption that the increase in electrical conductivity is due to street treatments. The total amount of ions, derived from electrical conductivity, is related to the area of each sub basin upstream from each sampling location, and indicates that the sub basin of the Seward Highway sampling location contributes fewer total ions to the creek per sub basin area than other sub basins. Comparing the measured values to water quality standards for aquatic life and propagation (18 AAC 70 Water Quality Standards, March 2020), the electrical conductivity should not exceed 1,500 µS/cm, and this value was only exceeded once on March 26, 2021 in the Middle Fork. Turbidity should not exceed background values by more than 10%. Background values for the sampling locations derived from times before freezing and in the absence of rain range from 0.7 to 5.17 NTU from east to west. Values measured during melt events and summer rain events frequently exceeded this water quality standard.
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Alaska aviation weather infrastructure: outage patterns and strategic prioritizationAlaska is the most aviation dependent state in the United States of America, with almost a quarter of the population and the majority of named communities lying off of the limited road system. The importance of reliable aviation transportation, and the infrastructure underlying these networks, is paramount for these communities. However, the vast distances, remoteness, and rugged environments that make aviation so critical also make maintaining aviation infrastructure particularly challenging. The goal of this report is to serve as a reference document for mapping outages in a subset of core aviation infrastructure – aviation weather stations. We have gathered what we believe is a complete outage history of the 151 “Automated Weather Observation Stations” (AWOS) and “Automated Surface Observation Stations” (ASOS) units in the state from primary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Weather Service (NWS) outage records over the period of January 2019 to November 2023. We map these outages over space and time and link them to the key hub-and-spoke aviation supply chain networks in the state (e.g. USPS Bypass Mail). By linking infrastructure performance to the populations of communities served, we underscore the protracted impact of AWOS and ASOS outages on Alaska’s remote and predominantly Native populations in off-road communities. This analysis should help policymakers in this critical period of investment prioritization, following injections of capital investment funding from the Don Young Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative (DYAASI) within the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Bill. We conclude by outlining key ongoing extensions of this analysis, with direct hypotheses to be tested.
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Alaska aviation weather infrastructure: outage patterns and strategic prioritizationAlaska is the most aviation dependent state in the United States of America, with almost a quarter of the population and the majority of named communities lying off of the limited road system. The importance of reliable aviation transportation, and the infrastructure underlying these networks, is paramount for these communities. However, the vast distances, remoteness, and rugged environments that make aviation so critical also make maintaining aviation infrastructure particularly challenging. The goal of this report is to serve as a reference document for mapping outages in a subset of core aviation infrastructure – aviation weather stations. We have gathered what we believe is a complete outage history of the 151 “Automated Weather Observation Stations” (AWOS) and “Automated Surface Observation Stations” (ASOS) units in the state from primary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Weather Service (NWS) outage records over the period of January 2019 to November 2023. By mapping them over space and time, and linking to the key hub-and-spoke aviation supply chain networks in the state (e.g. USPS Bypass Mail) and well as populations of communities served, we underscore the protracted impact of infrastructure outages on Alaska’s remote and predominantly Native populations in off-road communities. This analysis should help policymakers in this critical period of investment prioritization, following injections of capital investment funding from the Don Young Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative (DYAASI) within the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Bill. We conclude by outlining key ongoing extensions of this analysis, with direct hypotheses to be tested.
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Dual enrollment at the University of Alaska, 2018-2024This paper details trends in dual enrollment participation and student outcomes at the University of Alaska.
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Alaska’s transportation workforce detours: Maximizing training opportunities and outcomes in DOT&PF’s key industriesCommissioned by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities in fall 2023, this report examines Alaska’s workforce in nine priority construction occupations, including laborers, carpenters, electricians, and truck drivers. The study aimed to assess current workforce characteristics, forecast growth, and explore strategies to increase participation by underrepresented groups such as women, people of color, and rural residents. Using interviews, surveys, labor data, and public datasets, the report presents detailed industry profiles that cover job nature, wages, workforce demographics, growth projections, training availability, and recruitment challenges. Key findings show that Alaska’s construction workforce is aging, with significant shortages projected across all priority occupations - particularly for truck drivers and operating engineers. Women represent a small fraction of the workforce, though training programs report higher female enrollment than current field representation. Rural and minority student participation remains low. Common challenges cited by employers include worker shortages, lack of skills, competition, and limited rural workforce availability. The report outlines crosscutting strategies to grow the workforce: expanding accessible training, targeted outreach, improving job value and retention, building partnerships, offering competitive compensation, and providing support services such as travel, housing, and childcare.
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Alaska’s Type M teacher workforce: An overviewThis policy brief gives an overview of Alaska’s Type M teacher workforce with information about the demographics, teaching assignments, and retention rates of Type M teachers. The paper discusses the state policies around teacher certification, and considers the implications and limitations of the Type M certificate in the context of teacher retention and representation.
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Alaska educator survey: Instrument development reportThis report details the survey development methodology for a statewide survey of in-service K-12 educators in Alaska. It describes the comprehensive literature review, document analysis, shareholder listening sessions, and cognitive interviewing activities that went into survey development.
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Nourishing Motherhood: A Self-Paced Online Nutrition Curriculum For Women to Support Mental Well-Being and Optimize health During Pregnancy and Post BirthPostpartum depression (PPD) is a major public health burden, affecting approximately one in seven women and contributing to numerous adverse outcomes that include poor maternal-infant bonds, failure of breastfeeding, negative parenting practices, and marital discord. Nutrition has been increasingly recognized as a modifiable risk factor in the prevention and management of depressive symptoms, yet nutrition education remains underutilized in perinatal care. This project aimed to develop an accessible, evidence-based online nutrition curriculum designed for women from preconception through the postpartum period. The curriculum comprises five evidence-based modules rooted in Social Cognitive Theory to promote learner engagement, self-efficacy, and sustained behavior change. A targeted needs assessment conducted as part of a previous graduate project via social media identified a high demand for accessible, trustworthy, and practical nutrition guidance, particularly in the areas of postpartum recovery, breastfeeding support, and self-care. Designed to overcome barriers such as geographic location, time constraints, and limited access to providers, this curriculum offers an accessible and relevant resource that empowers women with the knowledge and tools to support their physical and mental well-being. By addressing the nutritional dimensions of maternal health, it is the hope that this project will contribute meaningfully to efforts aimed at reducing the incidence of PPD throughout Alaska and across the country.
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Schizophrenia Care Among People Experiencing Homelessness in the Matanuska Susitna BoroughSchizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that often manifests in early adulthood (Jauhar et al., 2022). Positive symptoms include reality distortions, disordered thinking, hallucinations, or delusions; while negative symptoms are seen in an individual’s lack of motivation and expression (Jauhar et al., 2022; Norris, 2019). Cognitive deficits are also a clinical feature (Harvey et al., 2022; Jauhar et al., 2022). Schizophrenia affects an estimated 0.3 – 1.6% of the United States population (Finnerty et al., 2024). Most recent data from Alaska reveals 1,664 Alaskans live with schizophrenia (Heun-Johnson et al., 2019). Despite the small percentage of the population with a diagnosis, these individuals have a disproportionately high burden of disease. Patients with schizophrenia are hospitalized at a higher rate than those with other severe mental health disorders and their stay is longer and more costly (Heun-Johnson et al., 2019). The burden of the disease is also felt as a loss of productivity, as patients may be unable to maintain employment, need significant support from caregivers, and have shorter lives (Heun-Johnson et al., 2019; Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance, 2021). Many people with schizophrenia live independently, but others are unhoused, live in care facilities, or are incarcerated, which adds to disease burden (Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance, 2021). The current standard of care for schizophrenia involves pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches. Antipsychotic medications are the cornerstone, although common side effects complicate adherence to treatment, including obesity, metabolic disturbances, or tardive dyskinesia (Rubio & Kane, 2022). Pharmacologic treatment reduces the symptoms of schizophrenia, and accompanying non-pharmacologic interventions can improve quality of life (McDonaugh et al., 2017). Early detection and treatment lead to a better long-term prognosis (Crawford & Go, 2022, Lin & Lane, 2019). The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) gathered approaches to managing schizophrenia into a package called coordinated specialty care (CSC) (NIMH, 2023). CSC is based on early intervention and an individualized treatment plan that provides medication management, cognitive behavioral therapy, family support, case management, employment support, and psychoeducation (NIMH, 2023). This approach is also reflected in the most recent practice guideline from the American Psychiatric Association. This guideline includes recommendations related to initial assessment, the use of antipsychotic medication, CSC programs, cognitive behavioral therapy, assertive community treatment for patients with histories of poor adherence or relapse, as well as employment, social skills, family, and cognitive support (Keepers et al., 2021).
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Deer Lady: Evil Temptress, Tragic Victim, or Ghost of Indigenous Femininity?“Deer Lady” (2023) is the third episode in the third and final season of the FX on Hulu dramedy series, Reservation Dogs. The show features an almost entirely Indigenous cast and crew. This includes creators Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the director of this particular episode, Danis Goulet, actors D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, who plays Bear, and Kaniehtiio Horn, who plays Deer Lady. According to an interview for NPR, showrunner Sterlin Harjo is of Seminole and Muscogee heritage, and grew up in rural Oklahoma, where the show is set (Harjo interview). A large driving force behind the creation of the show was to provide realistic representations of Indigenous Americans in popular media. “Deer Lady” uses Indigenous folklore to shed light on a piece of American History in a way that is both shocking, and devastatingly relatable. Thus humanizing the experiences of Indigenous people in the United States. I will be delving into some of the inconsistencies in traditional Deer Lady/Woman stories. This involves exploring the connotation that folklore may have been influenced by colonization, and how that could be contributing to the violence against Indigenous women that persists today.
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Violence Towards EMSThis factsheet examines violence towards Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responders as documented in existing research literature, tying into Alaska's Crisis Response Team models.
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Intimate Partner Technology-Facilitated Abuse (TFA): Technological Tools and TacticsThis fact sheet provides a brief overview of the technological tools and associated behavioral tactics used to facilitate abuse against intimate partners, as documented in the research literature.
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Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Food Security in Ketchikan AlaskaKetchikan, Alaska is Alaska's First City and is famously known as the Salmon Capital of the world. Ketchikan is Lingít Aaní, the ancestral land of the Taantʼá Ḵwáan and Saanya Ḵwáan people of Revillagigedo Island.1 Ketchikan Gateway Borough is home to 13,754 residents.2 Being located on an island presents unique challenges to the residents regarding food security. Food that is not harvested or grown locally is shipped via barge from Seattle, WA. Limited published research exists regarding food security in Alaska, and primary research on food security in Ketchikan is nonexistent. The goal of this study is to analyze food insecurity and related variables in Ketchikan, AK. The study’s objectives are to measure food insecurity using results from an online survey, identify the most prevalent perceived barriers and facilitators to food security, and determine potential associations between food security status and barriers/facilitators to food security in Ketchikan, AK. This study utilized a retrospective (the past 12 months) cross-sectional study design to ascertain perceived barriers and facilitators to food security in Ketchikan, Alaska. A one-time, electronic survey was made available on Qualtrics and advertised via flyers, social media, and tables at a grocery store. Chi-square analyses were used to determine significant (p < 0.05) associations between food security status and perceived barriers and facilitators. The total sample analyzed was 108 Ketchikan residents. A significant relationship was found between food security status and access to transportation, sufficient money, the availability of meat, avoiding the grocery store: not due to COVID-19, receiving food from food bank, etc. and expense of food.
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Positive behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) Data SystemsThe Anchorage Schools District (ASD), a large and diverse educational system, currently operates without standardized systems, tools and training for effectively capturing and analyzing student data. This limitation, coupled with reliance on outdated disciplinary practices, has resulted in a predominantly reactive organizational approach. Through the successful implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework to PreK- 12+ students at all Anchorage School District (ASD) school sites, this project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an optimized documentation process within the district. This evidence-based, tiered framework supports students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health, which has been proven to improve social-emotional competence, academic success, and school climate. It also improves the health and well-being of teachers and school-based staff. The Anchorage School District (ASD) is using a cohort-based approach to implement district-wide updates across all existing systems. The primary focus of the project is to implement the updates and analyze their outcomes. The proposed changes to the existing data systems target the reliability and efficiency of behavior data. This, in turn, facilitates thorough analysis and informed decision-making to proactively enhance to the overall learning environment.
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Analyzing the Effectiveness of Maritime Policy for the Management of Increasing Rates of Vessel Traffic in the Bering StraitThe Arctic is changing at a rapid pace, affecting virtually every aspect of life in the region, with major changes to sea ice, permafrost, and traditional lifestyles. These changes, in conjunction with globalization, have led to a rise in interest in the Arctic and accessing its resources. One considerable facet of accessing the Arctic is via maritime activity, with shorter transport times between Asia and Europe, fishing valuable stocks, and access to offshore oil and gas deposits. As countries such as Russia and China are intent on developing the Arctic and commercializing maritime trade routes, many living in the region are contending with the unintended impacts from increased maritime activity that may occur, threatening food and environmental security. While interest in the region is occurring across the Arctic, effects from increased maritime activity are already being felt in the Bering Strait region of Western Alaska, with decreases in multi-year sea ice important for subsistence and natural infrastructure, changes to migratory patterns of several marine species, and occurrences of pollution from vessels (Tsujii et al. 2021; NSIDC 2023; Raymond-Yakoubian and Daniel 2018; Hartsig et al. 2012). The impacts on food and environmental security are likely to be amplified within the Bering Strait due to its unique geography and ecosystem, serving as a migration corridor for many marine species, and as a natural bottleneck for anthropogenic activity, with a mere 50 nautical miles at its narrowest point and the Diomede Islands situated in the middle of the strait (Hartsig et al. 2012). Furthermore, the Bering Strait is the only connection between the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. With the heightened risk for negative impacts to the communities living within the Bering Strait region—such as various types of pollution from maritime activity, ship strikes (either to marine mammals or sea ice) and spread of invasive species—all affecting traditional subsistence lifestyles, a new policy to protect the Bering Strait is needed. Thus, the main objective of this study is to evaluate policy options that could mitigate the impacts of increasing vessel traffic through the Bering Strait. A maritime traffic management plan can be determined by analyzing how vessels behave in response to current policy. To best simulate the potential traffic the Bering Strait could receive as a part of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and the Northwest Passage (NWP), as well as the theoretical Transpolar Route, policy applicable to the Aleutian Archipelago (along the North Pacific Great Circle Route) is analyzed in addition to the current conditions of the Bering Strait. The policies analyzed within this study include the International Maritime Organization’s ‘Areas to be Avoided’(ATBA) and the United States Coast Guard ‘Alternative Planning Criteria’ (APC, through the Aleutian ATBAs). Analysis of vessel tracklines was performed with spatial software and tabulated data with statistical software. To analyze the ATBA policy for both the Aleutian Chain and Bering Strait, a spatio-temporal Hotspot Analysis was used to investigate pattern shifts in vessel traffic over the 2015 to 2022 dataset. To further analyze the behavior of vessels transiting through waters containing ATBAs, two additional analyses were conducted. For the APC policy and the Aleutian Archipelago ATBAs, email communication between vessel operators and the Marine Exchange of Alaska (MXAK) was analyzed, and information was categorized, such as weather, the type of email exchange, and the overall receptiveness to being contacted. To investigate whether port calls influenced adherence to the ATBAs, vessel traffic along Western Alaska was tabulated by season for the traffic docking at a community. From the analysis, three main findings emerged: (1) vessel behavior is impacted by the ATBA implementation for each respective region, (2) various factors, including weather and community access, continue to influence vessel behavior, and (3) communication from a third-party organization (in this study, MXAK) impacts adherence to the ATBA policy. As policy has influenced vessel behavior in both the Aleutian Archipelago and the Bering Strait region in the past, policy alternatives to manage increased maritime activity within the Bering Strait region can be useful to prevent negative impacts of vessel activity to Western Alaska communities. Using a modified Political, Economic, Social, Technological Analysis (in this analysis Environmental and Legal components were utilized), in conjunction with a Comparative Analysis, policy alternatives were examined for the best option given the current conditions (geopolitical, legal) that the Bering Strait stakeholders face. From the policy analyses conducted, the recommendation for managing increasing rates of maritime activity is to create a voluntary vessel monitoring system with open enrollment by any vessel with the Bering Strait that can provide weather advisories, warn of subsistence activities, and inform of areas to be avoided and other existing policies. Due to this voluntary nature, the vessel monitoring system can transcend both geopolitical tensions between Russia and the United States. Additionally, this policy alternative provides a way for mariners to be aware of any subsistence activities in the region. Upon further increases in maritime activity within the Bering Strait, it will be essential to revisit current policy for effectiveness, as well as include the participation and concerns of the communities located within the Bering Strait Region.
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Valor: Villains, Creatures and Foes - A Tabletop Roleplaying Game Expansion and a Methodology for Planning and Managing Tabletop Roleplaying Game ProjectsValorous Games, an independent developer and producer of Tabletop Roleplaying Games (or TTRPGs), has successfully executed three book development projects over the past seven years (the third project being a reprint and update of their first book), in addition to smaller ancillary projects. In 2023, it was determined that rescoping and restarting their third book, Valor: Villains, Creatures and Foes, would better align with future goals for the company and its proprietor. Initial research showed that little to no academic material exists for study of Project Management (or PM) in the context of the Tabletop Role-Playing Game hobby; thus, it was determined that the project scope would be extended to include building of genericized Project Management resources to aid organization of similar projects, as a start point for academic material around management of TTRPG development projects. The project phases covered by this thesis focused on development of the book’s manuscript alongside PM materials for the project, then genericization of the PM materials for use as a reference for similar projects as a start point for PM skill development for TTRPG writers – or TTRPG development for PM practitoners.
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Application of Project Management to Develop a Multifunctional Wheelchair Mount in the Non-Profit SectorThere are currently few commercially available multi-function accessory mounts for electric wheelchairs that are practical for high-level quadriplegics. Consequently, an individual user must design and create one for themselves, an undertaking that requires significant resources in the form of expertise, time, and money. Wes Price, a quadriplegic, has developed a concept mount for operating a hunting rifle. This project optimized the proof-of-concept by building a prototype and completing a design that can be offered to the public. The primary tasks and deliverables of this project include: 1) Research and develop improvements to the proof-of-concept and prototype 2) Fabricate prototypes 3) Field test and analyze results This project used Project Management methodology to effectively plan, organize, and execute. It was completed with volunteers, thus introducing novel project management issues and concepts. A project management guide was produced to be used on similar future projects executed in a volunteer framework.
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Development of an Evidence-Based Policy Handbook Utilizing a Hub and Spoke Practice Model: A Quality Improvement DNP ProjectDiagnosing a child with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the State of Alaska requires a team-based approach. The current model is a hub model where providers refer to one of a few certified 4-Digit Code method teams in the geographically vast State of Alaska. Telehealth has been suggested as a viable alternative to in-person hub evaluations for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). The State of Alaska FASD program and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Fund’s goals of moving towards a telehealth program for FASD evaluation, diagnosis, and management (WICHE-BHP, 2021). This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project sought to improve the current model. After critical review and evaluation of the literature, the Hub and Spoke model was selected. The policy handbook was evaluated by experts in the field and revised. Using the Model for Improvement (2013), a policy handbook was developed incorporating the Hub and Spoke model and specific requirements and recommendations specific to Alaska. The new model is called the FASD telehealth Hub and Spoke practice model.
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Uses of Project management Practices in Development of a Recreational Facility Business PlanThe objective of this endeavor is to demonstrate the intended application of project management's best practices, in the submission of a conventional business plan as administrated by the University of Anchorage Alaska capstone, the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PM BoK), and the Project Management Institute (PMI). Preparations and outcomes encountered within this effort will both initiate and actively assert an economy in discovery or concept use, which coincide with technical simulations capable of breaching and sustaining confidence within continued practice or future findings. The determination within this dynamic effort was inspired by a self-passion for entrepreneurship, within equitable achievements prior to capstone. Although I may have moonlighted as an entrepreneur absent of a business plan in past pursuits, depicting use of project practices was not a requirement before as it must be throughout this undertaking, and given any conscious or unconscious bias for the applied craft(s). In contrast, the critically acclaimed "Pong Now Project Business Plan" seeks to change history using project management's best practices during idea startup and ideal execution. This endeavor would extract from a variety of inter-industrial domains processes, interests, influences, and procedures. Project vision-tiering and strategic-product goals set throughout development phases will milestone or landmark past, general, specific, and future accomplishments to illustrate growth or maturity. Thereafter, project-plan design drafts and details will fuse formatting of all required deliverables from point of conception through pre-completion. A theoretical launch of this business should appear forthcoming and if pursued, materialization of outcomes will reflect the highest probability of success. This project business plan is two-fold; to functionally merge the constitution of project practices and business planning development together. To accomplish this, a system, or systems of designations and dispositions, must encompass the ability to equip resource capabilities or competencies to withstand dormancy and regress in project or product loads and demands. Insurance or assurance of merits relative to the legacy from this study, must exhibit an alumni level of proficiency all-throughout the application and advancement of 10-knowledge areas, and 5-process groups, correlative to foreseen or unforeseen outcomes, given any regularity or irregularities with resourcing relationships, performance levels, estimated or actual predictions, itemized activities, and scrummed technologies or techniques applied. The synchronized framework and standardization devised throughout this multifaceted undertaking intuitively prepares an executable, project-practiced and project-managed business plan upon coalition of efforts.
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Cultivating and Sustaining Community Engagement at the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research ReserveThe Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR) was established in Homer, Alaska in 1999 with an overarching purpose of conducting community relevant place-based research, education, training, and outreach within our region. The need to have the Reserve reflective of community needs was also captured within KBNERR’s 2021-2026 Management Plan. As of 2024, the process for engaging the community both to share information and to inform focus areas at the Reserve is not being implemented in a unified approach. Since 2021, three-quarters of the positions at KBNERR have experienced staffing turnovers. A need to re-establish the role the community plays into the shaping of the Reserve is essential to follow the current Management Plan. This project developed recommendations for a Community Engagement Program at KBNERR to help solve these issues. A Needs Assessment was conducted engaging the Reserve’s Community Council, which is made up of local elected members and agency partners, to determine what is appropriate and needed for engagement within the community. This assessment was then used to inform a Community Engagement Program Description and the development of a position description within the University of Alaska Anchorage system.
