To keep our research grounded in the regional context, we rely on partnerships with key leaders and organizations from the region surrounding Denali National Park and Preserve. These relationships are important for guiding the development of various phases of the study to help ensure that our research remains relevant to the local communities involved.
We have formed a local Executive Committee consisting of ten stakeholders that represent a diversity of perspectives on visions for the future of the Denali region. The members of this group continue to help our research team understand different interests that govern the region surrounding Denali and provide feedback for maintaining the relevancy of our research outcomes. This group also helps provide insights to understand the impacts of various policy options and approaches for supporting resource management and human well-being tied to the region. The committee constitutes key leaders from various interest groups in the region including:
- The National Park Service
- Alaska Department of Natural Resources (Denali State Park)
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game
- The Denali Borough
- Denali Chamber of Commerce
- The Native Village of Cantwell
- Holland American Princess
- The Denali Borough School District
- and local business (i.e., Camp Denali and Denali Fly Fishing Guides)
The Executive Committee has convened in person and continues to be engaged remotely to provide feedback on a variety of research instruments (e.g., regional household survey) and outreach initiatives (e.g., Newsletters) over the course of this five-year study. Members of the committee will also be invited to help shape and attend a ‘summit’ in 2021 where the aims will be to discuss the social and ecological consequences of different community visions for protected area management. This event will be held in Denali National Park and Preserve and attended by the Committee, alongside a consortium of researchers part of the larger ENVISION project. We deeply appreciate the members of the Executive Committee who have agreed to share their knowledge and help us keep our research relevant and flowing back to members of the local communities around Denali. For more information, please see the Executive Committee Description here.
Beyond forming the local Executive Committee, we are grateful to have a local resident of Cantwell, Alaska as part of our core research team. Over the past year, this local research technician has contributed to various aspects of the research process and represents our team in the Denali region while other core team members are in Illinois. As part of this position, our research technician remotely attends project meetings, contributes to data entry and analysis, provides feedback and circulates outreach material, engages in local events and organizations as a representative of our core team, informs the other core team members about news in Denali, and continues to keep our research grounded by providing feedback on our various research material.
