Seen from Sitka

Never in my dreams did I think  when I wrote the lead for the last column about "winging my way to Sitka, Alaska" back in June, did I think that three short months later I would take up residence here. On this typical Sitka fall day, gale force winds are roiling the islet sheltered waters of the west side of Baronof Island and I am sitting in my new office watching the wind rock the trees outside my window. the views are spectacular here with volcanic isles framing the ocean views from Sitka and tree, rock and meadow capped Mt. Verstovia looking like a scene from the Sound of Music forming the view from my front yard. Rhubarb grows large and long in the yard here, even in the early fall, and the 8 or so inches of rain we had in the last week keep the many salmon streams healthy and the bears fat and happy. I've known from 15 years of working on environmental protection battles in Alaska that Southeast Alaska (as this little panhandle area hugging the Inside passage and British Columbia is known) is a small slice of heaven but little did I know that Sitka is the sweetest slice of all.

    Now I haven't lost my head or my natural skepticism, but the transition from the hectic pace of life in downtown Portland and a recent near miss with a work opportunity in New Orleans,  to the quiet and calm of Sitka has taken some getting used to. Those who know me in big city work contexts see a multi-tasking work addict with a wide range of interests and activities, so the quiet life in Sitka, still much bigger than the town in which I grew up, has been a major shock to my systems. It's great, however, to be back in an area where the major delights of life include seeing the stars at night (at least on the rare cloudless ones) and being able to walk out my front door to slip into a cross Sitka trail and climb a local mountain while watching for salmon and berry munching bears.  

    That said, what brought me to this slice of paradise and what does it mean for my future with the Rivers Foundation? First, I am not going away. Beginning this week, you’ll see my presence occasionally on this website and I will continue to be active in environmental restoration and river protection efforts in many forums.

Briefly, after one year of organizing and getting pledges for funding (2000-2001) for the Foundation, opening our headquarters in August 2001 followed by the post 9/11 funding crash and four years of scrambling to build programs and funding sources, I was ready for a change. University funding cuts then derailed a fellowship and assistantship for a Ph.D. program at PSU last spring. Shortly thereafter my wife received an offer to direct a world class high school music program here in Sitka. While she builds the program here, I am taking a personal sabbatical of sorts to do introduce my five year old daughter to Alaska, catch up on some writing, photography, kayaking, speaking engagements throughout North America, a river trip or two (none so far in 2005 – a very bad sign for a river lover) and work on marketing and expansion of the RFA web site. I’ll return to active board work for the Foundation in February. Colorado river expert and RFA Board Chair Pamela Hyde, is the acting CEO for RFA over the next 6 months while we restructure. Our board is excited about the changes and asking for your continued support for our good works. Thanks to our crew in Portland including Treasurer Hal Nelson, computer guru Jeremy O’Leary, webmaster Jason Burns, Restoration Encyclopedia Editor Dean Apostol, filmmaker Dennis Burkhart and a score of others scattered across the United States, RFA continues forward.

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Next: Floods, Rivers and Politics: What we can do in the aftermath of Katrina.