Storyknife, May/June 2024 edition

Coastal Yukon communities have a new point of contact for feedback and information they need about the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.

Stanislaus Sheppard,
USFWS Refuge Information Technician

Born and raised in Mountain Village, Stanislaus Sheppard began working in October as a Refuge Information Technician, or RIT, assigned to 13 Lower Yukon villages, from Russian Mission to Chevak. The refuge has three other RITs serving other parts of the Y-K Region.

Sheppard loves to share the traditional knowledge about animals and plants he learned from his Elders in Mountain Village. “We didn’t need to go to college for that.”

He also understands public service—he served in the Alaska National Guard and with other organizations including his Tribal council, his local fish and game advisory committee, the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association, the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, and the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council.

Building a Bridge

The RIT program began 41 years ago to establish a bridge and two-way communication between the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the villages, so the villages can become part of the resource management decision-making process.

The RIT positions are locally hired, and the ideal RIT candidate has strong cultural knowledge and speaks Yup’ik, Cup’ik or Athabascan.

“Stanislaus fits this description perfectly and is already broken in to do the job,” says Chris Tulik, the refuge’s Lead Refuge Information Technician.

Sheppard is mentored by Tulik and receives his training and assignments from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, but he technically works for Calista, which advertised the position and hired him under a contractual agreement with the refuge.

“We undertook this contract and hired Stanislaus with the goal of supporting a really important local hire program in our Region.” — Tisha Kuhns, Calista VP of Land and Natural Resources.

Supporting Local Hire

At one time, the 19-million-acre refuge had 10 technicians, but that number dropped to three, and more recently increased to five.

It can be challenging to fill the year-round RIT positions, and Calista Vice President of Land and Natural Resources Tisha Kuhns saw an opportunity to partner with the refuge on filling this position.

She says, “It’s a natural fit with Calista’s goals to provide in-Region economic opportunities and cultural stewardship of our natural resources.”

If you are interested in learning more about this program, or other job and training opportunities involving land and natural resource management, call the refuge at 907-543-5131 or contact Calista_Land@calistacorp.com.