Kodiak commissioner raises Native voices, environmental decline in Plan 2045 review

Commissioner Delgado pressed for deeper Alaska Native community involvement and pointed to declining seabirds and struggling fisheries as the Kodiak Island Borough Planning and Zoning Commission opened its review of Plan 2045 on Wednesday. The 130-page introductory chapter will frame how the borough makes land-use decisions for the next two decades.

Delgado, speaking as a Native person, said the borough holds more than 7,000 years of Indigenous knowledge that should shape the plan. He described driving from Kodiak to Ouzinkie and counting roughly 30 seabirds where thousands once flew. "We've seen what's happened to the United States from the East Coast all the way up to here," he said. "Many of the policies and the things that they're putting into place make no sense, and it actually destroys the country, the land, the earth, the water." He tied the concern directly to subsistence: "When we have no fish, a lot of our livelihood has been changed because of it."

Community Development Director Chris French acknowledged the concern and noted that environmental and cultural topics appear in dedicated plan chapters. "We are looking at those factors with regards to development because as a Comprehensive Plan, that focus is always on how it relates to development and especially development into the future," French said.

French described the introduction chapter as covering what a comprehensive plan is, how it is organized and used, the public review and community engagement process, and a review of the borough's history, demographics, and communities. Because the chapter runs roughly 130 pages, French said staff split the review across two work sessions, the July and August sessions, so commissioners have more time and do not feel rushed. "Since this is like a 130-page chapter, we have decided that we were going to have this come to the Commission for two work sessions." Once the commission finishes reviewing each chapter, French said staff will bring them to the Assembly for a work session.

The commission's next work session on Plan 2045 is scheduled for Aug. 12.