2024 Lorraine Loomis Memorial Scholarship Recipient Announced

The Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC) is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2024 Lorraine Loomis Memorial Scholarship. Ms. Kristen Reece of Alaska will receive the $5,000 award for the 2024/2025 academic year at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF).

Ms. Reece, whose Iñupiaq name is Atluk, is an enrolled member of the Native Village of Selawik (Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska). She anticipates graduating in May 2025 as a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Environmental Change and Fisheries. In addition to attending UAF as a full-time student, she also conducts research in the Ichthyology and Molecular Genetics Laboratory at the University of Alaska Museum of the North as a Biomedical Learning and Student Training (BLaST) research scholar. Kristen also has two teenage daughters, and the three participate in the World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO) Dena Games which allows them to connect to their community while learning the traditional games and values of the Dena people.

As an Interdisciplinary Studies major, Atluk has been able to tailor a degree that draws from and integrates Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Community and Rural Development, Alaska Native Education, Fisheries, and Environmental Change. She is part of a research team at the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) and UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) in collaboration with the Kuskokwim River Intertribal Fish Commission and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. That team is testing the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to help monitor the declining salmon runs that have caused severe hardship in subsistence communities within the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim (AYK) region.

Through collaboration with these communities, they have designed a new project: “Sovereign Autonomy for Long-term Monitoring Of Non-human genes (SALMONg)”. Their vision is to build local capacity to support cost-effective monitoring of important species throughout Alaska. Collaborators will teach participants how to use genetic analyses for themselves and the resources they depend on. With this approach, Atluk and her team will contribute to the improvement of long-term sustainability and equity of the Alaska salmon ecosystem with Indigenous values, knowledge, management, and governance.

The Selection Committee (Jason Gobin, Chair, and Marcel Shephert, co-vice chair of the Fraser River Panel, plus the Executive Secretary) were impressed by the number, quality, and diversity of applications received. While difficult, their choice of Ms. Reece as the 2024 recipient is made with enthusiasm and excitement for her future. The Secretariat will maintain contact with her in the future to ensure she stays informed of the Commission’s activities and opportunities to observe our work.

Background

Lorraine Loomis, an elder in the Swinomish Tribe, passed away in August 2021 and thus ended a decades-long career advocating for indigenous fishing rights at their intersection with salmon conservation. She was one of the first women to play an active role in fisheries policy and management, rising to prominence at the tribal, state, national, and international level. Her achievements and consensus building led to her replacing the esteemed Billy Frank Jr. as chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission upon his passing and receiving many other accolades.

The scholarship seeks to honor Lorraine’s legacy and her many contributions to the fisheries community, with a view to inspiring and enabling future leaders like her.