James Sipary, Refuge Information Technician:
Our ancestors have directed us always keep in mind the conservation and good management
of all the resources, respectfulness to the land in the form of environmental conservation,
and respectfulness to the resources, and even though we think there's plenty of these resources
to only take what we need.
Spencer Rearden, Yukon Delta NWR Assistant Manager:
The purpose of the RIT program is to improve and do more outreach within the Refuge. This Refuge
is a fairly large system and a lot of our decisions truly effect the subsistence users
out here. This Refuge has more subsistence users than I believe any, than all other Alaskan
refuges combined. A lot of our job is serving the local people based on ANILCA and subsistence.
I mean there's a high dependency on subsistence resources out here. The local folks understand
where we're coming from with regard to our management decisions and also to integrate
them in our management decisions a little bit more.
Christopher Tulik, Refuge Information Technician:
The history of the RIT program actually started when the geese population started declining
beginning in 1979. So Chuck Hunt back then, he was a Native Liaison Specialist. He prepared
the villages for, um, getting the Native people involved in the conservation effort in order
to save the geese population. So he was alone and it became evident that he cannot do it
alone so from there an RIT program was conceived. In a given single year RITs were able to go
out to all of the villages and, you know, do more than what a lone Native Liaison Specialist
could do.
David Therchik, Refuge Information Technician:
When I started working there was the emperor goose . . . that population was low and I
kinda stressed about the emperor goose 'cause if we weren't sharing information about bird
populations or any other animals their populations I'm sure would have dropped and maybe even
became extinct. And now, their numbers are finally at the stage where it may be available
for limited hunting.
David Phillips, Refuge Information Technician:
It's important for the future generations of our people. We need these resources to
keep returning so that we can feed our families. Basically, live off the land. Not only me
but it effects everybody along the Kuskokwim and the Refuge area.
James Sipary, Refuge Information Technician:
Our goals at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services is to provide good management, good conservation
so that we have these resources available for us for the future to come. I like and
love working with my people, especially when it comes to the conservation and management
of our resources . . . not only the fish, not only the migratory birds, but all of the
resources that is from the smallest insect to the biggest animal that we have here in
our great state of Alaska.