Angoon, accessible solely by ferry and float plane, is the only permanent settlement in the Admiralty Island National Monument in southeast Alaska. This community of 700 people is a stronghold of Tlingit culture. People there still rely on subsistence hunting, fishing, and gathering for food.
Consumer goods arrive on Admiralty island by barge. Because of the island’s isolation, the packaging waste seldom leaves and is threatening this vital environment. In 1998, village students and teachers formed a conservation group, ABARG! With a Seacology grant, ABARG! will buy equipment, such as balers and collection bins, to help the community’s recycling, responsible waste-streaming, and beautification efforts.