The Alaska Alliance for Community Engagement - Climate and Health held their Second Annual meeting in Anchorage, Alaska on May 30th-31, 2024 The meeting brought together tribal, academic, and agency partners with the intent to: 1) convene the AK ACE-CH and engage new community partners in the Alliance; 2) learn about climate and health impacts in Alaska Native communities; 3) engage in an interactive research activity to assess climate change and health priorities; 4) to plan out AK ACE-CH data collection activities and community strategic plan development.

Nearly half of the meeting’s 35 participants were Alaska Native representatives from the rural communities that the Alliance will be working closely with to identify climate change and health priorities. In true co-production of knowledge fashion, the Alliance provided time for both community members and departments/agencies to share about what they are witnessing related to climate change and health and ongoing projects. Village representatives discussed the landscape of their communities, changes they have seen over time, and how these changes have impacted the health of their community. Department and agency representatives shared about climate and health projects and programs that are in place across the state. There were major discussions surrounding potential collaborations to support communities.

A primary output from the meeting was the solidification of the assessment plan that the AK ACE-CH team will be carrying out with the communities of Arctic Village and Tanana in Interior, Alaska and Emmonak and Toksook Bay in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta. Participants engaged in interactive focus groups and Q-Sort activities. Feedback was provided from partners to the AK ACE-CH  team regarding the feasibility, timing, and impact of carrying out these activities in the upcoming months.