The state has more shoreline that the other states put together, Alaska has quite the maritime past. For historians and museum heads, it’s a struggle to preserve this heritage. A new federally-funded grant program might help them in their job by allowing them to preserve artifacts as well as make the public aware.
This Tuesday on Tuesday, this Tuesday Alaska Maritime Heritage Preservation Program will be open to applicants with a price of $327,500 to help preserve and fund educational and preservation projects for the maritime sector. This is the amount that of money the National Park Service awarded to the state government of Alaska to provide funding to programs in local areas.
With 47,300 miles of coastline and its 47,300 miles of coastline, the state of Alaska is in a close connection with the maritime world which makes it a viable possibility for a national grant as per Katie Ringsmuth who is both state historian and deputy. Alaska state historian as well as the deputy the state’s historic preservation official.
“We are truly the northern maritime region. We’re not merely an ocean that is a state. We are a bridge between the circumpolar north with that of the Pacific world. We can communicate that story to the rest of the nation,” Ringsmuth said. “That is why I think we’ve could have made a convincing argument. The country requires us to help them create that history, that vital history.”
State Historic Preservation Office created a partnership with Alaska State Library, Archives and Museums, which enabled the state to boost the amount of funding that comes from the federal grant. According to Ringsmuth there are two grants that interested applicants can apply for: one focusing specifically on Alaska marine heritage and education, and the second one is focused on Alaska preservation of maritime heritage.
The grant for education provides funds for those who wish to communicate with the general public regarding maritime culture or techniques by way of participation-based programs, enhancing areas for maritime exhibits, teaching maritime traditional skills, or any other methods.
On the other hand this grant provides funds to projects researching archeological past, documenting archeological research, repair and restoration of important maritime resources, and so on.
The grants will be made available to Alaska-based nonprofits and individuals, as well as academic institutions Tribes, tribal organizations, and others.
Museums focus on preservation
The museums across the state are looking into how to apply for the grant.
“It’s an excellent program, one of the few programs that provide funding that specifically focus on preserving the maritime past,” said Toby Sullivan as director of the executive office of the Kodiak Maritime Museum.
He also noted that Alaska’s extensive coastline helps it stand out to other states.
“There’s an abundance of historical information connected to the coastline and the oceans off to the travels from people of the Indigenous people who came to Alaska through the sea a few thousand years ago, through the beginning of European exploration of the coastal Alaska as well as the present fisheries industry” Sullivan said. “Preserving and understanding this history can help us understand what we’re doing today and provides us with a perspective to imagine our future in the future.”
The Kodiak Maritime Museum is just one of many possible applicants to the program. The museum collects oral history, performs research on historical events and surveys important historical waterfront locations, and performs other things to preserve the maritime past, Sullivan said.
In terms of what the museum is planning on providing for grant application, Sullivan said that the museum has two ideas in the back of their minds.
“First is to find an appropriate permanent structure for the museum which is the museum’s main objective, and also aiding in the financing of any renovation required for the museum to be housed in the building. Another option for funding is to carry out a thorough historical assessment and inventory of maritime heritage sites along Kodiak‘s shoreline,” Sullivan said.
Another possible applicant is one of the applicants is Sitka Maritime Heritage Society. Sitka Maritime Heritage Society’s executive director Keith Nyitray said of the chance: “It’s amazing!”
He stated that there are a variety of historical pieces that require preservation.
“I find it a pity that knowledge from the past is being lost and allowing for young people to gain knowledge about the past and develop abilities and help them move ahead is crucial,” Nyitray said. “And it’s not only about fishing but also the method of doing it and the reason for it and the skills that are learned last a lifetime, but these skills are disappearing.”
SMHS has made a lot of efforts to preserve Alaska’s maritime past. From knot-tying and boat-building classes to pub talks in which historical topics and historical events are discussed, this is all happening in a non-descript museum. One of the main goals of the SMHS is to renovate an old boathouse that will serve as their museum’s house.
“We’ve recently sunk many thousands the restoration of this structure, and we could consider applying for a fire protection system, or a sprinkler system, as why would we want to restore it, only to see the whole thing burn down?” Nyitray said.
The Maritime Heritage Preservation Program application period starts on August. 1 and ends on October. 31.
Ringsmuth believes it’s a huge chance.
“This is a project that we hope will assist Alaskans conserve not just the places that matter for their lives, but also their customs and ways of life,” Ringsmuth said. “We’re taking this as a pilot program and the success of this program will allow us to in the future grant process. This is why the goal of this program to try to develop a more durable program so that we will continue to assist communities along the coast and preserve the rich historical background to Alaska.”
A webinar is scheduled on September. 21 and will provide additional information on the award. For more information, concerning Alaska’s Maritime Heritage Preservation Grant or a link to the webinar, contact State Historian Katie Ringsmuth at katie.ringsmuth@alaska.gov.
The story first appeared in Alaska Beacon and is republished here with permission.
