UPCOMING WEBINAR: This Friday, October 23, Margo Hill of Eastern Washington University will be presenting at Portland State University’s Transportation Research and Education Center - Friday Transportation Seminar: Tribal Mobility, Accessibility and Social Equity.

The cost is free and it is worth 1 AICP cm credit.

https://trec.pdx.edu/events/professional-development/friday-transportation-seminar-10232020

COVID IMPACTS: Reported in several sources, indigenous and tribal nations have been deeply and more severely impacted by the COVI-19 crisis. As reported in KTOO the lack of sanitation and adequate water in rural Alaska communities increased the risks of COVID to Alaska’s indigenous communities. Other examples cited by the center on Budget and Policy Priorities stated that “people living on reservations were more than four times likelier to have COVID-19 than the U.S. population as a whole.” Members of the the Navajo Nation make up less than 10% of the population in New Mexico, but account for more than 55% of COVID cases. In Wyoming, indigenous peoples account for 42% of deaths from COVID, but make up less than 3% of the population. These statistics are echoed throughout the West. The causes are multi-faceted, but planning impacts a number of these factors.

“Persisting racial inequity and historical trauma have contributed to disparities in health and socioeconomic factors between [indigenous] and white populations that have adversely affected tribal communities. The elevated incidence within this population might also reflect differences in reliance on shared transportation, limited access to running water, household size, and other factors that might facilitate community transmission.”

— Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Press Release

For more information, visit the National Indian Health Board: https://www.nihb.org/covid-19/

VOTING ISSUES: An Alaska native village was unable to vote in the state’s primary elects in August due to mistakes made by the Alaska Division of Elections. The people had moved to Mertarvik about a year ago to escape riverbank erosion and melting permafrost. Although various state officials had been in contact with the village, the state failed to realize the error until it was too late. While an interesting example of moving a community, this reiterates the importance of communication, particularly inter and inner-departmental communication. Read more at Alaska Public Media.

Recent Tribal Planning News and Other Items