The Cube Cove Salmon and Deer Habitat Restoration Project continues to progress on schedule. Restoration work remains focused on improving salmon habitat through culvert removal, stream restoration, and forest thinning, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition. Recently, the Kootznoowoo Cube Cove crew collaborated with the Angoon Youth Stewards and the U.S. Forest Service on additional salmon-stream restoration projects. The 2026 field season remains on track and is scheduled to conclude at the end of September.

Boards of Directors play an important role in guiding the long-term success of the organizations they serve. For-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and many other organizations are governed by boards. Depending on the organization, board members may be elected, appointed, selected as trustees, or serve through other established processes. While the structure of boards can vary, their fundamental purpose is generally the same: to provide governance, oversight, and strategic direction. A Board’s primary responsibilities may include setting strategic direction, establishing policies, safeguarding corporate assets, overseeing financial performance, evaluating and supporting the President & CEO, and making significant decisions that affect the future of the organization. Directors also have fiduciary duties and are expected to make informed decisions they believe are in the best interests of the organization they serve. For a for-profit corporation, this includes maintaining a strong and sustainable business, pursuing opportunities for growth, protecting corporate assets, and creating long-term value for shareholders. What a Board Does and Does Not Do One of the most common misunderstandings about Board service is the difference between governance and management. The Board does not manage the day-to-day operations of the organization, nor do directors serve as individual managers. The Board operates at a higher level where it establishes direction, provides oversight, asks important questions, and holds management accountable for organizational performance. The responsibility for day-to-day operations belongs to the Chief Executive Officer. Board directors generally do not supervise employees, make routine operational decisions, or direct individual staff members. Authority rests with the Board as a collective governing body. An individual director has one vote at the board table and does not have the authority to independently act or speak on behalf of the Corporation unless that authority has been specifically granted by the Board. In that case, that authority is usually given to the Chairman. A strong governance structure keeps these responsibilities distinct: the Board determines where the organization is going, while management determines how to get there and oversees the daily work required to accomplish those goals. Together, the Board and management work toward the same objective—building a strong and sustainable future for the organization. The governance structure can be summarized simply: Shareholders elect the Board. The Board sets direction and provides oversight. Management runs the day-to-day business. For Kootznoowoo, each of these parts plays an important role in the same long-term objective—protecting what has been entrusted to Kootznoowoo, building sustainable businesses and opportunities, and strengthening the Corporation for today’s shareholders and generations yet to come. The Unique Role of an ANCSA Corporation Board Boards of Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) have many of the same fundamental governance responsibilities as boards of other for-profit corporations. However, the environment in which they serve is unique. ANCs are businesses, and their Boards must consider financial performance, growth, risk, investments, and the long-term health of the Corporation. At the same time, these corporations have a distinctive relationship with their Alaska Native shareholders and are stewards of lands and other assets that originated through ANCSA. As a result, ANCs often balance traditional business objectives with broader, long-term priorities that may include protecting Native lands, creating economic opportunities, supporting shareholder programs and employment, and strengthening connections to culture and community. Perhaps most importantly, ANCs must think in terms of generations, not simply business quarters. Each is intended to endure as a forever company, which means today’s decisions can have consequences for shareholders decades into the future.

One of this summer's most exciting accomplishments is the near completion of the Angoon Digital Walking Tour, developed in partnership with See Stories. The project is now entering its final implementation phase. Permanent interpretive signs have been designed, approved, and ordered. Once installed throughout Angoon, visitors and community members will be able to explore the town at their own pace and learn about its rich Tlingit history, culture, and significant places through a digital self-guided experience. Planning also continues to improve recreation and tourism infrastructure. Earlier this month, a landscape architect visited Angoon to prepare a scope of work to complete the Danger Point Trail. Once completed, the trail will offer spectacular views of Chatham Strait and opportunities for wildlife viewing and outdoor recreation for residents and visitors alike. Work also began in August on the proposed Favorite Bay Wildlife Viewing Trail. This effort is a partnership among Sitka Trails, the Angoon Youth Stewards, Kootznoowoo, and other community partners. The project will create another accessible outdoor destination and expand opportunities for wildlife viewing and nature-based tourism.

At Kootznoowoo’s 53rd Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Nadja Kookesh was elected to her first three-year term on the Kootznoowoo, Inc. Board of Directors. Her service continues a family legacy of leadership at Kootznoowoo. Her father, Matthew Kookesh, previously served on the Board, as did her cousin, Melissa Kookesh. Nadja brings extensive professional experience in Alaska Native corporate leadership, along with deep connections and roots in Angoon. She currently lives in Juneau, where she serves as Chief Administrative Officer for Goldbelt, Incorporated. Her responsibilities include oversight of major corporate functions such as human resources, communications, shareholder services, and enterprise operations. Nadja’s connection to Kootznoowoo, Inc. also extends back several decades. In addition to being a shareholder, Kootznoowoo is also where she began her professional career. In the mid-1990s, while attending Western Washington University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies with minors in journalism and anthropology, Nadja spent a summer interning with Kootznoowoo. That early experience helped launch a professional career that would eventually lead her into Alaska Native corporate leadership. In her candidate statement, Nadja shared what Kootznoowoo and Angoon mean to her: “I come from Angoon and carry a deep respect for the responsibility our corporation holds—to protect our lands, strengthen our community, and create meaningful opportunities for future generations. Like many of you, my connection to Kootznoowoo is both personal and cultural. Our corporation represents more than a business; it represents our history, our people, and the future of our village.” As she begins her Board service, Nadja identified three areas of particular importance to her: strong and responsible governance, sustainable economic growth, and maintaining a strong connection with shareholders and the community. She emphasized the importance of Board oversight, transparency, long-term strategic direction, responsible investment, and open communication with shareholders. Please join us in welcoming Director Nadja Kookesh to the Kootznoowoo Board of Directors and wishing her well as she begins this new chapter of service.

The Shareholder Services Department is preparing to hold a Testamentary Disposition drive this fall to help shareholders ensure their wishes are documented and their shares are transferred according to their intentions. A Testamentary Disposition, also known as a Stock Will, allows a shareholder to designate who will receive their Kootznoowoo shares upon their passing. Having a current Testamentary Disposition is important because, without one—or without other applicable estate planning documents such as a Last Will and Testament—shares may be distributed according to Alaska’s laws of intestate succession rather than according to the shareholder’s personal wishes. Many shareholders may assume that their children will automatically inherit all of their shares, but that may not always be the case. For example, even when spouses have been separated for years, a surviving spouse may still be entitled to a portion of the estate under state law if no Testamentary Disposition or will is in place. In this circumstance, the surviving spouse could receive 50 percent, with the remaining 50 percent divided among the children. Shareholders who do not currently have a Testamentary Disposition on file will automatically receive a blank form in the mail. Those who already have one on file but would like to update their information may contact Shareholder Services or obtain a new form from the Kootznoowoo website. Taking time now to review your records can help provide greater clarity for your family and help ensure your intentions are known. Shareholders with questions about Testamentary Dispositions or other shareholder matters may contact Shareholder Services at (907) 790-2992.

Work continues to move forward on the Thayer Creek Hydroelectric Project, with significant progress made this summer on both the marine facilities and the Phase 2 access road. The Phase 1 Stillwater marine facilities were completed on May 20, 2026, marking an important milestone for the project. Construction of the Phase 2 Access Road began in May and remains on time and on budget. Rock N Road, the road construction contractor supporting the project, has already completed approximately two miles of finished rock road, while logging crews are nearing completion of the third mile of clearing. The corduroy road and first layer of rock have progressed to approximately mile 2.5. Work has included clearing the road right-of-way, laying corduroy road, drilling and blasting rock, hauling material, constructing switchbacks, and installing culverts at the lake crossing. Project funding also continues to advance. A successful meeting with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in May helped release the remaining $5.9 million designated for road construction, and a $2.271 million BIA drawdown was approved and received on July 7. Timber suitable for lumber that was recovered during project clearing was also delivered to Angoon School in May. The project recently received additional recognition when the Thayer Creek Hydroelectric Project was featured in the Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Transportation Program Quarterly Newsletter, highlighting the access-road work now underway. With Phase 1 complete and Phase 2 advancing, Kootznoowoo continues to make steady progress toward the long-term development of the Thayer Creek Hydroelectric Project and the infrastructure necessary to move the project forward.