Ventures

Nila Vena Sustainability Forum

Strengthening Indigenous leadership and regional collaboration to support healthy lands and waters, vibrant communities and a sustainable future for the Lakes Region of Bristol Bay.

The Nila Vena Sustainability Forum brings together seven Lakes Region communities connected through shared cultural and family ties, and the waters supporting the world’s most productive sockeye salmon ecosystems. The Forum advances shared priorities including land and language stewardship, wildfire preparedness, housing and broadband access—strengthening regional collaboration and supporting thriving lands, cultures and communities for generations to come.

Supporting a Sustainable Future for Nila Vena and Qizhjeh Vena Communities

The Lakes Region encompasses Nila Vena (Lake Iliamna), Qizhjeh Vena (Lake Clark), Nuvendulten Vena (Sixmile Lake) and the surrounding area in the upper Bristol Bay watershed—a landscape of berry-dotted tundra, cold clear rivers rich with salmon and village communities connected by family, culture and shared stewardship values. 

Guided by cultural values and local leaders, the Nila Vena Sustainability Forum — which include the communities of Port Alsworth, Nondalton, Iliamna, Pedro Bay, Newhalen, Kokhanok and Igiugig — works to strengthen the conditions that allow communities to thrive in this place.

Here, thriving means:

  • Growing regional collaboration so communities can align their work, share learnings and advance priorities together at scale.
  • Caring for the land and waters that sustain salmon, culture and ways of life.
  • Supporting community well-being through shared approaches to safety, housing, and local opportunity.
  • Supporting language and cultural continuity so future generations can confidently carry forward Traditional Knowledge and identity while thriving in a modern world.
  • Strengthening community systems and infrastructure—from clean energy to communications—that support self-determination.

Where Shared Waters Meet Shared Purpose

For countless generations, ancestors of present-day community members surrounding Nila Vena (Lake Iliamna), Qizhjeh Vena (Lake Clark) and Nuvendulten Vena (Sixmile Lake) have stewarded shared lands and waters that are central to their cultures, salmon and ways of life. 

The Nila Vena Sustainability Forum builds on that legacy by creating a space where communities can align priorities and pursue solutions that benefit the region as a whole.

Through regular convening and collaboration, communities strengthen their collective voice, share knowledge and shape regional opportunities rooted in local leadership and community-driven priorities. 

The Forum supports sovereignty, cultural continuity and the long-term well-being of the Lakes Region.

 

Our Focus

The Forum’s work centers on the priorities identified by community leaders, focusing on what will strengthen the region over the long term:

Language, Culture & Stewardship

Supporting intergenerational knowledge, cultural continuity and community-driven stewardship, including the emerging vision for a regional Indigenous Guardians network, uplifting residents in environmental stewardship and how communities care for their homelands.

Wildfire Preparedness & Safety

Coordinating regional planning processes and rebuilding local capacity to respond to changing wildfire threats and a shifting fire regime.

Broadband & Modern Communications

Advancing regional connectivity through collaborative efforts like SALMONet and ensuring communities can fully participate in a digital world.

Housing Access & Community Stability

Exploring pathways that support safe, affordable and locally controlled housing.

Looking Ahead

As the Forum grows, community representatives are exploring how best to sustain and structure the collaboration over time. In the near term, the Forum is focused on gathering together regularly to identify matters of regional importance—including wildfire preparedness and response, housing solutions and stewardship of lands and waters—and to coordinate collaborative approaches toward a shared, long-term vision of community wellbeing. The next chapter of the Forum will continue to be shaped by the communities themselves, guided by the same values that underpin life in this region: reciprocity, stewardship and a commitment to future generations.

Part of AVF’s Place-Based Investment Strategy

The Nila Vena Sustainability Forum is part of Alaska Venture Fund’s deep place-based investment strategy, which supports Indigenous communities advancing sustainable, locally driven futures across Alaska. Our longstanding partnership with the Village of Igiugig, and our work with regional alliances like the Kuicuat Sustainability Forum and the Sustainable Southeast Partnership, demonstrate how local leadership, resource support and regional collaboration can reinforce one another.

Across these places, a network of shared learning is emerging in which innovations in one community inspire progress in another and where regional coalitions amplify local priorities. By resourcing community-led approaches and connecting them with statewide networks, AVF aims to strengthen self-determination, stewardship and community well-being across Alaska.