Responding to the vast number of land referrals that are received annually has remained a challenge for Kaska communities, in spite of the efforts have been made over the years. The volume of referrals coupled with the lack of capacity or process for dealing with the referrals has continued to plague Kaska communities. This year has brought a step forward to Kaska Dena in the handling of referrals through a combination of the BC Capacity Initiative Funding and a financial contribution for new referral tracking software from Denali, a company formed by ConocoPhillips and BP to potentially construct the Alaska Highway Pipeline.
In the fall of 2010, Kaska Dena Council struck an agreement with Denali to fund both the purchase of referral tracking software, as well as training in application of the software. This is an important step forward for Kaska Dena communities as referral tracking software provides a much needed system for all Kaska Dena communities to track and respond to referrals, and will greatly assist the Land and Resource Officers in being able to provide reports to Chief and Council, community members and Kaska Negotiators about activities on the land.
Kaska Dena Council is pleased to say that the new referral tracking software has been purchased and installed, and we would like to extend our thanks to Denali for their financial contribution that has allowed Kaska Dena to advance in our ability to manage and process referrals. The acquisition of information management systems and increasing our human resource capacity through training are valued steps toward building enhanced regional governance of our land and resources.
