Nicole Kanayurak, MMA

What’s the work that you do?

As the Deputy Director of wildlife management at the North Slope Borough, a municipal government, I am engaged in Arctic fish and wildlife research and governance. I engage in Indigenous co-management of natural resources in the Arctic. I enjoy serving as an Inuit representative to an Arctic Council working group for the marine environment and serve on advisory committees as it relates to the Arctic environment such as the North Pacific Research Board.

What keeps you going?

When you find something that you’re passionate about, it’s easy to keep going. I do the work that I do to contribute and serve my community here on the North Slope of Alaska and across the circumpolar north. Working to improve our rights and our engagement when it comes down to the management of the food that feeds our minds, bodies, and souls as Indigenous Peoples, it becomes a serious job and very meaningful.

What’s your message to the world?

In a globalized society it is important to have compassion and be open to try and understand different cultures of different places. While there is an increase in access to places like the Arctic, it is important to realize the impact to the place that comes with this access.