Pick.Click.Give. for the trees, the land, and so much more
Every spring, Alaskans throughout the state support Alaska nonprofits through Pick.Click.Give. Here, Dulce Ben-East, co-owner of Alaska Wild Harvest, shares her story about how she helps keep Alaska land, water, animals, and people healthy.
My husband and I run Alaska Wild Harvest and have been harvesting goods from the woods to make birch syrup, chaga, and berry products for over 30 years.
Trustees’ most recent newsletter noted that “the health of our food relies on healthy land, water, animals,” and I could not agree more. The health of our forests is intricately tied to our climate. In Alaska, the temperature is rising at three times the rate of the Lower 48. Our forests and fisheries are struggling to survive. Not only is forest health integral to my business, it is integral to the health of fisheries, wildlife, air and water, and people.
Outdoor recreation is also important to our health and has become even more so during the Covid-19 pandemic. The climate crisis imperils our forests, fisheries, air, water, and our health – both our physical and emotional well-being.
Every spring while applying for my PFD, I take a little extra time to review the hundreds of nonprofit organizations that participate in Pick.Click.Give. There are so many good choices, and Trustees for Alaska always makes the top of my list for important reasons.
Trustees for Alaska takes seriously their mission to protect and defend Alaska’s environment. Please join me and choose Trustees for Alaska when you Pick.Click.Give. Your gift to help Trustees for Alaska hold the legal line is just a click away.
Dulce Ben-East, a 40-year resident of Alaska, is co-owner of Alaska Wild Harvest with her husband, Michael. They have been harvesting sap from birch trees in Alaska’s Susitna Valley for 31 years. Their product line includes birch syrup, wild chaga and berries items. Dulce and Michael both started their careers in Dillingham, Alaska as field technicians for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Commercial Fisheries Division, and on the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Dulce earned her master’s degree in Environmental Studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA.
Dulce is a long-time supporter of Trustees for Alaska through our monthly giving program and Pick.Click.Give.