Troth Yeddha plan announced

A new sign announcing Troth Yeddha was unveiled at the University of Alaska Fairbanks today. The location is between the UA Museum of the North and the Reichardt Building and the plan is to raise funds and build a center for indigenous studies.

"We are moving from symbol to substance," said UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers. "We are doing something important at Troth Yeddha Park. We can be as significant in indigenous studies as we are in arctic science. This project is the cornerstone of UAF's second century."

Evon Peter, center, visits with students at the sign dedication ceremony Sept. 4.

Master of Ceremonies Evon Peter, vice chancellor for Rural, Community and Native Education, introduced several Native elders as speakers, including 90-year-old Howard Luke and 93-year-old Poldine Carlo.

"I love celebrations because they bring people together to build relationships," Peter said.

Peter is a 1998 UAF alumnus with a bachelor's degree in Alaska Native Studies. While a high school student, Peter worked for the School of Natural Resources in a summer research apprenticeship program.

"I was the cheap labor," he joked. In the early 1990s he helped the school's Research Forester Tom Malone plant six different types of trees in research plots near Tok. The trees are still being observed and measured today.

Evon Peter, far left, participates in the sign unveiling.

The Levels of Growing Stock plantation of white spruce at Tok is pictured with the meteorological instrument station July 24, 2014. These are the trees Evon Peter helped plant over 20 years ago. (Photo by Glenn Juday)