Seldovia Village Tribe’s Office of Environmental Protection opened in 2001 under a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indian General Assistance Program (IGAP). It is the voice for Seldovia residents regarding the environmental issues that affect our community and the Kachemak Bay area. Our Environmental Office strives to keep our air, waters, land, and resources safe for many generations to come. We all deserve a healthy environment with clean water to drink and clean air to breath. We deserve clean healthy foods, whether they are from the smallest sea creature we eat to the largest land mammals we harvest. Our great grand parents had this and our great grand children deserve the same.

SVT’s Environmental Projects

• Develop baseline environmental data for Seldovia Bay and surrounding streams.
• Construct a fish pass on Seldovia River to enhance local habitats.
• Conduct surveys of Sea Otters in Kachemak Bay, often working with US Fish and Wildlife to study otter mortality.
• Capture sick or stranded Sea Otters and send them to the Seward Sea Life Center for rehabilitation.
• Survey and document beach clean up.
• Conduct contaminant studies and measure their effect on local resources.
• Develop educational programs for students of Susan B. English school to educate local children about the environmental issues.
• Host an annual Culture Camp to teach environmental stewardship and cultural practices to all of Seldovia’s youth.
• Administer the Green Star Program to make SVT a leader in environmental preservation.
• Work with the EPA to act as a repository for Water Quality Data.

These brochures are available for download:

The Intertidal Zone of Seldovia
The Indigenous Plants of Seldovia
Alaska Native People of Seldovia

The SVT Environmental Office is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For more information, e-mail Michael Opheim  or call him at (907) 435-3247.

Youth Activities
Seldovia Village Tribe’s Prevention Program promotes healthy lifestyles to the youth of our community. Working with volunteers from around Kachemak Bay, we offer:

• Physical & Outdoor Activity: Swimming lessons, open swim time at the local pool, adventure hiking programs, summer camping and contemporary dance lessons.
• Social Events: Teen nights, pizza parties and game nights.
• Health Education: SVT works in conjunction with Susan B. English School to provide a health curriculum in elementary school classrooms. We also provide classroom materials, videos, guest speakers and consultations to secondary classrooms.
• Once a year, SVT hosts a student health fair to promote youth health and healthy lifestyles.

For schedules and information on youth activities, visit the Calendar of Events page.

Counseling
The Seldovia Village Tribe’s Chemical Dependency Counselors and Behavioral Health Clinicians provide comprehensive outpatient alcohol and drug treatment and services to clients of all ages.  Our highly trained and certified staff provides help to those seeking access other services such as: mental health, residential drug and alcohol treatment, women's services and medical referrals. The Seldovia Village Tribe also works with the State of Alaska Court System. SVT conducts the State required Alcohol Drug Information School Classes, for people needing to complete the class in order to reestablish their driving privileges.

Our Philosophy 

The Seldovia Village Tribe believes that chemical dependency is a treatable illness and that the primary objective for any treatment is a new and healthy lifestyle free of drugs and alcohol. SVT Counselors work to establish an empathetic and positive relationship with a client. They teach them to recognize their inner strengths and encourage the development use of these traits. We also provide culturally appropriate assessments and care plans for clients desiring to incorporate their native traditions in their healing process.

SVT also recognizes chemical dependency as a family problem, and offers support, education and outpatient treatment for entire families using a Family Systems treatment modality.

Fees for counseling services are calculated using a sliding fee scale, based on a client’s ability to pay. All services are strictly confidential.
Appointments can be made by calling (907) 234-7898

SVT's Senior Meals Program provides hot and healthy meals, transportation, exercise and homemaker services to Seldovia’s Elders. We also offer home-delivered meals to qualifying Elders with disabilities.

Our meal programs are open to all Native Seldovia Elders over 50 and their guests. We suggest a $6.00 donation for Elders. For guests wishing to join SVT Senior Meals, (who haven’t yet reached the young age of 50 or are non-Native) the cost per meal is $8.00.

Schedules and menus August 2010 Dinner Menu.

Please call ahead to 234-7898 ext 223 and let our chef know you will be there.

Seldovia Village Tribe’s Housing Office provides housing assistance and advocacy to tribal and community members. Our Housing office provides:

• Information on homeownership programs for low-income Alaska Native/American Indian families residing in SVT’s jurisdiction.
• Assistance with home loan applications.
• Rental assistance (including first month’s rent and/or security deposit to permit a family or college student to move into an apartment or home).
• One time emergency assistance for families who are in danger of becoming homeless due to foreclosure, eviction and loss of main utilities.
• Safe and decent homes for families living in substandard housing through modernization/rehabilitation/weatherization.

Applications for housing assistance are available at the Tribal Housing office. SVT’s Housing Office is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For more information call (907) 234-7898 ext 235.

SVT's Community Health Representative (CHR) works with the public school and local senior citizens to provide health outreach services.

Our CHR conducts home visits for elders to ensure their wellbeing. We also provide elders with transportation to the local post office and grocery store and assistance with forms for public and energy assistance.

Debbie Hecks has served as the Tribe’s Community Health Representative since 1989. She is an EMTIII and has advanced cardiac life support certification.

Our CHR can be contacted at (907) 234-7898 or  you can e-mail  Debbie Hecks.

The SVT Food Bank program is available to all residents of Seldovia who qualify based on income. We provide groceries and essentials to food bank users to get them through the month without going hungry.

Our Food Bank Coordinator can be reached at: (907) 435-3255 or by e-mail.

In 2009, unveiled a new permanent exhibit at depicting the culture and history of the Dena'ina, Aleut and Sugpiaq peoples who have inhabited the Seldovia area for millennia.

The exhibit tells of the origins, lifeways and the traditional and contemporary subsistence activities of the Native tribes that called is area home. It also speaks fo the later Russian influence and how that shaped Seldovia as we know it today. Specimens of local flora and fauna from the area are displayed to give visitors from afar a glimpse at Seldovia's natural abundance.

The SVT exhibit is located at the SVT Visitors Center at 206 Main Street, Seldovia. It is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.

The SVT Exercise Room is located inside the Seldovia Conference Center and enjoys a near-panoramic view of Seldovia Bay. It is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.

The gym is equipped with treadmills, elliptical trainers, Pilates machines, weights and more. It is open to everyone at a cost of$20 for 25 visits. Seniors are $1.00 per visit.

Seldovia Village Tribe operates the Barabara Heights Volunteer Fire Department (SVT BH VFD) in Seldovia Village. The Department is a volunteer first response fire department stationed at mile four in the Barabara Heights Subdivision.

Established in 2004 as a State of Alaska Project Code Red rural fire department, the department has 10 dedicated volunteers who work to provide fire fighting services as well as community CPR/First Aid classes.

The department works closely with the City of Seldovia’s EMS training department to ensure volunteers kept are up-to-date on their EMS training.

Seldovia Village Tribe’s Injury Prevention Program is a collaborative effort with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Wellness and Prevention Division. The program provides low cost ice cleats, float coats and chimney brush loans to residents of Seldovia to prevent costly accidents and injuries.

The SVT Children’s Play Group provides free-of-charge daytime activities for children from 0-12 years of age. This service is offered to both Tribal and community members. Its hours are Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.