Spruce Root

03/27/2026

February was cold and stormy in Yakutat, but the community couldn’t have given our Resilience Circles cohort a warmer welcome during their 3-day retreat.

Resilience Circles Program Manager Lisa Nelson shared that spending time in such a welcoming community was one of the highlights for participants.

“The town opened up for them and welcomed them into the culture of Yakutat. The dancers performed, we shared dinner at the Senior Center, and community members stopped by for lunches and dinners. A couple of elders even brought smoked king tidbits and smoked salmon eggs. There was so much laughter shared—it was really wonderful.”

Alongside time spent with the community, participants spent the retreat diving into business essentials like pricing and cash flow, as well as wellness teachings.

Gunalchéesh for hosting us, Yakutat! 💙

Photo credit Ashley Guthrie and Naomi Michalsen

03/26/2026

Aatlein gunalchéesh, Haw'aa, Nt'oyaxsn — thank you for being part of the Spruce Root community 💚

If you received support through Spruce Root's Business Client Services or loan program (this year or in the past), please take a few minutes to complete our participant survey. Your feedback helps us strengthen and shape programs for entrepreneurs across the region.

👉 Survey Link Here: https://spruceroot.formstack.com/forms/2025_bcs_annual_program_participant_survey_copy

🎁 Bonus: The first 50 people to complete the survey will receive a $10 Amazon gift card!

The survey takes about 10–15 minutes, and all responses are confidential and optional.

We’d love to hear from you by April 6th—thank you for helping us continue to grow 🌱

03/25/2026

Sometimes all it takes is five hours hunting seals in a snowstorm to create space for real connection.

Last month in Yakutat, Resilience Circle participants shared an experience that went far beyond what could ever fit on an agenda. From skin sewing to sharing subsistence knowledge, participants took the time to build meaningful bonds with one another.

Creating space for Indigenous entrepreneurs from across the region to connect is central to the vision of Resilience Circles. The program is designed not just to strengthen businesses, but to cultivate confident, connected leaders who can lead their businesses within the strength of a network of fellow Native entrepreneurs.

As Resilience Circles Program Manager Lisa Nelson explains: 
“Entrepreneurship can feel solitary. This program reminds people they are not alone in the struggle.”

“When we invest in entrepreneurs as whole people, the positive spillover reaches families, businesses, and communities.”

Anyone who lives in small-town Alaska knows the power a few dedicated individuals can have in shaping the future of a community. We’re excited to see this year’s cohort building their capacity to offer this type of leadership to their communities, and we’re so grateful to Yakutat for helping us host such a meaningful retreat.

Photo credit Ashley Guthrie and Naomi Michalsen

03/24/2026

Facilitation is all about the art of connection. 

Izzy Haywood is someone who brings this understanding to her work every day. In her role, Izzy helps our team and other partners create transformative events, workshops, and retreats. She’s got a warm and enthusiastic energy that, paired with the skillset of tools she’s gathered over the years, brings life to the gatherings she helps lead.

Izzy flexed her facilitation skills at the Southeast Alaska Farmers Retreat a few weeks ago, an event she’s helped plan and lead for years now. Izzy guided farmers through community building exercises, navigated last minute changes to our itinerary, and created a warm atmosphere for all our participants. 

If your organization is looking for support planning a gathering, strategic planning session, or another event, keep Izzy in mind! You can reach out to her at isabella@spruceroot.org

Photos by Erin O’Farrell and Shaelene Grace Moler

03/19/2026

At the most recent Southeast Alaska Farmers Retreat, we learned so much about the creative innovations that local growers are using at their farms! Today, we turn to Tidal Wood Food and Forage to share about their backyard operation.

In addition to his work bringing local foods into the classroom with Discovery Southeast and serving on the board at Juneau Community Garden, farmer Joel hosts a small farm operation on his property. After a hiccup with the ferry led to a last-minute pivot from hosting the retreat in Gustavus to Juneau, Joel generously opened up his farm for us to take a tour! We were able to learn more about his high tunnel, composting methods, step into his root cellar, and peek at his raised beds under a blanket of late-winter snow. 

📍Where they are: Douglas Island, Juneau

🫜What they grow: Veggies, grown in composted soil that farmer Joel makes from alder wood and grain donated from local breweries

🥗Who they feed: Local markets around Juneau 

✨Recent Innovations: Tidal Wood’s operation is located on a muskeg, which requires Joel to get creative with the materials he uses to cultivate an environment suitable for growing fresh veg. Among other materials, he’s used recycled pallets and woodchips to build soil and constructed raised beds using trees cut down from his yard.

Photos by Erin O’Farrell

03/17/2026

Farming in the soggy climate of Southeast requires a lot of grit and creativity. For the past five years, we’ve supported growers through the Southeast Alaska Farmers Summit. A few weeks ago, we hosted this year’s event: a farmers retreat in Juneau. Throughout the gathering, farmers swapped stories and seeds, and cooked up meals and new ideas to feed each other. 

We’re sharing some of the creative innovations that farmers shared with us at the most recent retreat. Today we start with our friends Marja and Bo of Farragut Farm, longtime stewards of these gatherings!

📍Where they are: Off-grid in Farragut Bay

🫜What they grow: Mixed vegetables and (more recently) fruit!

🥗Who they feed: Their neighbors in Petersburg and beyond– they deliver their produce to town by boat

✨Recent Innovations: A new high tunnel orchard, started with apple trees they got from Hoonah-based Alaska Apple Farms at the Farmers Retreat two years ago 🍎 Since then, they’ve added cherries, pear, plums, blueberry bushes, strawberries, and grape vines to the high tunnel! 

Photos courtesy of Farragut Farm

03/16/2026

Prince of Wales residents—this mini-workshop is for you!

Join us on March 21st at the Craig Public Library for an introduction to financial wellness. Together, we’ll clarify your financial goals and create a practical plan to help you achieve them.

Register at https://spruceroot.org/etn/goal-setting-for-financial-wellness-craig-public-library/

03/12/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome the newest member of our team, Sabena Allen.

Sabena’s Tlingit name is Aandax̱joon. She is G̱aanaax̱teidí and a child of the Kaagwaantaan clan. Sabena is a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the University of Chicago and will be graduating in 2026. She was born in Sitka and returned home in 2023 to conduct research for her dissertation.

Sabena has collaborated with a number of organizations around Alaska since returning, including at the CIRI Foundation, Museums Alaska, Sealaska Heritage Institute, and the Sitka Sound Science Center.

As the The Sustainable Southeast Partnership Regenerative Tourism Catalyst, she is excited to continue her work on collaborative projects in Southeast Alaska.

03/09/2026

We’ve got a fresh *Spruce Tip* for you!

It’s nearing the end of the PFD application season for Alaskans. As you’re thinking about what you will do with your distribution this year, you might consider saving some of it into an emergency fund.

When you are faced with unexpected financial situations and emergencies, having funds saved in an emergency account can help you stay afloat. Having an emergency fund is an important part of building financial security for yourself and your loved ones.

03/05/2026

We’re just a bunch of kids with laptops, trying our best to regulate our emotions and build a regenerative economy for SE Alaska.

02/26/2026

All of the businesses that Spruce Root supports are rooted in love for community, and Red Lantern, a Ketchikan based adult boutique, brings a unique Creek Street twist to that ethos.

Inspired by Ketchikan’s history of women-owned brothels, Jacquelyn (Jackie) Pope and Jillian Piazza opened Red Lantern, an adult boutique, in 2023. Since then, the two have expanded to offer burlesque performances and community events in their space.

“At the heart of the Red Lantern is storytelling through performance, history and having a human connection. We’re excited to have a space where folks can come together to create something and share art. That’s really our core.”

Through it all, they prioritize comfort and inclusivity. Their space is cozy and tasteful, their products thoughtfully curated, and their performances playful and fun.

We caught up with the folks at Red Lantern to chat about Ketchikan’s creative scene, telling the history of Creek Street, and the support from Spruce Root they’ve received to make the dreams for their community-based space a reality. Head to our blog to read our conversation:

https://spruceroot.org/news/more-than-a-valentine-qa-with-the-red-lanterns-jackie-pope-and-jillian-piazza/

Photos courtesy of The Red Lantern

02/21/2026

Starting and growing a business can be a challenging process. Entrepreneurs know they can’t do it alone—but when is the right time to ask for help, and who should they ask?

In our new video, Southeast Alaskan entrepreneurs share how they navigated these questions and ultimately turned to Spruce Root for support.

Spoiler alert: if you’re thinking about starting or growing your business, it’s always a good time to reach out to Spruce Root.

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