NilaVena
A Place to Listen. A Space to Lead. A Path Forward—Together.
The Nila Vena Sustainability Forum is more than an organization. It’s a place where Tribal leaders, knowledge holders, youth, and community members come together to share priorities, shape strategy, and build solutions. We call it a forum because that’s what it’s—a living space for collaboration, conversation, and collective decision-making among seven villages that surround Lake Iliamna and Lake Clark.
NilaVena
Our Mission
- Support community-led, Indigenous-driven development.
- Build tools, programs, and policies that serve Tribal priorities.
- Foster regional collaboration and reduce duplication of effort.
- Share knowledge across communities—and across generations.
- Represent the region in state, federal, and global spaces with a united voice.
- We are guided by the values of sovereignty, stewardship, and sustainability.
NilaVena
How the Forum Works
The Forum brings together representatives from: Igiugig, Newhalen, Nondalton, Pedro Bay, Kokhanok, Iliamna, and Port Alsworth.
Forum meetings—held in person and virtually—are spaces for strategy, storytelling, updates, and action. They are designed to be participatory, culturally grounded, and responsive to the actual experiences of communities.
Through these gatherings, we align on shared goals, coordinate grant applications and regional strategies, review draft tools and policy templates, learn from one another’s successes and setbacks, uplift youth voices, Elder wisdom, and community priorities.
NilaVena
Why This Model Matters
Tribes are too often expected to navigate federal programs, climate threats, infrastructure gaps, and systemic inequities on their own. The Forum model provides a space where we can move together and create change at a scale no one village could manage alone. We are not a top-down organization. The Forum is community-directed, peer-led, and built to reflect the rhythms and realities of life in the Iliamna region. It’s a place where:
A broadband project in Kokhanok can inform planning in Pedro Bay
A grant template from Igiugig can be adapted by Newhalen
A wildfire lesson from Dillingham can shape a workshop in Nondalton
NilaVena
Beyond the Region
As we build models that work here, we share them widely—because other communities shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel. The Forum also serves as a platform for participation in national and international Indigenous movements.
We build for:
- Indigenous Guardians networks
- Co-management and landback coalitions
- Tribal governance and sovereignty convenings
- Digital equity partnerships
- Cultural and language revitalization efforts
NilaVena
A Forum for the Future
The Nila Vena Forum is not just responding to immediate needs. We are preparing the ground for intergenerational leadership, long-term planning, and regional self-determination. We’re here to protect what matters most—by working together, with intention, and in relationship.