Business & Livelihoods: Who Benefits From Alaska’s Outdoor Economy?

Lee Hart
May 13
2 min read

Alaska’s $3.8 billion outdoor economy continues to grow — but an important question sits underneath that growth: Who is being prepared to participate in it?

On May 19, Alaska Outdoor Alliance’s Regenerative Outdoor Visioning Project will host a conversation focused on Business & Livelihoods — exploring how Alaska can create stronger pathways for Alaska-born youth to build meaningful careers connected to stewardship, recreation, tourism, conservation, guiding, land management, restoration, hospitality, and entrepreneurship.

This session will feature guest weavers Gabe Sjoberg of Alaska Youth Stewards and Kevin Alexander, Dean of UAF Community & Technical College. Together, they bring perspectives from youth stewardship programs, workforce development, technical education, rural access, and community-based career pathways.

But this conversation is about much more than simply filling jobs. As Alaska’s visitor economy and recreation sectors expand, many communities are wrestling with deeper questions:

How do we create more Alaska-born guides, outfitters, land managers, educators, and outdoor business owners?
How do we prepare young people for work that strengthens connection to place?
What skills, partnerships, apprenticeships, or investments are currently missing?
What role should universities, Tribes, nonprofits, employers, and industry play together?

The session will include dialogue, breakout discussions, and audience-driven idea harvesting to help shape a larger regenerative framework for Alaska’s outdoor future. This conversation may be especially valuable for:

Guides and outfitters
Lodges, tourism operators, and hospitality businesses
Outdoor manufacturers and retailers
Seasonal employers
Land managers and stewardship organizations
University students and professors, especially business and outdoor studies
Career and technical education leaders
STEM and youth leadership programs
Conservation organizations
Tribal organizations
Workforce development professionals
Entrepreneurs and community builders

Ultimately, this session asks a simple but important question:

If Alaska’s outdoor economy is going to grow, how do we ensure more Alaskans are prepared to lead it — and benefit from it — for generations to come?