For thousands of years, Alaska Native Peoples have been harvesting traditional foods based on seasons. Access to these cherished traditional foods is directly tied to the health and well-being of Chugach Tribal Members, and Tribal stewardship over these resources is crucial for maintaining long-term sustainable subsistence practices. It is important to understand that traditional foods have a greater importance to traditional peoples than just their nutritional value, as important as that is. People in Prince William Sound talk about traditional foods as nourishing the spirit as well as the body. Wild resources are shared within and between Native communities in ways that store-bought resources tend not to be. In this sense, traditional foods bind the community and the region together. The loss of subsistence foods resulted in less sharing, as well as a lessening of the expression of these traditional ties.