The Native Villages of St. Mary’s and Pitka’s Point are Yup’ik communities located near the Yukon River in what is now known as the Lower Yukon River Basin, Alaska. The Native Village of St. Mary’s is also known as the Algaaciq Native Village. The Algaaciq Tribal Government and Yupiit of Andreafsky – both federally recognized Tribes – have headquarters in St. Mary’s. Similarly, the Native Village of Pitka’s Point – a federally recognized Tribe – is based in Pitka’s Point. The villages of St. Mary’s and Pitka’s Point are adjacent to each other, and community members rely on subsistence hunting, fishing, and gathering. The St. Mary’s community works on a variety of projects with the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council.

In 2009, hunters and Elders in the villages of St. Mary’s and Pitka’s Point were interviewed on their observations of climate change, which are summarized in the publication, “Indigenous Observations of Climate Change in the Lower Yukon River Basin, Alaska” and have led to critical understanding about the changing climate in the region.