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In the third week of June, I made my first site visit to Napakiak (nuh-PAH-key-ack). Napakiak is a rural ALaskan community located in the Western region of Alaska along the Kuskokwim River. I first flew in to Bethel, which is a hub only about 15 miles northeast of the community. I took a small Cessna 207 that was packed full with 3 passengers, the pilot, all of our gear, and what looked like about a week’s worth of mail and packages. The plane ride over was a short 10 minutes, and we passed over the lagoon and marsh-like landscape, well below the clouds. Napakiak is a second class city, made up of about 356 people. It has a post office, two general stores, a fire department, a school, a clinic and organized tribal and city governments. There are about 80 residential buildings in the community, and like most rural Alaskan communities, several families live together under one roof. Most of the population is made up of Yup'ik Eskimos and some are part Russian.
Most rural communities do not warmly welcome uninvited outsiders. We were greeted questioningly at first, and found out that this was because a Baptist Church group from
Napakiak
Map of Kuskokwim River levelsWisconsin had showed up a day before us, unplanned, to help them do work on their cemetery. Though the community was appreciative of the help, it is common courtesy to be invited in to a community as opposed to trudging in unannounced, even with the intentions of being helpful.
As a program Supervisor, I was invited in to visit our VISTA Energy Member Leo Kusayak who has been working with the community on energy conservation, efficiency and securing a community block grant for a potential wind power project. A coworker of mine who oversees the Rural Alaska Village Environmental Network, Charlie Ess, was also with me doing a site visit with his RAVEN member Franklin Evan (ee-vaughn). This was the first site visit I had done with RurAL CAP and he was showing me the ropes. Franklin met us in the rain at the runway on his four-wheeler. We waited around and grabbed our gear and both jumped on the back. With one hand on our gear, one hand on the machine, we went over large pot holes in the road of mud, and through puddles that looked more like small lakes. He brought us down to the City
office where I met up with Leo.
Leo and I spent some time discussing his work in the community and we met together with his site supervisor Walter Nelson. While we were in town they gave us a tour of the community. Of all of the things I came prepared with, the most useful by far were my rain boots. We walked down the muddy streets, and over boardwalks that crossed over wetlands. We passed one of the stores, which was brightly colored red, and passed the water treatment plant. We then walked down to the Kuskokwim River where we saw boats in the distance and the erosion on shore. This summer, three of the houses are being relocated further inland because of the erosion from the rising river levels is cutting away the edge of the shore and dragging it into the river bed. This past spring was especially bad. Snow fall hit a record high over the winter and when break-up (when the river melts to the point where the ice breaks up in the spring) came around, it attributed to the rise in river levels. One shack was taken away by the river along with 3
River Erosion
Walter and Leo Examining the burried cans boats and a boat dock. Because of the risk of the tides, residents no longer leave their boats in the water which are used as a main source of transportation, and commercial and subsistence fishing in the summer. While we were on the eroding shore bank we found old piles of cans that had been buried over 50 years ago.
According to a study done by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Kuskokwim River has risen a number of feel since last year, cutting out about 80 feet of what use to be solid ground and pulling it into the river. Looking over the study projections, the river will cut away 250ft of solid earth within the next 10 years, bringing the water levels past several houses and up to the edge of the school. Erosion issues are huge concern in western coastal communities across Alaska. Several whole communities are working on plans to relocate further inland. In Alaska where the effects of higher temperatures are eminent, there is a lot of talk about global warming being the cause.
On our way through the town, we passed a majority of the houses, all of which are elevated on stilts
in preparation for the floods that come in the break up season. There were snow machines towering on empty oil drums and broken appliances to protect them from being destroyed by the rising water.
Residents live a subsistence lifestyle which involves harvesting salmon from the river and capturing moose, bear and seals. These subsistence foods make up about 50% of the communities diet. Leo also showed us a number of local plants that were used for soups. Near waterways, there are family owned fish camps. At these fish camps we saw bright red salmon out drying, laid out roe, and smoke houses with smoke bellowing out of their seams. Some of the fish from fish camps such as Walters are divvied up and feed up to 5 families in the community. During our time there, a four hour commercial fishing period was open. A few boats dotted the massive river, but compared to normal numbers, there were barely any fisherman out.
While we walked with Leo and Franklin through the village, we saw kids running up and down the streets playing with each other and family dogs. People rode by on four wheelers waving at us, and the older
kids were helping tend the fish camps and out on the waterways. In the winter, the snow cover roads and ice covered streams are traffics with snow machines and occasionally dog pulled sleds.
Electric and heating costs are extremely high in rural communities because infrastructure in expensive and all fuel and resources must be flown or barged in. For heating in the winter, most homes in Napakiak use wood burning stoves. They have ample wood resources that are a lot cheaper than using electric furnaces. Currently the cost per Kilowatt hour is $1.08. After the Power Cost Equalization Program kicks in, a State subsidy program that attempts to equalize the more urban costs with the higher rural costs, residential consumers pay about 47 cents a kilowatt hour. While we were in the Indian General Assistance Program Office (IGAP), I used a Kill-a-watt meter to test the energy usage of the one pot, commercial style coffee maker, which they left on 24/7. After the math was all said and done, the coffee maker costs them $47 a month in electric bills, and this is only for the time it sits idle. This does not account for the energy used to
House to be relocated
This is one of the three houses that they will be relocating this summer. actually make the coffee!
These high costs have encouraged the community to switch entirely over to CFL light bulbs. Leo Kusayak, the RurAL CAP VISTA Energy member said that the change out saves him about $60 a month on electricity in his house. Alaska Village Council Presidents (AVCP) came in and did CFL change outs for about 30 houses in the community and the RurAL CAP RAVEN member, Franklin, applied for and was awarded funding through the RurAL CAP Foundation Grant to do CFL change outs through the remaining 50 homes in the community.
Currently the city is getting an upgrade on their electrical lines from Bethel. The new efficiencies and lower line loss will hopefully lower the cost of electricity.
As for water and sewer, residential homes are on a flush/haul system that includes plumbing for sinks and low-flush toilets. Because solid and human waste has leaked in to the ground water, the running water is not drinkable. There is, however, a water treatment plant where residents can haul the water they use for cooking and drinking. Buying bottled water is also expensive. One gallon of water is just shy of $6 at Jungs Trading Post,
Boardwalk
Charlie Ess Crossing the Boardwalk. one of the two local stores. A gallon of milk is $14.89. Produce, dairy and other groceries are pretty pricy as well, reflecting the high costs of shipping everything in. Knowing this ahead of time, Charlie and I brought a lot of our food with us.
In the community they have satellites and other cable services and just recently got cell phone service. The City office we were staying at even had wireless internet. In the City office, there is also a washateria where residents do their laundry for $1.25 a load. Most homes have clothes lines that are used in the summer months to save on the extra drying costs.
While we were in Napakiak, we stayed in the city office. Since the lodging rooms were full with men who were working on the dump site, we brought our sleeping bags and set up camp on the floor. While we were winding down in the evenings we were met with smiling kids sneaking in to meet us. When we closed the office door to get some work done on our laptops, they pressed their faces against the outside of the glass and smiled at us excitingly between their
continuous sprinting up and down the ramp that lead up to the office. Altogether we stayed for 2 days and two nights.
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Miros
non-member comment
:)
Thats pretty cool that you get to visit all those far away places and keep us city girls informed. I kind of like the chew poster ;) hehe.