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- [00:00]
Clarice Larson
Support for Alaska Public Media On Demand comes from Siri, an Alaska Native corporation with operations and investments spanning five continents, 45 states and two US territories. We know that these villages, many of them in the YK Delta, are going to have enormously expensive tasks, whether they move, whether they rebuild.
- [00:28]
Casey Grove
Years before the storm that devastated western Alaska, a report put a price tag on protecting villages from the impacts of climate change. From Alaska Public Media, this is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Friday, November 14th. Good evening. I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, this scientist is researching the sounds whales make above the water.
- [00:48]
Fred Sharp
We get these crazy night sounds and scares the dog.
- [00:50]
Casey Grove
Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly. PALMER Republican State Senator Shelley Hughes resigned from the Alaska Senate today to pursue her gubernatorial candidacy, according to a news release from her campaign. The Alaska Beacon reports that her resignation follows fellow Senate Minority Caucus member Mike Schauer, who represented Wasilla. He resigned at the end of last month to focus on his run for lieutenant governor. Hughes resignation was expected. She told the Alaska Beacon in October she planned to resign in time for her replacement to be in place before the legislative session begins in January. Governor Mike Dunleavy will select her replacement from among a number of nominees to be selected by Republican Party officials in her district. Republican senators must confirm his choice before that person is seated. Hughes replacement must be a Republican and meet the state constitution's requirements to hold office. Hughes said she expects that Republican Wasilla State Representative Kathy Tilton will be among the nominees for her seat because Tilton has already filed to run for senator in the district. Hughes was initially appointed to her seat in 2012 by then Governor Sean Parnell, which she credits in part to the fact that she was already running. Hughes is one of 12 Republicans and 14 total candidates that seek to be elected governor in 2026. She represented her district for 12 years. The Juneau assembly is slated to decide Monday night whether Juneau should adopt a ranked choice voting system for municipal elections beginning next year. Alaska already uses a ranked choice voting system for statewide elections. In local elections, Juneau voters choose one candidate in single member races with ranked choice voting. Voters would instead rank candidates by preference. If adopted on Monday, Juneau would become the first major city in Alaska to adopt ranked choice voting for municipal elections, but other cities across the U.S. including New York, San Francisco and Minneapolis, already use the system in local elections. The assembly was originally supposed to vote on the topic in August, but decided to delay the decision until after the fall local election. Assemblymember Ella Adkisson proposed the change during a meeting earlier this summer, she said she thinks voters will support really is.
- [03:15]
Kashla Mary Goddard
Good for races where there are lots of candidates in one seat. And I think Juneau in general likes having lots of candidates in race because it means that the person that they feel represents them the most is the person who actually gets onto the Assembly.
- [03:30]
Casey Grove
But not everybody agrees. During public testimony on the topic this summer, Juneau resident Angela Rodell questioned why the change is necessary. Rodell unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2023 and led the Affordable Juneau Coalition this election.
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Kashla Mary Goddard
At a time when public trust in our local election process is being tested. This ordinance does not move us towards greater transparency, confidence or affordability. Instead, it is the opposite. It proposes a fundamental change to our voting process without first answering a critical question. What is the problem we're trying to solve with this?
- [04:03]
Casey Grove
According to data from the state's Division of Elections, Juneau voters previously appeared to favor ranked choice voting. Juneau overwhelmingly voted against a repeal effort on the ballot last election, which only very narrowly failed statewide. Juneau residents have the chance to testify on the ordinance in person or online before the assembly votes on Monday. People who want to testify online must notify the city clerk by 4pm before the meeting. The meeting Monday begins at 6pm at Centennial Hall. Some Alaska officials are describing the devastation ex typhoon Ha long caused last month in western Alaska as a wake up call, as an ever warming global climate makes the intense storms more likely. But efforts to identify villages vulnerable to such storms, as well as other impacts related to climate change go back decades. That includes various state task forces, starting with the administration of former governor Sarah Palin, According to a recent story from the Northern Journal, an estimate from 2020 put the cost of protecting infrastructure in Alaska's threatened communities and at $4.3 billion over the next half century. Northern Journal reporter Nat Herz says despite years of work, at least one other similarly devastating storm, and a 200 page report on the subject, there's still no clear path forward.
- [05:22]
Clarice Larson
We know that these villages, many of them in the YK Delta, are going to have enormously expensive tasks, whether they move, whether they rebuild. Um, and there really, you know, isn't a clear plan for like what exactly we're going to do as the state collectively to make that happen. But eventually this kind of research and the conversations I was having kind of brought me back around to some of the kind of research that had been done on, on sort of the threats to these Yukon Kuskokwim Delta communities and some of the ideas about sort of what needs to be done and in particular, kind of stumbled across this, like, really comprehensive and thorough and, you know, just very sort of clear report led by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, sort of the statewide coalition of Alaska tribal health organizations, but that had been kind of reviewed by elders across the state from threatened communities and, and also had participation from state agencies, at least I think, if not federal agencies as well.
- [06:33]
Casey Grove
Yeah, and I mean, I think a lot of people in your story were describing the devastation from the remnants of Typhoon Ha long as a wake up call. But this report obviously had been done before that. And I think there's this question, right, of like, whether enough has been done. The report has some recommendations, but it centers on a cost also. And tell me about that. I mean, in terms of how much money we're talking about for either protecting villages that are vulnerable to climate change and storms like this and, or actually relocating them.
- [07:11]
Clarice Larson
This was a report that came out last year in January, that was like this huge kind of team effort and released by the Native Tribal Health Consortium that kind of specifically outlined what threats, what environmental threats are risks to Alaska villages, like along the coast and along rivers, as far as like permafrost, thaw, sea level rise, that kind of thing. And, and then you know, very specifically came forward with some concepts to address those threats. And, and kind of the core one being that there is a sort of gap in the funding that is needed to address these environmental threats of roughly $80 million a year. And what they very specifically asked for was that that $80 million a year be sort of created and sent by the federal government through an agency, some kind of agency that has like Alaska leadership, and that it would flow to the Alaska communities sort of in order of the most urgent need.
- [08:21]
Casey Grove
Yeah, I mean, I guess at least one advocate in your story had called for a summit right here pretty, pretty soon. I mean, in the next, whatever, couple months or something. Does it feel like we are closer to something like that, that, you know, that might be looking at solutions, bringing, you know, tribal state, federal partners to the table?
- [08:45]
Clarice Larson
I think it's a really challenging issue, especially in Alaska, because in many ways it does tie back to climate change, to permafrost thought, a sea level rise, all of these things which are which scientists, sort of the vast consensus of science scientists tell us that this is a problem that stems from human caused climate change, which comes from our burning of fossil fuels, which tie back to the very foundation of Alaska's economy. And so I think, you know, there are some folks that are sort of at the margins of that economy who feel very comfortable having a conversation about like, okay, this is the scientific reality of what we're facing and we know what we're going to face in the future based on what scientists predict. So let's have a very kind of concerted, honest conversation about that. I think there are other folks for whom that conversation and acknowledging that is kind of difficult and they have to sort of talk around it. And I don't think that as like Alaskans and as Alaska policymakers, makers, sort of there's a consensus about how we talk about this problem of environmentally threatened communities rather than like communities that are threatened by climate change. And can we do that in a way that is going to result in the sort of broad political will to do what needs to be done to make sort of more proactive and forward thinking plans to protect these communities so that you're not having storms come and destroy villages and result in dozens or hundreds of people having to move from their homes in an unplanned way to Bethel or Anchorage. Because I think that's a situation that, like everyone recognizes is deeply problematic and not the outcome that we want. But I think if we really want that outcome to not continue to happen in the future, we are going to have to sort of start thinking and talking about this in a new and more urgent way.
- [10:54]
Casey Grove
That was Northern Journal reporter Nat Herz find his reporting@northernjournal.com still to come on Alaska News Nightly, a traditional Tlingit tale is retold in a film premiering at a festival this weekend.
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Kashla Mary Goddard
I believe the story is just as relevant today as it was, you know, hundreds of years ago.
- [11:14]
Casey Grove
That's ahead. Stay with us. The Anchorage Police Department recently launched two new initiatives aimed at reducing crime in the city. At a news conference Thursday, the mayor and police chief laid out the projects new cameras at Town Square park and new technology to help catch people stealing from stores. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance says public safety has always been her top priority. She called the city's downtown the shared living room of Anchorage and says the goal is to make the area safer.
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Kashla Mary Goddard
I want our downtown bustling. We have so many events to look forward to in the next six weeks, but I know we need to work harder to make downtown safe for everyone.
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Casey Grove
To help do that, she says, the city installed nine cameras at Town Square Park. Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case says the idea is to use cameras to make public spaces like the park more usable. He says the department will mostly use the cameras to target higher level crime.
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Fred Sharp
We're not going to be using cameras for things like jaywalking. But there are certain nuisance levels, crimes that impact businesses, that impact people, that are using our parks and our public spaces, you know, yelling, hollering, creating a loud disturbance in a public space, kay says.
- [12:32]
Casey Grove
Townsquare park is a pilot program. Next, the department is looking at Peradovich park, just to the north. There's also interest in putting cameras on some trails, although Case says logistics make that a longer term project. The second public safety initiative is an anti theft program at retail stores. Many Anchorage retailers already share shoplifting information with each other through a private platform called Aura, Case says. Now APD is using the platform to connect with retailers, too.
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Fred Sharp
They can transmit their reports, their photos, any of the evidence that they have directly through us, and that will allow a detective to take that case and then have an arrest warrant in the system and then we can go look for that individual.
- [13:13]
Casey Grove
Previously, officers had to respond to the scene in order to enforce retail theft, Case says. That required a lot of patrol officers and took more time. The initiative has been in place since late September, Case Sundays. Since then, APD has arrested more than 60 people and recovered nearly $60,000 worth of merchandise. Biologists use fancy microphones to study the many sounds humpback whales make beneath the surface in the waters of southeast Alaska. But they're also increasingly interested in sounds whales make above water. And one researcher thinks Alaskans themselves, many of whom spend their days and nights near or on the ocean, have a lot to add to that work. As Avery Elfelt reports for the Alaska Desk, he's asking them to weigh in.
- [14:08]
Avery Elfelt
Fred Sharp has studied humpback whales in Alaska for more than three decades. He's particularly interested in the noises they make and what they mean. Take, for instance, what he calls a trumpet. There's also what's known as a thrum. Sharp helped collect those sounds using above water microphones in a humpback whale hotspot near Petersburg. Lately, Sharp has been focusing on studying these sounds, which are called aerial signals. He says they're largely understudied, especially compared to underwater noises.
- [14:42]
Fred Sharp
They go undescribed by science. Yet there appears to be within the small communities like the Tenakee Inlet, Petersburg Warm Springs, that some of the locals know about them, the fishermen know about these sounds.
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Avery Elfelt
Sharp is calling on Alaskans to listen close, document their observations and pass them along to him directly. He's heard some really interesting anecdotes so far.
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Fred Sharp
Some folks even said, yeah, we get these crazy night sounds and scares the dog. And the dog's hiding under the bed, right? And so lots of ways to investigate these sounds and I'd love to hear about anyone's interactions or detections of these.
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Avery Elfelt
Amazing signals another person relayed listening to what they thought were whale sounds during late night hot tub sessions. Sharpe says the sounds could reveal a lot about the mysterious creatures, think their hunting behaviors, communication systems and more.
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Fred Sharp
They live very cryptic lives. Anything we can utilize to just gain insight into their interior worlds and to appreciate them more deeply and be better ocean stewards. It's always really important.
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Avery Elfelt
Trumpet sounds, for example, can travel more than 20 km through the atmosphere and typically indicate that a humpback is really excited. Here's Sharp's rendition. Sharp says there could be practical applications. For starters, better understanding the sounds, including notable respiratory behavior, could help humans better read the animals during entanglements and minimize conflicts between humans and whales more broadly. It could also contribute to research on where the whales are located and how many there are in a given area. Currently, he says relevant research is largely driven by underwater listening, which requires expensive ocean proof technology. But a better grasp on aerial signals could actually allow researchers to rely instead on cheaper above water mics.
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Fred Sharp
And of course, a lot of it's just curiosity driven. You know, you just hear these sounds and just wanting to try to understand them. And if they are part of a deeper communication system where animals are communicating over longer distances, that's also super exciting.
- [16:40]
Avery Elfelt
Sharp says anyone who lives, works or recreates near the water is likely exposed to the sounds so long as they pay attention and depending on a given area's acoustics, people could hear them from really far away, even high up in the mountains. He says sounds can roll up a valley from the water below. During a recent month long visit to Haines, Sharp said he was particularly excited about that possibility in the Chilkat Valley, which is famous for its jagged peaks that tower above the Lynn Canal.
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Fred Sharp
It kind of reminds me of Patagonia, these mountains here. And it's like the potential for sounds to be bouncing around and be heard and detected in odd locations is very enticing.
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Avery Elfelt
Sharp says. You can reach him via email@iy o u k e e n mail.com the whale sounds in the story were collected under a permit issued by the national oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Reporting in Haines, I'm Avery Elphelt.
- [17:42]
Casey Grove
A filmmaker from France has returned to Alaska for the second time in the past decade. On her last trip, she cycled 18,000 miles filming her journey for a documentary. Now she's back for a new project about the state with Noem on her itinerary this time, knom's Wally Rana spoke with her about what's next.
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Wally Rana
Sophie Planck is a French director and photographer. She has been making documentaries for French television stations for 15 years. She last came to Alaska eight years ago, resulting in a documentary called the Great Traverse.
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Kashla Mary Goddard
The last one I have done was to cycle from Prudhoe Bay Dead Horse in Alaska to Ushuaia in Argentina.
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Wally Rana
She says that trip instilled a love for indigenous languages. Planck speaks English, French and Spanish and says she realized the importance of connecting with the cultures and languages of the places she visited.
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Kashla Mary Goddard
They all had their own language and dialects and it was so inspiring to connect with this because I could feel how proud they were to stand for their culture and tradition through their language.
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Wally Rana
Planck says she wants to work with groups conducting language revitalization programs in Alaska. She says she wants to share their work globally. That's a big part of her current trip, she says. This time she'll work her way across Alaska's interior and and conduct initial fieldwork and interviews. She says she'll then head back to France to convince TV stations to fund the production of her documentary. If Planck gets the green light, she says she will be coming back to shoot her documentary.
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Kashla Mary Goddard
It is important to spread also the information abroad because we shall not be ignorant about what is happening around the planet. We have to get the knowledge and share each other's fights.
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Wally Rana
Planck arrived in Fairbanks late last month and is planning to head to nullato, about 300 miles west of Fairbanks in Alaska's interior. She then plans to come even further west to Nome later this month. In Nome, I'm Wally Rana.
- [19:44]
Casey Grove
A short film based on a traditional Tlingit tale will be premiering at the World's largest Indigenous Film Festival this weekend. As KCAW's Hope McKinney reports, the 11 minute film made in Sitka, is narrated entirely in Tlingit with English subtitles and features several Sitka locals.
- [20:12]
Hope McKinney
The film opens with a scene of a man donning regalia intercepted by aerial shots of Sitka in Tlingit. He says the berries were ripe, they were so good at that time. The short film is based on the traditional Tlingit tale, the Woman who Married a Bear. There are multiple versions of the story, but the basic premise is that a woman is disrespectful to a bear while out picking berries with a friend and ends up marrying the bear disguised as a man and having a family with him.
- [20:40]
Kashla Mary Goddard
So what I did with the traditional Tlingit story was I wrote a contemporary version of it. I wanted it to resonate with audiences today, but still be told in our traditional way, which is the oral Tlingit storytelling.
- [20:54]
Hope McKinney
Kashla Mary Goddard is a Tlingit artist and filmmaker based in Sitka who wrote and produced the short film. She says the project has been in the works for a couple of years and was filmed last year during salmonberry season. In this modern, condensed retelling, a cell phone is central to the plot. Goddard says some themes she wanted to pull out of the story are being aware and being present.
- [21:17]
Kashla Mary Goddard
Modern society, a lot of times we are so distracted by our phones. We are so distracted about, like, what looks good, what sounds fun, that we can be swept away into a completely different world. Whether that world is addiction, whether that world is not living out your values. And so without giving too much away, I want people to be able to watch this film and take away what they need to take away from it. But I believe the story is just as relevant today as it was, you know, hundreds of years ago.
- [21:48]
Hope McKinney
The 11 minute film is narrated completely in thlinkit by Hune Lance Twitchell, professor of Alaska Native Languages at University of Alaska Southeast. Twitchell says he's studied the traditional tale quite a bit.
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Hune Lance Twitchell
The story is like a really incredible Tlingit story. And what I really love is we have these different retellings of it, which I really like because Tlingit are not flat, one dimensional peoples. And so any story we have, there might be 10 different ways to tell it, although there are certain things that usually most people want you to sort of get to.
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Hope McKinney
One of the biggest lessons from the story, Twitchell says, is to be respectful of nature.
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Hune Lance Twitchell
There's a living spirit inside of everything, which is why we give respect to all things. And when those things don't happen, they'll say your life will spin out of control.
- [22:46]
Hope McKinney
Twitchell says he had fun finding translations for modern words and concepts in the script that haven't traditionally existed in Tlingit, like taking selfies and texting, which he translated to Yugushtatunk, which means thumb talking in Tlingit.
- [23:01]
Hune Lance Twitchell
For indigenous languages, there's a real challenge of modernizing our languages because our languages were actively banished. Like we were forbidden to speak our own languages. These were governments, these were churches, these were leaders who actively forbade us from speaking. So we didn't get to hang out with the world as all these different things were being developed. Boilers and engines and cell phones and all this other stuff.
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Kashla Mary Goddard
So I think this was like a really, really, like, brilliant idea.
- [23:34]
Hope McKinney
23 year old Gavi K. Strummer is an indigenous Nakota Sioux model from Sitka who makes her acting debut in this film. She thinks the modern retelling of the traditional story will help reach a younger audience.
- [23:48]
Kashla Mary Goddard
Most people do respond well to, like, modern teachings, I guess too, because they can hear the stories traditionally. But I think they more see it as like an old thing, you know, and with like teaching it in a more modern way, like a film is, I think, a better way to speak to the people. Now.
- [24:12]
Hope McKinney
Twitchell hopes the film gets people interested in learning more, to learn or continue learning Tlingit, and to delve deeper into Alaska Native stories.
- [24:21]
Hune Lance Twitchell
So as people listen to me, they're listening to all the people who taught me Tlingit. And then their intention in doing that was to make sure that all of our grandchildren would be speakers of the language. And I think that's the direction we're going, is that we'll have a generation someday that'll look back and say, whoa, this was almost gone. Like it's, it's all over the place. And we got a long road ahead of us to get there. But I think this project is one part of that road construction that gets us to a place of safety, which is where we deserve to be.
- [24:53]
Hope McKinney
The team says they hope to continue to make more of these short films showcasing Alaska Native stories or possibly even a full length feature in the future. Reporting in sitka, I'm Hope McKenney.
- [25:04]
Casey Grove
The woman who Married a Bear will premiere at the Red Nation International Film Festival in Los Angeles on Saturday. It will also be showing in Sitka on December 5th and at the Anchorage International Film Festival on December 13th. And that's all for this edition of Alaska News Nightly. We had reports tonight from Clarice Larson in Juneau, Hannah Flor in Anchorage, Avery Elfelt in Haynes, Wally Rana in nome, and Hope McKinney in Sitka. Our audio engineer tonight is Tobin Shelby. Madeline Rose is our producer. And I'm Casey Grove. Have a great weekend.