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- [00:00]
Casey Grove
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.
- [00:19]
Ruth Anzent
We opposed their Central Yukon Resource Management Plan, their integrated activity plan for our National Petroleum Reserve.
- [00:27]
Casey Grove
And now Congress is considering whether to undo Biden era ANWR protections in a vote tomorrow. From Alaska Public Media, this is statewide News on Alaska News nightly for Wednesday, December 3rd. Good evening. I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, a mining prospect on Native Corporation land inside a national park raises some complicated questions.
- [00:47]
Max Graham
The confluence of different interests here and sort of history of the land itself is unique.
- [01:00]
Casey Grove
The U.S. senate is about to vote on a resolution to toss former President Joe Biden's limits on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and ensure nothing like it is imposed again. The measure would expand the area available for leasing to the entire coastal plain of the refuge in the northeast corner of Alaska. It's part of a strategy to dismantle Biden's environmental legacy, much of which took place in Alaska, the the state with the most federal land. Sponsor of the repeal, Senator Lisa Murkowski listed the ways Republicans in Congress are removing Biden's barriers to Alaska development.
- [01:34]
Ruth Anzent
We opposed their Central Yukon Resource Management Plan, their integrated activity plan for our National Petroleum Reserve, and their decision to shut down any potential development on a very small part of the coastal plain.
- [01:50]
Casey Grove
Congress and the Trump administration have already nullified the Biden limits on leasing in the Arctic Refuge. But the nullification pending in Congress now uses the Congressional Review Act. That means a future president could not impose substantially similar limits without an act of Congress. Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico spoke against the resolution. He described the area as a breathtaking wilderness that's vital for hundreds of species of birds and wildlife.
- [02:16]
Max Graham
The Arctic Refuge is the crown jewel of our national wildlife refuge system and it belongs to every single American. It deserves our protection.
- [02:29]
Casey Grove
Market forces may in effect provide that protection. No major oil companies bid. When the first Trump administration held an ANWR lease sale in 2021, the resolution cleared a Senate procedural vote largely along party lines today. It's expected to pass the Senate on a final vote Thursday. The House has already passed an identical resolution so it would go next to the president for his signature.
- [03:07]
One of south central Alaska's most promising mining prospects sits on native corporation land surrounded by Lake Clark national park and Preserve, about 120 miles southwest of Anchorage. And smack dab in the middle of a conflict. On one side is Contango, the mining company leasing the Johnson tract from Cook Inlet Region incorporated, whose nearly 10,000 indigenous shareholders stand to benefit from developing what is thought to be billions of dollars worth of gold, zinc, and copper. On the other are conservationists, fishermen, and local lodge owners who worry about impacts from a mine, a road through a national park, and a port that would need to be built to ship out ore, which would happen in an area critical to Beluga, Wales. Northern Journal reporter Max Graham says while the conflict over the proposed mine might feel familiar, there are some unique circumstances around it.
- [03:56]
Max Graham
Yeah, so it goes back to the 70s, you know, even before the park was created, really, starting with the Alaska Native Claim settlement Act in 1971, and the sort of pool of land that the federal government made available to seri around Cook Inlet was pretty limited. And then over several years, they negotiated this huge deal with the federal government and the state government called the Cook Inlet Land Exchange. And the Johnson tract was one of the sort of key assets that that deal guaranteed to Syria.
- [04:34]
Casey Grove
What would development entail there? I mean, it's in the middle of a national park. They would need to get that ore out of there somehow and, of course, dig it up. I mean, how would that all work?
- [04:46]
Max Graham
Yeah, so it's still pretty early on, and a sort of robust feasibility study hasn't been completed yet, but the company that is advancing the project, Contango, or, you know, put out a sort of preliminary economic study last year. And that preliminary study had some, you know, some info about what it might look like. It would be an underground operation. It would be pretty small compared to some of the other, you know, major mines in the state or that have been proposed. Contango, you know, is proposing to process the ore off site and just to ship the raw ore itself.
- [05:27]
Faith Kleida
And.
- [05:28]
Max Graham
And that means they wouldn't build a mill right next to the mine, and they wouldn't build a tailings pond right there, but would then just be sort of shipping ore that hasn't been refined yet to a mill somewhere else. And they haven't said yet where exactly it would go. So earlier this year, the Park Service or the Department of Interior, which oversees the Park Service, granted Siri two easements. One for a road that would connect the mine, if one were built, to the coast, and then another easement for a sort of port site where the developer would actually build a dock or something to ship the ore out. And those easements are sort of the initial rights for Siri and whoever Siri's partnered with, in this case, Contango to build that infrastructure through the park.
- [06:20]
Casey Grove
Well, of course, with all of this, there are people that are concerned about it. Who are they and what are their concerns?
- [06:27]
Max Graham
Yeah, there are a few different sort of pockets of opposition. So the area where the port would go, there's a small setnet fishery there, and there's a lot of concern among that community that this operation, if it moves forward, would really transform the bay where they. They fish. And then in addition to that, there's concern from a couple of environmental groups that that same bay where the fishery is, is also, you know, appears to be pretty important winter habitat for beluga whales, an endangered population of belugas in Cook Inlet. And then I'd say another pocket of concern is there are two or a couple bear lodges. Right. Kind of in that area as well. And lodge owners are concerned, similar to the fishermen, that this kind of development would be incompatible with the landscape and with their businesses.
- [07:24]
Casey Grove
So, Max, this idea to develop a mine there, it strikes me as somewhat unique. I mean, the land ended up with Siri through ancsa, and it's a native corporation trying to develop land for its shareholders. Does it seem different to you than some of the other mining disputes that we've heard about?
- [07:43]
Max Graham
Yeah, I think there are a number of similarities and then some interesting differences. The fact that it's this in holding, surrounded by a park, a national park, makes it different. But then I also. I think you're right. I think the sort of Inksa component and the historical significance of the property to Ciri makes it different and interesting to me. I mean, there are other deposits, of course, or mines that are, you know, important to Alaska Native corporations. But the confluence of different interests here and the sort of history of the. The land itself is unique. You know, I. In my story, I sort of talk about how this conflict is kind of a microcosm of these larger tensions between two different visions for Alaska. You know, one that's more oriented around environmental protection and the other that is more oriented around resource development. And I think that there are kind of two different sides here in which those views are embedded. But I also think that it's important to note that that tension sometimes is sort of manifested even just within.
- [08:58]
One individual or one corporation. And I think that, yes, it's easy to sort of draw this picture of two competing sides, but I do think it's more complicated.
- [09:08]
Casey Grove
That was Northern Journal reporter Max Graham find his full story about the Johnson tract and efforts to mine it@northernjournal.com.
- [09:19]
Still to come on Alaska News Nightly, some professional advice on avoiding the wintertime.
- [09:24]
Rainey Malone
Blues social connection is going to be a huge thing that's going to help you get through the season that's ahead.
- [09:29]
Casey Grove
Stay with us. Public safety officials believe a Fairbanks woman died in a house fire early Monday morning. Officials believe the victim to be 39 year old Alicia Anderson. According to a statement from Alaska State Troopers. Firefighters received a report of a residential structure fire around 2am Monday. Crews found Anderson's one story cabin on Whistling Swan Drive engulfed in flames and discovered human remains during the response. Troopers say two deputy fire marshals conducted an investigation into the origin of the fire which found that it occurred under intentional circumstances by Anderson herself, end quote. The victim has been transported to the state medical examiner's office for autopsy and confirmation of identification. Next of kin have been notified and an elderly woman died in EEC after a fire engulfed a home on Thanksgiving. Alaska State troopers say several occupants of a home were able to escape, but 78 year old Exena Black was unaccounted for the following day. Troopers say a deputy fire marshal responded to the Lower Kuskokwim Delta community and found human remains. Black's next of kin have been notified and the remains have been sent to the state medical examiner's office in Anchorage. Troopers say they don't suspect foul play but are still investigating the fire's cause.
- [10:57]
Staff from state and federal agencies were in Fairbanks this week to help connect people impacted by ex typhoon Ha long with resources and recovery programs. Faith Kleida is an emergency management specialist with Alaska's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. She worked out of the Nol Wein Library Monday and Tuesday alongside other disaster response officials and representatives from Fairbanks Native Association.
- [11:20]
Faith Kleida
Our primary objective was to make sure we were helping assist all of the evacuees from Pipnook that we were aware of here in Fairbanks.
- [11:30]
Casey Grove
Remnants of the typhoon struck western Alaska in mid October, devastating communities with widespread damage from flooding and strong winds. The storm displaced more than 1,600 people, with hundreds evacuating to Anchorage and Bethel. But some families also made their way to Fairbanks. Klyda says officials met with four households so far this week totaling 14 people who'd left their home community because of the storm. She says that's the running estimate for the number of evacuees in the Fairbanks area.
- [11:58]
Faith Kleida
We had some uncertainty about exact numbers, but from what we're tracking, we're honing in on more confidence that that's it.
- [12:07]
Casey Grove
Both the federal government and the state of Alaska issued disaster declarations after the storm. The deadline to apply for individual assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency or for disaster loans through the Small business administration is Dec. 22. The deadline to apply for state individual assistance is Jan. 8. Applications for the state and federal programs can be completed online or through call centers.
- [12:32]
Well, the week before Thanksgiving, hunger was top of mind for about 60 Kotzebe residents at a town hall event. As KOTZ's Desiree Hagan reports, this group has been working through the hurdles to supplement food bank distributions across the northwest.
- [12:46]
Ruth Anzent
Arctic in recent months. Many of us have been concerned the.
- [12:51]
Desiree Hagan
Event was put on by Northwest Arctic Takes Action and a statewide advocacy group. Topics ranged from recent gaps in SNAP benefits from the federal government shutdown, challenges to the local food bank and scarcity of caribou and other subsistence resources. Ruth Anzent is the co founder of the local nonpartisan group that organized the event.
- [13:15]
Ruth Anzent
And it came out of our concern for our community and we felt like instead of just complaining about policies, maybe we should take an action to help our community.
- [13:27]
Desiree Hagan
The group formed earlier this year in response to many of the Trump administration's policy changes, from federal cuts to immigration. Zent says the group has begun to shift their efforts and has been working on ways to help distribute more food to the region. She says one of the motivations was recent cuts and delays to SNAP benefits.
- [13:49]
Ruth Anzent
We were very worried when they were not being paid. In other government shutdowns, SNAP benefits were paid, but there was a choice by our current administration, federal administration, not to pay the SNAP benefits this time.
- [14:04]
Desiree Hagan
According to the most recent data compiled by the nonprofit feeding America, about 70% of households in the Northwest Arctic qualify for SNAP benefits. The same organization estimates that nearly 20% of the region experiences food insecurity with SNAP benefits on pause, Zen says her group look for other food safety nets.
- [14:29]
Ruth Anzent
We talked to the Kotzebue Church of God food Bank. We discovered that that's the only food bank in in Kotzebue and the only food bank in our entire region.
- [14:42]
Desiree Hagan
Zen says the group learned Kotzebue's food bank has several requirements to receive its distributions, which primarily come from Anchorage based Food bank of Alaska. Natalie Dickey is the church's caretaker. She says it serves about 300 to 500 people each month. Dickey agrees with Zend. Food bank regulations have made it harder to send goods to Kotzebue's outlying villages.
- [15:09]
Ruth Anzent
You are required to complete annual paperwork and training and then you have monthly reporting requirements and then also the food storage, dickey says.
- [15:22]
Desiree Hagan
The food it receives from the Food bank of Alaska has to be kept completely separate from other donations it receives and some facilities don't have space or freezers to accommodate for that. And she says there's another challenge simply not having enough food to meet growing needs.
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Ruth Anzent
I do think that the community has seen that decline in what the food bank has been able to provide. We know that the food bank distributions are not enough, dickey says.
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Desiree Hagan
The monthly food distribution usually includes staples like pasta, canned fruits and vegetables, and occasionally frozen meat or fish. But she says that it isn't guaranteed. She's been managing the distributions for a little over six months and already noticed gaps.
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Ruth Anzent
There were two months that we didn't receive anything from Food Bank Alaska at all.
- [16:18]
Desiree Hagan
Gaps in service are part of life in rural Alaska communities, especially in the winter. Federal layoffs and the recent government shutdown have also driven more need from communities across the state. These challenges and inconsistencies were the motivation for Zent's group to take action, gathering non perishable food items independently through local donations. Zent says volunteers in kazebu packed 50 pound totes of food to be sent to each of the ten Northwest Arctic villages on the local air carrier, Bering Air. She expects the food to be sent out in the coming days.
- [16:55]
Ruth Anzent
So we're just starting, but we intend to continue that effort to see what we can do to put together some improvements in the food security.
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Desiree Hagan
If this distribution goes well, she hopes the group can continue on a regular basis. In Kotzebue, I'm Desiree Hagan.
- [17:16]
Casey Grove
A program celebrating Alaska's storytelling tradition debuted today on social media, YouTube and the PBS website. As KUAC's Tim Ellis reports, it's part of a PBS series that examines the literacy legacy of all 50 states.
- [17:30]
Tim Ellis
Reading Road Trip Alaska is the sixth installment of the PBS series, which examines America's writers, poets and storytellers, past and present. Former Alaska state librarian Patience Fredrickson worked with PBS producers on the Alaska program. She says they wanted to know how each state was preserving its literary legacy.
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Faith Kleida
They wanted to know five or six historical authors that were important to the literary heritage of your state. They wanted five or six contemporary authors who could be interviewed.
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Tim Ellis
After some back and forth over who should be selected, Frederickson and the producers came up with a list of historic Alaska literary figures. They include Jack London, Margaret Murie, Frederica de Laguna and poet John Haynes. She says they also finally settled on a diverse list of contemporary storytellers.
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Faith Kleida
They interviewed a number of authors, including Seth Kantner, Dana Stabonel, Nancy Lord, Michaela Goad, who is an award winning children's illustrator, and Velma Wallace.
- [18:47]
Tim Ellis
She said the producers were very interested in Wallace's works, one of which was just adapted for the big screen. She's an Athabaskan from Fort Yukon.
- [18:56]
Faith Kleida
Two of her books, I believe, are going to be highlighted, Two Old Women and Raising Ourselves, fredrickson said.
- [19:04]
Tim Ellis
The producers also asked questions about the historical places that serve as relics of the writer's legacy.
- [19:11]
Faith Kleida
They wanted to do literary landmarks like authors homes, that sort of thing, she said.
- [19:17]
Tim Ellis
They're also interested in John Haynes's cabin, located south of Fairbanks, and the old bus where hapless wanderer Chris McCandless died. She tried to discourage them from featuring the bus because of the controversy surrounding it, but they insisted, citing the popularity of John Krakauer's 1996 book into the Wild that recounted McCandless's final days living in the bus.
- [19:43]
Faith Kleida
That is really a nationally known literary landmark in Alaska, fredrickson said.
- [19:50]
Tim Ellis
The Reading Road Trip producers also will feature a few of the places where the works of Alaska authors are available.
- [19:57]
Faith Kleida
They wanted to do interesting bookstores and then they wanted to do libraries. We suggested the Fairbanks Public Library, the Log Cabin, one that used to be down on First Street.
- [20:10]
Tim Ellis
The program producers will touch on the Noel Wien Library and the North Pole Library, as well as other libraries and bookstores around the state. The Reading Road Trip series is being produced through a partnership with the Library of Congress and its Centers for the Book affiliates in all 50 states. Fredrickson is president of the Alaska center for the Book in Anchorage. The Reading Road Trip Alaska episode will be available online on the PBS Books Facebook Live page and also on YouTube, the PBS app and the pbs.org website. For Kuac News, I'm Tim Ellis.
- [20:57]
Casey Grove
Waking up on dark winter mornings can be tough, especially in Alaska, where it sometimes feels like the sun will never rise. And for some, that darkness brings on the winter blues. So Alaska Public Media health reporter Rachel Cassandra set out on a very personal journey to find a few affordable, practical ways to feel better during winter days and fend off seasonal depression.
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Rachel Cassandra
Good morning. I'm not really a morning person.
- [21:25]
Casey Grove
Ever.
- [21:26]
Rachel Cassandra
Yes, that voice is actually me. And yes, I really do hate mornings. But this winter I'm experimenting with ways to make them more tolerable. I turn on my string lights and I'll put in a CD.
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And then I make my coffee.
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I already do a lot of extra self care in the winter to stay sane. Sun lamps, exercise on my lunch break, vitamin D supplements, and I still have hard days. So I set out to find a few relatively easy and inexpensive things I could add to my routine. My first stop? Debbie Maloney. She's a nurse practitioner at Vitae Integrative Health in Anchorage, and she confirmed my fears that in Alaska, it's easy to descend into winter blues, even by letting small things slip.
- [22:20]
Debbie Maloney
We stay in bed longer. We don't take care of ourselves as well. We're not exercising as much, we're not eating the same foods, and we start getting into this very slow decline into this depressive state.
- [22:35]
Rachel Cassandra
So how do we avoid this fate? Maloney says. Start with sleep. That brings me to takeaway 1 turn your bedroom into a dark, cool cave. Meloni says it goes a little against instinct. We may want to turn the heat up in winter because it's so cold.
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Debbie Maloney
Outside, but our bodies actually sleep better if it's in a more cool environment. So cool, dark, cozy.
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Rachel Cassandra
She recommends turning your thermostat down by as much as 10 degrees at night. Then in the morning, it's time to get out of the cave. Takeaway 2 Use bright lights to wake up we need bright light to turn off our sleep hormones. Without morning sunlight, Maloney says, the best bet is to use sun lamps. Those mimic daytime brightness. There are also more affordable light bulbs that simulate sunlight that you can get at the hardware store. And here's my third takeaway. Movement is also key. Even gentle exercise signals our bodies to wake up, and Meloni says, you don't need to be a super athlete to benefit.
- [23:38]
Debbie Maloney
If we can't go outside and walk, maybe going to the store. Go to your favorite store and just walk around the perimeter.
- [23:47]
Rachel Cassandra
Next, I talked to Rainey Malone, who works in mental health support at Alaska Behavioral Health. Growing up in Palmer, Malone didn't do anything special during seasonal changes. But as an adult, she's built her own toolkit. One of her favorite tips is simple Check in with neighbors and friends. It's good for you and good for them.
- [24:08]
Rainey Malone
Actually being curious about the people in your life and checking in on people and trying to just connect and plan things. Like social connection is going to be a huge thing that's going to help you get through the season.
- [24:20]
Rachel Cassandra
That's takeaway four. Social connections help fight depression and help us feel better. But it's one thing to know that we should be doing these things and another to make yourself do them in the winter, even when you don't feel like it, Malone says. To motivate yourself, visualize the good that will come out of it.
- [24:38]
Rainey Malone
Thinking of, like, what's your overall goal? So just doing the opposite of what you naturally want to do, which is stay in bed and stay warm.
- [24:45]
Rachel Cassandra
She swears it gets easier the more you practice. And she would know. She's committed to supporting her own sleep wake cycle. Really committed.
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Rainey Malone
Turn off the big lights in the house.
- [24:57]
Rachel Cassandra
Here she is walking through her elaborate routine to wind down at night.
- [25:01]
Rainey Malone
There's a nice ambiance with a jasmine and patchouli candle.
- [25:05]
Rachel Cassandra
She takes a hot shower with eucalyptus leaves.
- [25:10]
She goes to her bedroom doing some journaling and has a magnesium drink as a night cap. She knows that's a lot, but she says even picking one or two small rituals to stick to can help your body know it's time for bed. As for me, I've gotten creative with my own cave. I crack the window at night to cool things down, and I even dragged a giant tree branch inside to make my space feel more foresty and relaxing. In Anchorage, I'm Rachel Cassandra.
- [25:38]
Casey Grove
That story was part of an ongoing series from Alaska Public Media called Alaska Survival Kit, where we help you make the most of living in the 49th state. If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, you can call 211 to get connected to resources or 988 if you're in crisis.
- [26:02]
And that's all for this edition of Alaska News nightly. And we had reports tonight from Liz Ruskin in Washington, D.C. patrick Gilchrist and Fairbanks, Desiree Hagan in Kotzebue, Tim Ellis in Delta Junction and Rachel Cassandra in Anchorage. Our audio engineer is Crystal Hyde. Madeline Rose is our producer. And I'm Casey Grove. Good night.
- [26:37]
This is statewide news on Alaska Public Media.