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Alaska governor’s proposed budget glosses over Chinook and chum fisheries crash
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed state budget does not come close to rectifying the dire straits and circumstances caused by the Chinook and chum fisheries crash on the Kuskokwim and Yukon River drainages. I have written multiple commentaries about the Chinook and chum fisheries crash and subsequent crisis for many Alaska Native communities and fisherwomen and […]
Survey of Alaska Native Corporations on adapting to climate change shows urgent work is needed
In 2021, I was awarded research funding to complete my undergraduate thesis for a Bachelor of Arts in rural development at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The funding was sourced by the UAF Institute of Arctic Biology through the National Science Foundation. My research idea was to survey shareholders, staff and board directors of Alaska […]
Here are ways Sen. Murkowski can make a difference for Alaska over her next term
As the 2022 general election results show Sen. Lisa Murkowski as having been re-elected, I would like to congratulate her successful campaign after she faced political headwinds the past several years. And she may continue to face them for the next several years. A six-year term is a long time, especially in a hyper-partisan environment. […]
Here are suggested priorities focused on rural Alaska for the next governor’s administration
As the governor’s race settles, showing Gov. Mike Dunleavy was likely reelected, here are suggested priorities for the upcoming four-year term, focused on rural Alaska. Because his administration has been established the past four years, these suggestions should be low-hanging fruit, while also nudging fiscal and community engagement policies in a more fruitful direction. These […]
Remembering my late Great Uncle Glenn Butler on Veterans Day
For years, I have wanted to publish an appreciation of my late Great Uncle Glenn Butler, U.S. Army Vietnam veteran. He lived in Tanana, Alaska, where the Tanana and Yukon rivers meet, and some of my most fond childhood memories are of sitting in his little home, sometimes visiting, but most times just enjoying quiet […]
Being an Alaska Election Day poll worker helps debunk fraud claims
During election season in 2018, I had the opportunity to fulfill the duties of a poll worker in a South Anchorage precinct. Sharing my experiences will show that fraudulent election claims so prevalent around the nation can be easily debunked and that this coming 2022 general election will be just as much fraud-free as countless […]
On Losing My Best Childhood Friend to Gun Violence
On the early Saturday morning of Sept. 26, 1998, I woke up to my dad coming into my bedroom carrying the Anchorage Daily News. The front page headline was that my best childhood friend had been shot and murdered. I was 15 years old and still coming to terms with many things the wide world […]
In four months, Congresswoman Mary Peltola can accomplish much: Here are some possible ways how
Along with much of the Alaska Native community, I am celebrating every moment of Mary Peltola’s win in the special election to fill the remainder of the late Congressman Don Young’s term. I know that she will bring her pride into the chambers of the U.S. House of Representatives and get straight to work and […]
University of Alaska offers paths to success for non-traditional students
As the new school year ramps up for faculty and students at our University of Alaska campuses statewide, this year is my first as an adult that I will not be an undergraduate student in the UA system. Because so much focus about life after high school is brought toward higher education or vocational-technical training, […]
Marginalizing concerns on Alaska salmon bycatch and the Yukon-Kuskokwim subsistence fisheries
The past two seasons and now this 2022 season, Chinook and chum fisheries have crashed to historical low-abundance runs on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. Yup’ik and Athabascan peoples, villages and communities have relied upon each fishery from time immemorial for putting healthy foods on the table. Many Canadian First Nations and communities also rely […]
How Al Gross’ decision affects Alaska’s first ranked-choice elections
Al Gross’ choice to end his campaign could prove to be a decisive move during the height of the special election to fill the remaining term of the late Congressman Don Young. The move could concentrate support for a candidate who is uniquely positioned to connect with rural Alaska and Alaska Native voters, Mary Peltola. […]
What it means to be an Alaska wildland firefighter
As wildfire smoke has enveloped much of Alaska in the past few weeks, we can know that hundreds of dedicated, professional, and tough women and men are fighting each fire that may be encroaching on our lives, whether in the wilderness protecting cabins or nearby communities and villages along each river and highway. The anomaly […]