Burke Meese has been one of the Grumman Goose's pilots since 1996. (Alexandra Gutierrez/KUCB)
The Akutan Airport project has been described as a “runway to nowhere” by national media. The $64 million airstrip is being built on uninhabited Akun Island, and the hope is that by the end of summer, Akutan residents will be able to catch flights out there after taking a six-mile trip by either hovercraft or helicopter.
While people outside the Aleutians might be wondering how this is all going to come together, area residents are focused on what the project means for a local icon. The Grumman Goose has served the region for the better half of a century, and it’s the last World War II-era seaplane still in scheduled commercial use in Alaska. But once the new airport is complete, water landings in the Bering Sea will be a thing of the past.
When Unalaskans go to vote for their state legislators this fall, their choices will be limited. The election filing deadline passed on Friday, and no one save the incumbents signed up to run for State Senate or the State House of Representatives.
Sen. Lyman Hoffman, of Bethel, has served the region for almost two decades. Hoffman is a Democrat, and he chairs the Senate’s powerful finance committee.
After more than a hundred years in the Smithsonian Museum collection, the remains of two people from St. Paul Island have been returned to the community.
In 1868, just a year after the purchase of Alaska, the Revenue Cutter Wyanda visited the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands. The trip was a reconnaissance mission to find out what kinds of riches the territories held.
“So, there was a doctor on board, Dr. Thomas Minor and I believe that the Smithsonian did interact with him prior to this trip, you know, ‘if you find anything of significance then bring it back,'" says Aquilina Lestenkof, the cultural program coordinator for St. Paul’s tribal government.
On Tuesday, the governor created a new, statewide council tasked with saving Alaska Native languages. In the Aleut community of St. Paul, efforts to revive Unangam Tunuu have been ongoing for decades. KUCB’s Stephanie Joyce reports on the challenges of bringing a language back from the brink of extinction.
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SJ: At 86, Ludmilla Mandregan still vividly remembers the punishment for speaking Aleut in school.
Over a million tons of Japanese tsunami debris is still floating on the ocean's surface, and a good bit of it is expected to hit North America’s shores over the next few years. Things like sporting goods, fishing gear, and even a motorcycle have already been spotted.
In Unalaska, bottles and household cleaning items with Japanese text on them have started popping up on the beaches, serving as a reminder of the disaster's scope and also creating an odd sort of scavenger hunt. Resident Nick Butryn stumbled across one item that might have come from the tsunami when he was beachcombing in April.
The search for an airline to serve Adak is starting over. On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Transportation rejected the only bid it received for the federally subsidized flight route and reopened the bidding process.
After Alaska Airlines announced in February that it wouldn’t try to renew its Essential Air Service contract this year, the DOT put out a request for proposals. PenAir was the only airline to reply.
It proposed flying a 30-seat Saab turboprop to Adak four times a week in exchange for a $3.4 million subsidy. That would have been the second most expensive EAS subsidy in the nation and double what Alaska Airlines currently receives for flying a Boeing 737 to Adak twice a week.
A new airline is entering the Aleutian market. Starting this summer, Anchorage-based Grant Aviation will be flying to Atka and Nikolski as part of the federal government’s Essential Air Service program. The federal EAS program compensates airlines for flying to remote communities where it would otherwise be unprofitable.
Atka city administrator Julie Dirks says the community is thrilled about the new air service.
“We were concerned that no one would submit a bid and that things would just go on as they have been.”
As the Pribilof Island of St. Paul slowly emerges from a brutal winter, it’s becoming clear how much damage the weather did to the island’s reindeer herd. KUCB’s Stephanie Joyce reports that there might be some tough times ahead for locals who rely on the animals for meat.
Winning design for the Living Aleutian Home Competition entitled "Finnesko." Image courtesy of Nacho Santiago.
The Aleutian Islands are soon to be home to some of the world’s most cutting-edge architecture. Last week, the International Living Future Institute announced the winners of a contest that challenged architects to design an affordable, net-zero energy home suitable for the region’s tough climate. Now, the Aleutian Housing Authority is moving forward with plans to turn those designs into reality.
