RVN - Alaskan Spirit | Issue 11 | Digital Edition

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THE MAGAZINE OF RAVNAIR GROUP AND RURAL ALASKA

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

OUR HISTORY

Alaska’s Great Museums

HOME IN NOME Life Among Muskox

BRIDGE TO PAST Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

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On The Cover In our cold and dark winter season, we take time to gather with family and friends, share stories of past and future adventures and appreciate our community and heritage. On our cover, a Yupik artist is doing just that, teaching dance to the next generation preserving that heritage, at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Cover photo © Chris Arend/ AlaskaStock.com

Welcome to RavnAir Group Welcome aboard! We appreciate your business HUK ^HU[ [V THRL `V\Y ÅPNO[ and time with us enjoyable, comfortable and safe. In Alaskan Spirit, we celebrate our people who live, work and play here—who contribute to the rich fabric of Alaska

through their many talents— [OL ÄZOLYTLU HUK I\PSKLYZ hunters and artists, educators and Olympic athletes. Our stories are about our people and communities— these places that we love and connect and bring to life in the pages of this magazine.

Contents

Thank you for traveling with us today at RavnAir Group.

MHY VɈ [OL NYPK P[ Q\Z[ JOHUNLZ [OL challenge and increases both the risk, and the adventure, as Kotzebue’s Paul Atkins explains through an epic hunt for muskox.

6 Around RavnAir Country Where do you want to go and what do you want to do this winter? Here are some great things to do and places to visit in the more than 115 Alaska JVTT\UP[PLZ `V\ JHU Å` [V ^P[O 9H]U(PY and PenAir.

At RavnAir Group, we enjoy (SHZRH HUK HSS P[ OHZ [V VɈLY We enjoy the people—our friends and neighbors—who call this place home. And we want you to enjoy Alaska and its people as well.

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Life in basswood Carver Erin Gingrich has a special gift for preserving and revealing the subsistence lifestyle in original carved art. Hear her story and vision.

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Bridge that brought us here 0[»Z HJRUV^SLKNLK (SHZRHU»Z ÄYZ[ WLVWSL arrived here via the Bering Land Bridge from Russia. Clark Fair explores this gem of Western Alaska.

10 Cargo matters! RavnAir Group’s cargo department delivers millions of items to rural Alaska families, communities and businesses each year. Learn how we deliver every day.

22 Carving snow Today we take snowboarding for granted as an Alaskan winter sport, but Jason Borgstede pioneered and introduced this snow sport to the state and remains one of its strongest advocates.

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Mad for muskox For the kids this month, Erin Kirkland introduces us to the most iconic of Alaskan wildlife, the muskox.

32 Best of the west

12 Keepers of our history In iconic museums throughout our state, dedicated teams collect, share and celebrate Alaska’s people, art and history. Writer Eric Lucas takes us on a tour of his favorites. And learn about unique museums from Nome to Juneau.

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Hunting winter The hard and dark season does not end hunting for subsistence hunters

Small businesses are the heart and potential of small towns everywhere, including rural Alaska. This month we meet several of them, honored in Calista’s Best of the West annual competition to foster small businesses.

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Alaskan Spirit is published by Fireweed Strategies LLC. Publisher and Advertising: Lee Leschper Fireweed Strategies LLC 4849 Potter Crest Circle Anchorage, AK 99516 Lee.Leschper@FireweedStrategies.com 907-957-6025 Editorial: Will Leschper Design and Production: Southfork Graphic Services Contributors: Paul Atkins Paula Bradison Elwood Brehmer Susie Jenkins-Brito PM Fadden Clark Fair McKibben Jackinsky Erin Kirkland Eric Lucas Carol Richards Laine Welch RavnAir Group Corporate Headquarters: RavnAir Alaska 4700 Old International Airport Road Anchorage, AK 99502 Phone: 907-248-4422 Fax: 907-266-8391 Statewide Reservations: Hours: Daily 7:00am to 7:00pm Phone: 1-800-866-8394, 907-266-8394 (in state) Fax: 907-266-8391

RavnAir Group

Our RavnAir vision Connecting our passengers with friends, MHTPS` HUK HSS [OH[ (SHZRH OHZ [V VɈ LY RavnAir Group is the state’s largest YLNPVUHS HPYSPUL ^P[O TVYL [OHU Ă… PNO[Z a day serving 115 cities and villages across the 49th state. RavnAir is Alaska’s homegrown airline providing safe, reliable and friendly service delivered by our Alaskan employees—all 1300 of us. We travel to the farthest reaches of the largest state in the union—from Kodiak to Kaktovik, and St. Mary’s to Savoonga— transporting more than 800,000 passengers annually. Committed to exceptional service, we are also dedicated to supporting the communities we serve. Part of RavnAir’s corporate focus is to give back through the sponsorship of hundreds of local

JOHYP[PLZ HUK UVUWYVÄ [ VYNHUPaH[PVUZ supporting groups that contribute to the betterment and advancement of Alaska’s people and communities. We recognize that it is an honor to connect people, cultures, vital cargo and even the daily mail as we strive to bring the very best in essential services to and from our state’s major hubs, while providing connectivity to the most remote locations. As you travel throughout this great state, RavnAir pledges to deliver the same warmth and comfort in the air that you’ll Ä UK MYVT (SHZRHUZ ^OLYL]LY `V\ SHUK Whether we’re transporting a group of climbers to Denali, a family back to their village, or a sports team to their next big game, we are here to provide a safe and friendly experience during your travels. We appreciate your patronage.

Group Travel Desk: Flyravn.com/group-travel Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 907-266-8470 Fax: 907-245-5745 ,THPS! NYV\W [YH]LS'Ă… `YH]U JVT Charters: Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 907-865-8577 ,THPS! JOHY[LYZ'Ă… `YH]U JVT FlyAway Rewards Program: Flyravn.com/rewards Phone: 1-800-866-8394 907-266-8394 (in Anchorage) *VUZ\TLY (Ɉ HPYZ! Flyravn.com/askravn ,THPS! JVUZ\TLY'Ă… `YH]U JVT RavnAir Alaska Air Cargo: 4750 Old International Airport Road Anchorage FlyRavn.com/cargo Phone: 907-243-2761 (Anchorage *LU[YHS 6ɉ JL Corporate Sales: Phone: 907-865-8599 Fax: 907-266-8391 ,THPS! JVYWVYH[L ZHSLZ'Ă… `YH]U JVT

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From the CEO

We are building a safer way to travel As Alaska’s largest regional airline, RavnAir Ã…PLZ JOHSSLUNPUN YV\[LZ PU KPɉJ\S[ ^LH[OLY [V JVUULJ[ [OL YLTV[L JVTT\UP[PLZ ^L +H]PK 7Ã…PLNLY ZLY]L ^P[O [OL YLZ[ VM (SHZRH >L [HRL V\Y JVTTP[TLU[ [V ZHML[` ZLYPV\ZS` HUK V\Y WYVHJ[P]L ZHML[` PTWYV]LTLU[Z V]LY [OL SHZ[ ZL]LYHS `LHYZ PSS\Z[YH[L V\Y JVTTP[TLU[ 0U SH[L 9H]U(PY .YV\W IYV\NO[ PU H UL^ THUHNLTLU[ [LHT VM OPNOS` L_WLYPLUJLK HPYSPUL WYVMLZZPVUHSZ HUK PUP[PH[LK H ZLYPLZ VM Z^LLWPUN JOHUNLZ [OH[ ^LYL KLZPNULK [V LUZ\YL [OL OPNOLZ[ SL]LS of safety for all operations of RavnAir. 6]LY [OL WHZ[ [^V `LHYZ 9H]U(PY .YV\W ^P[O ZVSPK IHJRPUN MYVT V\Y THQVYP[` V^ULY 1 - 3LOTHU *V OHZ PU]LZ[LK OLH]PS` PU KYHTH[PJHSS` LUOHUJPUN ZHML[` H[ P[Z [^V JLY[PÄJH[LK HPYSPULZ! 9H]U(PY (SHZRH HU -(( 7HY[ JHYYPLY VWLYH[PUN [LU +/* HPYJYHM[ B¸+HZO ¹D HUK 9H]U(PY *VUULJ[ HU -(( 7HY[ JHYYPLY VWLYH[PUN ÄM[` LPNO[ ) 7( * HUK * HPYJYHM[ >P[O [OL HKKP[PVU VM 7LU(PY HU -(( 7HY[ JHYYPLY VWLYH[PUN Ä]L :HHI HPYJYHM[ [V [OL 9H]U (PY .YV\W MHTPS` PU +LJLTILY VM [OH[ PU]LZ[TLU[ OHZ grown even larger. ;V KH[L [OL HPYSPUL HUK P[Z V^ULYZ OH]L PU]LZ[LK V]LY TPSSPVU PU HJ[PVUZ WYVNYHTZ HUK PUP[PH[P]LZ [HYNL[LK H[ PTWYV]PUN ZHML[` ;OPZ PU]LZ[TLU[ PU ZHML[` OHZ UV[ VUS` HSSV^LK [OL (PY .YV\W»Z UL^ THUHNLTLU[ [LHT HUK LTWSV`LLZ [OYV\NOV\[ HSS [OYLL HPYSPULZ [V JYLH[L HUK PTWSLTLU[ UL^ ZHML[` WYVNYHTZ HUK PUP[PH[P]LZ [OH[ HYL NLULYHSS` VUS` MV\UK H[ T\JO SHYNLY JHYYPLYZ [OL PU]LZ[TLU[ OHZ LUHISLK IV[O JVTWHUPLZ

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In late 2017, RavnAir Group...initiated a series of sweeping changes that were designed to ensure the highest level of safety for all operations of RavnAir. [V YLJLP]L UH[PVUHS HUK PU[LYUH[PVUHS YLJVNUP[PVU MVY ÄYZ[ L]LY ZHML[` JLY[PÄJH[PVUZ·JLY[PÄJH[PVUZ [OH[ UV V[OLY YLNPVUHS HPYSPUL PU (SHZRH HUK PU ZVTL JHZLZ [OL < : OHZ L]LY HJJVTWSPZOLK

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Highlights & Milestones

International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operations & Safety Audit (IOSA)

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January through March

What’s Happening in RavnAir Country

Anchorage Folk Festival Anchorage January 15 - 26

Anchorage Folk Festival is a community-organized festival celebrating folk music and dance in all its many forms! Guest and local artists perform, teach, and learn during this two-week winter festival. The main stage is at Wendy Williamson Auditorium on the UAA campus. This Anchorage cultural staple offers shows, contests, classes, dancing, educational workshops, and open jams.

10th Annual 40 Below Ball Fairbanks January 25

In the frozen north we all need a reason to dress up and dance! Join the Ballroom Dance Club of Fairbanks for the 10th Annual 40 Below Ball. Flapper Dresses & Tuxedo, It’s a formal event features hors d’oeuvres, no host bar, and dancing, dancing, dancing. Westmark Gold Room. $40 single, $70 couples at the door. www.fairbanksballroom. org/40-below-ball

The Capitol Steps

World Ice Art Championships

Fairbanks - January 31 Anchorage - February 1

Fairbanks February 15 - March 31

Elevating political satire to an art form, the Capitol Steps return to Alaska with a fresh bag of political comedy. Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage and Hering Auditorium in Fairbanks.

The World Ice Art Championships boasts over 80 exquisite ice sculptures created by carvers from faraway places like Japan, Russia and the Netherlands. Held from late February through March the World Ice Art Championships is one of the largest ice art competitions and exhibitions in the world. Ice art sculptures vary every year and never cease to capture both the mind and the imagination.

www.centertix.com/calendar

www.anchoragefolkfestival.org

www.icealaska.org

Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race Alaskans and Salmon Anchorage Museum Daily

This multi-media exhibit celebrates salmon culture in Alaska in its many forms, from commercial, sport and subsistence fishing, to processing preserving and eating. Open daily 10-6. AnchorageMuseum.org

Fairbanks February 1

Run every February since 1984 across 1,000 miles of wilderness trail between Whitehorse, Yukon and Fairbanks, Alaska. The race lasts 9 to 14 days depending on weather, trail conditions. Start Feb. 1, 11 a.m. in Fairbanks. www.yukonquest.com

Winter Carnival Homer February 6 - 9

This all-Homer event celebrates winter (and its end) with four days of food, fun, a Marde-Gras-Inspired Krewe of Gambrinus parade and music. The theme is “50 Years of Winter Wilderness” in honor of Kachemak Bay State Park’s 50th anniversary. The parade is Feb. 8. HomerAlaska.org

Like what you see here? Want to have your event included in future issues? Email information and photos to admin@fireweedstrategies.com, attention Around Ravn Country.

Midnight Sun Gold Run (Mushing) Fairbanks February 15

It’s the opening day of the Alaska Dog Mushers Association championship sprint race season with the first day of competition in the Midnight Sun Gold Run at the Jeff Studdert Racegrounds in Fairbanks. There will be two-dog skijoring as well as four-, six- and 10-dog sled classes. Some concessions will be available at the Mushers Hall. 925 Farmers Loop, Fairbanks. www.alaskadogmushers.com

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Alaska ComiCon Fairbanks February 22 - 23

The first-ever Alaska ComiCon in the Carlson Center in Fairbanks will combine the best of comics, pop culture, and cosplay with a unique Alaska flair. Fans of all ages are invited to join the fun and meet celebrity guests, vendors, discussion panels, and other related events taking place at the con. www.alaskacomicon.com

Iditarod Ceremonial Start

Meet Alaska

Anchorage March 7

Anchorage March 20

The 2020 edition of the Last Great Race begins with the traditional ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage, and then the official restart on March 8 in Willow, depending on snow conditions, beginning 9 to 14 days of excitement throughout the 1,000-mile sled dog race to Nome.

The Alaska Support Industry Alliance’s annual event is the largest oil and gas gathering in Alaska, this year moving from January to March. The Alliance represents 600 companies that provide support services to the oil and gas industry. Full day of energy industry updates and networking. Anchorage’s Dena’ina Center.

www.iditarod.com

Tanana Chiefs Conference Fairbanks March 2020

Each March Tanana Chiefs Conference holds its Annual Delegate and Full Board of Directors Meeting to discuss issues important to the region, hold elections, and adopt resolutions presented by the members tribes which will guide the organization through the coming year.

AlaskaAlliance.com

www.tananachiefs.org

Fur Rondy Anchorage February 28 - March 8

Anchorage’s annual celebration of winter and all things Alaska! Hundreds of events, venues, food and fun. www.FurRondy.net

ASAA March Madness Basketball Championships Anchorage March 18 - 28

Hockey Week Fairbanks February 28 - March 8

Hockey Week in Fairbanks is a series of events the community rallies around with the sport of hockey as the center of attention. The event has grown over the years and continues to add fun events to continue its tradition of celebration. Established in 2006 by the Fairbanks Hockey Hall of Fame, the event has expanded from a single day event to a 10-day celebration. Don’t miss out on the fun!

Alaska’s version of March Madness—the Alaska School Activities Association state basketball championships brings hundreds of Alaska high school boys and girls teams, and their fans, to the Alaska Airlines Center for 10 days of great competition and sport. www.Asaa.org/activities/ basketball

Festival of Native Arts Winter King Salmon Tournament Homer March 21

Considered by many the true beginning of Alaska’s fishing season, this one-day fishing event brings thousands of anglers to Kachemak Bay to pursue the big and tasty king salmon that feed there all winter. The one-day tournament awards tens of thousands of dollars in prize money to the largest kings caught. In 2018, 1267 fisherman and 379 boats competed, and $160.000.00 in cash and prizes were awarded.

Fairbanks March 20 - 21

The Festival of Native Arts provides cultural education and sharing through traditional Native dance, music, and arts. The Festival continues the University of Alaska Fairbanks student-led tradition that began in 1973 of bringing together artists, performers, and performance groups in a celebration of Native cultures. UAF Davis Concert Hall, 204 Brooks, Fairbanks. www.fna.community.uaf.edu

www.homerwinterking.com

www.facebook.com/ HockeyWeekInFairbanks

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Cargo matters

Delivering the goods to Alaska While the more than 700,000 passengers H `LHY ^OV Å ` ^P[O 9H]U(PY .YV\W HYL V\Y most precious cargo, they’re not the only one. For hundreds of Alaska communities HUK PUK\Z[YPLZ 9H]U(PY Å PNO[Z KLSP]LY [OL goods that make life safe, comfortable and productive. Don Graves is director of cargo and logistics for RavnAir Group. He brings a lifetime of Alaska experience from other industries, especially those RavnAir services, giving him a unique empathy for cargo customers. ¸6\Y Z[HɈ OLYL ^VYRZ YLHSS` OHYK [V ensure that everything moves as quickly as possible. We are always behind the curve mainly because of weather around the unique communities we serve.”

The sheer volume of cargo on RavnAir .YV\W Å PNO[Z PZ Z[HNNLYPUN “Every month RavnAir Group moves millions of pounds throughout Alaska,” he said. “Whether you are as far North as Utqiagvik or as far South as Unalaska / Dutch Harbor, or as far West as St. Paul, the RavnAir Group works hard to provide the best service possible.” As with every RavnAir Group department, teamwork is essential. Within the cargo department, the team includes customer service reps working with our customers to coordinate shipments, our warehouse and ramp crews who ensure each item is on the right plane and on time. “Our team reaches throughout the state with representatives in most of the communities throughout Alaska,” Don said. “Every employee from the person

SVHKPUN HPYJYHM[ [V [OL 7PSV[Z Å `PUN [OL plane and the ground crews that ensure our aircraft are in the best operating condition or the person that watches the weather, each of them are a vital part of the RavnAir team. Without them we ^V\SK UV[ IL HISL [V Å ` ZHMLS` PU V\Y Z[H[L and deliver mail, food, medicine and essential items to the great residents of Alaska.” Don has many years of rural Alaska experience, working in a variety of Alaska industries, which enhances his ability to appreciate what customers need. ¸0 THKL T` Ä YZ[ [YPW [V (SHZRH PU and worked in the seafood industry to pay for college. Working on board a ship that travelled from Togiak to Kodiak and on through Southeast Alaska I quickly found out how important logistics was

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to support not just the industries in Alaska, but more importantly the local communities. “Since that initial trip I managed to complete my education at Washington State University and ultimately move to this great state. After spending several `LHYZ HZ H JVTTLYJPHS Ä ZOLYTHU 0 decided to look for opportunities to use my degree and moved to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor working for Unisea Inc. “After spending close to 25 incredible years in the community of Unalaska my family and I moved to Anchorage where I took a position working in Logistics for PRL Logistics. PRL has an incredible Z[HɈ HUK RUV^SLKNL VM SVNPZ[PJZ PU [OL state and this gave me an opportunity to build on my prior logistics experience, especially working with the North Slope communities and the Oil and Gas Industry. The weather conditions there, especially in the winter, demand that we provide the best services possible. In this case RavnAir Group provides support in the movement of people and cargo. “The common thread in my experiences is the support that was provided by RavnAir in both the seafood and oil and gas industries. That support coupled with an understanding as a former client allows me to help nurture the culture that Alaska is our home and whether someone lives in Aniak or Nuiqsut we are all part of the Alaskan family and we want to provide the best service available to them. “Having raised a family in Unalaska I also understand how important our services are to move essential items such as produce, dairy, medicine and items needed on a daily basis.” That life of experience in remote communities gives him a unique perspective on providing good cargo service to them. “The key to providing a solid cargo, mail and freight service is based on knowing what the customers’ expectations are.

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are especially dependent on prompt, reliable cargo service. “We support both the Fishing and Hunting industries in shipping gear to remote locations for that once in a lifetime trip.”

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You also must know your equipment and what is possible or not possible [V Z\WWVY[ HUK ^VYR [V Ä UK ZVS\[PVUZ for customers. I’ve learned through experience that any item that we ship is important to someone and for very KPɈ LYLU[ YLHZVUZ -VY L_HTWSL [OL JYP[PJHS part that needs to go to a production facility on the North Slope is important to keeping the operation going. At the same time the baby formula or medicine may be equally or more important to the parents of a small child that needs the formula or medicine. In short, providing good cargo service requires that we treat all shipments as being important and move them according to the expectations of the customer. Almost anything you can imagine, or load into an airplane, has found its way into RavnAir’s cargo. “We ship a large variety of items and although some might consider them unique. In Alaska we don’t consider them that unique. We have shipped items that range from and include: ·

Protected species like eagles that are injured and need rehabilitation

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Traditional foods and artwork from throughout the Alaska.

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Equipment and parts of all types that help keep an operation going, including power generation for communities.

Not surprisingly, those Alaska industries trying to make the most of short seasons

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“We support the Oil and Gas industry ^P[O YLN\SHY Å PNO[Z [V HUK MYVT [OL 5VY[O Slope and Kenai area. Whether we move people, tools or equipment we play a vital role in supporting our customers in that industry. ¸(UK ^L Z\WWVY[ [OL Ä ZOPUN PUK\Z[Y` in the movement of people, parts and equipment. The parts may keep boats operating or a seafood plant running to WYVJLZZ Ä ZO VM HSS [`WLZ >L HSZV Z\WWVY[ [OL TPUPUN PUK\Z[Y` ^P[O Å PNO[Z [OH[ TV]L both passengers and freight.” That appreciation, and RavnAir Group’s vast statewide connections, provides real advantages for customers, he added. “RavnAir Group provides an incredible opportunity to move cargo. We are a local business that understands Alaska and the challenges that we all face here with shipping. Additionally, we have the aircraft to support many of the shipments that our residents need to move goods from community to community.” For information on RavnAir Group cargo ZLY]PJLZ [V ^OLYL L]LY `V\ Å ` ZLL ^^^ Å `YH]U JVT JHYNV ZLY]PJLZ

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6U 2VKPHR HY[PZHUZ MVYTLK SHTWZ MYVT ILHJO JVIISLZ VM ZHUKZ[VUL NYHUP[L VY H NYLLUPZO NYH` PNULV\Z Z[VUL JHSSLK [VUHSP[L ;VKH` H I\YUPUN VPS SHTW PZ H ZPNU VM WYVZWLYP[` HUK J\S[\YHS LUK\YHUJL ;OL SPNO[ VM (S\[PPX J\S[\YL ZOPULZ IYPNO[S` HZ ,SKLYZ HUK `V\[O NH[OLY HYV\UK H NSV^PUN SHTW Photos courtesy______________

World-class museums provide innovative look at Alaska history By Eric Lucas

Teardrop-shaped, gray-green and thick, this ancient stone oil lamp was carved by long-ago Alutiiq inhabitants of the remote and beautiful Kodiak Archipelago in the Gulf of Alaska. Seal oil was the most likely fuel used in the rock, which still bears centuries-old carbon marks. This amazing, 700-yearold artifact thus represents one of humanity’s most precious inventions: light. Oil lamps have been made and used here for at least 6,000 years.

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Now let’s go back to the future and the lamp’s current home, the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak (alutiiqmueum.org). Poised uphill MYVT [OPZ MHTV\Z ÄZOPUN WVY[»Z OHYIVY· and right across the street from one of Alaska’s most beautiful Russian Orthodox churches—the museum’s unassuming entry and compact exhibit area reveal a world-class institution. It is a leading repository for southern Alaska indigenous artifacts—a quarter-million items—and an inventive agency that’s helping bring museums into the 21st century.

The ancient oil lamp, for instance, doesn’t just stagnate in storage. The museum provides it for use in ceremonies at local schools, where it is once again lit after centuries in hiatus. The museum has also pioneered a collaborative arrangement with a European museum that holds hundreds of Kodiak artifacts, gathered by a French collector in the 1880s. The masks, utensils, garments and other objects “visit” Kodiak from Boulogne and are on display and available for study by SVJHS HY[PZHUZ MVY Ä]L `LHYZ

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Similarly, the Alaska State Museum in Juneau helped pioneer the state buying historic artifacts and art, which are then jointly owned by Alaska and Native groups. These items may be “checked out” of the museum for ceremonial use. Best-known is a Kiksadi Clan frog hat that was worn during a peace treaty ceremony a few years back formally ending a war between the Tlingit and Aleut peoples. These are just two among a remarkable community of Alaska institutions that make the Great Land a world-class locale for cultural education. Alaska museums preserve and display ZVTL VM [OL ÄULZ[ 5VY[O 7HJPÄJ OPZ[VYPJ objects in the world, ranging from the desk on which William Seward supposedly signed the Alaska purchase agreement (that’s in Juneau) to a millennia-old tiny and heart-stoppingly beautiful ivory carving (Fairbanks), to handmade beaded handbags (Valdez). But Alaska museums are more than just display facilities or preservation innovators. The Anchorage Museum, in particular, is arguably the city’s most active community institution, a gathering place whose programs cover everything from learning to draw to learning to can food. I once sat in on a presentation about rhubarb. “Alaska is a compelling place, with a fascinating environment, an epic landscape, proximity to Asia and a long human history,” says Julie Decker, executive director of the Anchorage Museum. “This is still a place you can come look at objects, but a museum can be many things. We represent a place— and human lifeways in the North.” And when you ask why Alaska has so many dynamic museums, Decker’s answer is simple: “We have people here who are deeply committed to Alaska.” That commitment and vitality, of course, translate to a great boon for

visitors. You can see priceless art and history treasures, learn about the dynamic peoples who have thrived here for thousands of years, gain deeper appreciation for the landscape and creatures in it. And learn how to freeze-dry rhubarb! UAF Museum of the North: Former director Aldona Jonaitis abandoned traditional protocols in creating this Fairbanks facility’s Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery. The pieces are not displayed according to chronology, style, origin or artist. Instead, a multifaceted hierarchy of interest leads the visitor past masterpieces ranging from Sydney Laurence canvases of Denali to modern Arctic artisans’ gorgeous fancy parkas. The museum’s chief treasure is the Okvik Madonna, a 2,000-year-old ivory carving of a woman whose form and style are compellingly universal. www.uaf.edu/museum. Anchorage Museum: One gallery here depicts Anchorage’s colorful history—a SHYNL UL^ SPNO[ ÄSSLK L_WHUZPVU OVSKZ HY[ of the circumpolar region. As in Fairbanks, the items range from traditional Laurence canvases to dauntingly modern installations. Famous Inupiaq performance artist AKU-MATU (Allison >HYKLU VM[LU HWWLHYZ HUK ÄST T\ZPJ and drama presentations are frequent. www.anchoragemuseum.org. The Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center upstairs gallery displays hundreds of items from the national storehouse’s vast collections, embracing the art and history of a dozen indigenous peoples of the North. Aside from hundreds of priceless VIQLJ[Z ]PKLV SVVWZ WYV]PKL ÄYZ[ WLYZVU introductions to the First Peoples of Alaska. Pratt Museum: Small but mighty, the Pratt conveys a well-rounded panorama of Homer and its adjacent Kachemak Bay, including a marvelous look at life beneath the ocean’s surface, and an

extensive stewardship section devoted to preservation of this relatively pristine corner of Alaska. www.prattmuseum.org. Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum: One of the leading institutions devoted to Yupik and Inupiaq culture, this Nome MHJPSP[` OHZ ILULÄ[LK YLJLU[S` I` ]VS\U[HY` return of family artifact collections from the Lower 48. As a result, it provides an unparalleled look at the late 19th and early 20th century heyday of whaling and then gold prospecting along the Bering Strait—both of which superseded, but did not erase, thousands of years of indigenous life. www.nomealaska.org. continued on page 46

Native Lamps >VYK PU (S\[PPX! Laampaq 0U H ZLU[LUJL! Laam’paaq kuarsgu. 3PNO[ [OL SHTW

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=PZP[VYZ L_WSVYL [OL L_OPIP[PVU Nome: Hub of Cultures and Communities Across the Bering Strait PU [OL THPU NHSSLY` VM [OL T\ZL\T Photo by Michael Burnett

Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum

Honoring the living history of Nome By McKibben Jackinsky

The caribou rests on tundra, its shape artfully released from wood by the hands of an unknown carver. An appliqued wall-hanging features light and dark seal skins in a centuriesold technique shared by Siberian and Alaskan artisans. Among the 15,000 objects in Nome’s Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum, these are favorites of museum director Dr. Amy Phillips-Chan. “These are cultural heritage items cared for by the museum unlike anywhere else. It took generations of traditional knowledge to create these,” she said. Nome Mayor Richard Beneville’s favorite museum selection is a video created in 2012 by The Nome Nugget newspaper

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about the headline-making winter delivery of 1.1 million gallons of diesel fuel and 300,000 gallons of gasoline to Nome I` [OL 9\ZZPHU ÅHNNLK [HURLY 9LUKH escorted by the USCG ice breaker Healy. For Beneville, the video is “about the 300 miles of pack ice four-feet to six-feet thick, the weather decidedly uncooperative and the grit and determination of the crews making the LɈVY[ H TVZ[ Z\JJLZZM\S VUL ¹ Museum visitors will discover their own favorites among the museum’s many items representing the Bering Straits, from ancient ivory carvings to a vibrant Native culture, turn-of-the-century Gold Rush to modern-day dog sledding, impacts of World War II to the growth of a city just shy of the Arctic Circle.

The museum has a history of its own. Having arrived in Nome as a child in HUK HM[LY YL[PYPUN HZ [OL ÄYZ[ ^VTHU city clerk, Caroline “Carrie” M. McLain traveled in and out of Alaska, talking to old-timers, collecting photographs, and securing promises for donated pieces from Nome’s early days. McLain’s growing collection, state funding during Alaska’s 1967 centennial year, and a tiny building on Front Street became the city T\ZL\T»Z ÄYZ[ OVTL After McLain’s death in 1973, Nome City Council named the museum in her honor, ¸H Ä[[PUN [YPI\[L [V H WPVULLY ^VTHU ^P[O the foresight to preserve the past for [OL M\[\YL [OYV\NO WLYZPZ[LU[ LɈVY[Z [V gather, record and share the memories and history of Nome and the Seward

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Peninsula,” McLain’s daughter Caroline McLain Reader wrote in a history of her mother’s life.

and attached ID tags to items, determined what could be used in exhibit planning HUK PKLU[PÄLK V^ULYZOPW VM WPLJLZ

Buildings on Nome’s Front Street have MYLX\LU[S` Z\ɈLYLK MYVT ^PU[LY Z[VYTZ and more than once museum collections ^LYL L]HJ\H[LK [V H]VPK ÅVVKPUN ;OL building lacked storage space and the growing inventory eventually spread to seven locations across town that unfortunately lacked adequate security, temperature controls, and accessibility to researchers.

¸;OL T\ZL\T NYLH[S` ILULÄ[Z MYVT the generosity of donors. Historic photographs and objects often come from grandchildren and great-grandchildren whose relatives were here in times past and who are looking to return items back to their original location,” said Phillips-Chan. Almost 500 of these objects were used in hands-on displays in the new exhibit that involved more than 50 community collaborators who participated in interviews, shared stories, and contributed photographs and artwork.

Then, State of Alaska capital project grants in 2010 and 2011, along with support from the Rasmuson Foundation, Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation, and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation provided $19 million for a new building. When PhillipsChan was hired as museum director in 2015, construction was just getting underway. ¸9HYLS` PU [OL T\ZL\T ÄLSK KV `V\ NL[ the chance to step into a project from ground zero and design what’s best for the community and the collection,” said Phillips-Chan. “It was an amazing opportunity.”

At the October 2016 grand opening, Diane Kaplan, CEO and president of the Rasmuson Foundation, described the museum as “a symbol of people of all races to come together.” Of Alaska’s 120 museums and cultural centers, Della Hall, executive director of Museums Alaska, considers the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum “a stellar museum.”

McLain’s granddaughter Caroline “Cussy” Kauer continues in McLain’s footsteps. In 2018, Kauer was awarded the Alaska Historical Society’s Contribution to Alaska History Award for OLY LɈVY[Z [V ZHMLN\HYK 5VTL»Z YPJO WHZ[ Beneville urged the museum’s 5,000 annual visitors to “immerse (themselves) in the vast collection of print and media visuals representing the history of Nome and Western Alaska to the world.” Looking to the future, Phillips-Chan said, “The new building serves as a vibrant community resource and will hopefully endure for the next 50 years.”

More information: Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum, 100 W 7th Ave., Nome 907-443-6630 Noon-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday Noon-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday Closed Sunday

Photo by Michael Burnett

Construction contractor for the 18,000 square-foot building was ASRC SKW Eskimos, Inc. The pilings on which it ZP[Z L_[LUK ILULH[O WLYTHMYVZ[ [V VɈZL[ shifting from Alaska’s freeze-thaw cycles. ;OL T\ZL\T ÄSSZ ZX\HYL MLL[ ^P[O the remainder occupied by the Kegoayah Kozga Public Library, Katirvik Cultural Center, and shared operational spaces. Formations Inc. of Portland, Oregon, led exhibit design and fabrication. Named the Richard Foster Building, it honors the Alaska House of Representatives member who served the area from 1989 until his death in 2009. Prior to relocating the museum, a long-overdue inventory was undertaken. 4\ZL\T Z[HɈ HUK JVTT\UP[` ]VS\U[LLYZ opened boxes; unwrapped, cataloged,

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Auto museum welcomes rare additions For more than century Americans have been distinguished by the cars we drive. And nowhere in the world is that history better depicted than at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum in Fairbanks. The collection, twelve years in the making, has now grown to more than 100 rare pre-World War II vehicles. Many are the last remaining models of their kind. ;OPZ `LHY -V\U[HPUOLHK OHZ HJX\PYLK Ă„]L new automobiles and one motorcycle to their existing classic vehicle collection: ŕ Ž ;VSLKV 4VKLS ( :[LHT 9\UHIV\[ - This classic steam car features a carriage chassis, 2-cylinder, 6.25 horsepower engine, and all-chain drive. ŕ Ž +L +PVU )V\[VU 5L^ @VYR Motorette - Established in France in 1883, De Dion-Bouton was at the forefront of the global automobile industry at the turn of the 20th century. De Dion-Bouton automobiles were years ahead of cars produced in the United States. Only a few of these beautiful cars remain.

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ŕ Ž 9VJOLZ[LY :[`SL :[LHT 9\UHIV\[ - The Rochester Cycle Manufacturing Company produced this steam carriage for only one year and this is one of only three known to remain. ŕ Ž ,4- *V\WL -V\UKLK PU the EMF Company competed with Ford in mass-production automobiles until 1912. The EMF Company created a mid-priced car - with all the features expected from a car costing twice as much as the Model T. ŕ Ž ¸)PN ;^PUš 0UKPHU 4V[VYJ`JSL Known for their power and reliability, the Indian line of motorcycles set or broke many records in racing and ZWLLK ( TVKPĂ„LK 0UKPHU :JV\[ ZL[ a land speed record in 1967 with an VɉJPHS [VW ZWLLK VM TWO ŕ Ž 3PUJVSU 4VKLS 3 0TWLYPHS =PJ[VYPH - Dubbed “Napoleonâ€? by former owner Rev. TL Osborn, this absolute showstopper has conquered many

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ADVERTORIAL

competitions and honors including, an ACAA Grand National First Prize. Since 2007, Fairbanks entrepreneur Tim Cerny has been lovingly and meticulously building the nearly 100-vehicle collection, carefully selecting each one for its OPZ[VYPJHS ZPNUPĂ„JHUJL [LJOUVSVNPJHS innovations, or rarity. All but three of the autos in the collection are operable and can be seen motoring on the 105-acre grounds of the Wedgewood Resort during the summer – making the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum an actual “living museum.â€? The vehicles are paired with fashions from the same time periods, from Fountainhead’s vintage fashion collection, the largest in [OL 7HJPĂ„J 5VY[O^LZ[ The Museum is open daily May through September, on Wednesdays and Saturdays during winter months. 212 Wedgewood Dr. Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 907-450-2100 www.FountainheadMuseum.com

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When in Nome

A diversion beyond gold mining and Iditarod By Clark Fair

Nome is known for its gold-mining past and its Iditarod present, and many visitors to this city on the southern coast of the Seward Peninsula come to tour old mining sites and relics or to watch the conclusion of the “Last Great Race.� But more tourist options exist, including—for people who like things a bit unusual—the White Alice communications site atop 1,062-foot Anvil Mountain. Some residents have called the place “Nomehenge� because its four grey, tropospheric antennas vaguely resemble the circle of ancient stones on England’s Salisbury Plain. Anvil Mountain’s “stones,� though, are shaped like billboards and stand 60 feet tall. The communications array was constructed in 1957 by the U.S. military and was activated the following year. The White Alice Communications System—80 radio stations constructed during the Cold War—provided reliable connections between the Alaska Air Command radar system, the Distant Early Warning Line and the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System. Advanced for its time, the system succumbed to the rise of satellite technology in the late 1970s. Most sites were decommissioned and dismantled. Most of the Anvil Mountain equipment is gone, but the antennas remain. In 2016, the city of Nome traded land with the Sitnasuak Native Corporation to gain control of the White Alice ZP[L HUK [\YU P[ PU[V HU VɉJPHS [V\YPZ[ KLZ[PUH[PVU Now visitors can drive or climb to the top of Anvil Mountain. From the summit, a panorama of the Nome area unfolds, including the city, countryside and ocean. Groups of muskoxen also frequent the mountain, along with red foxes, reindeer and a variety of birds. There are two common ways to get there from Nome: (1) Take Bering Street, which turns into the Teller Road. At Mile 2.8, turn right onto Dexter Bypass Road. About a half-mile later is the Anvil Mountain Road ascending the hillside. (2) Take Bering Street/Teller Road, past Dexter Bypass Road. In about four miles, turn right onto Glacier Creek Road. When the road angles left, look for a parking spot. The one-mile, round-trip hike from here climbs about 600 feet.

Photo credit Alaska.org

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Erin Gingrich

Carving: a subtractive process Profile by Carol Richards Though Erin Gingrich comes from a family of Iñupiaq and Koyukon Athabascan artists, it wasn’t a given that she herself would become an artist. “I got here my own way. I had to do ZVTL[OPUN KPɈ LYLU[ ;OH[»Z [OL WYPTHY` thing.” In every way, she’s close to her family, including proximity—her parents live next door—but Gingrich also is Ä LYJLS` PUKLWLUKLU[ Her grandmother, Trudy Kelliher, is Koyukon Athabascan. “Grandma makes all these beautiful things—earrings, ornaments, wallets, bracelets—and a porcupine quill choker which she made for me.” Gingrich’s mother, Carla Gingrich, sews coveted H[PRé\R (cloth parkas). Her aunt, Sonya Kelliher-Combs, is an accomplished contemporary artist. At the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), Gingrich started out studying wildlife biology, still a passion she might chase. “It’s all related.” Then she took a carving class with Da-ka-xeen Mehner, a Tlingit/N’ishga artist who directs the Native Art Center at UAF. She liked the JOHSSLUNL ¸*HY]PUN PZ ZV KPɈ LYLU[" P[»Z H subtractive process. You have to think

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HIV\[ P[ JVTWSL[LS` KPɈ LYLU[S` +H RH saw my intention.” Before long, carving started making sense to Gingrich, though it too was not inevitable. “Carving seemed masculine,” says Gingrich, “since (Native) women are always sewing.” Gingrich’s Iñupiaq name is Ivalu, which means thread. At UAF, she studied with Kathleen Carlo-Kendall, a Koyukon Athabascan artist and one of the Ä YZ[ ^VTHU JHY]LYZ HTVUN a long line of men. Gingrich integrated beading into her carving as a natural way of combining the masculine with the feminine. To keep balance, L]LY` HY[PZ[ OHZ KPɈ LYLU[ WHY[Z Part of making art is reconciling them. Gingrich loved college. On her Ä YZ[ KH` H[ MYLZOTLU VYPLU[H[PVU she found love. Her boyfriend is an engineer. His family is from Naknek. “Our ancestors were all renaissance Natives. They were all scientists, artists, engineers (perhaps without the formal degrees). They all had multiple skills, in order to survive.”

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Gingrich grew up in Anchorage, was homeschooled, and didn’t Z[HY[ Ă„ ZOPUN \U[PS JVSSLNL 5V^ “it’s so essential, so important, [V OH]L Ă„ ZO [V LH[ HSS ^PU[LY >P[O HU`[OPUN 0 WVY[YH`¡Ă„ ZO ptarmigan, caribou—I have a personal, physical experience,â€? she says. “A subsistence lifestyle feeds my work and feeds me, as it fed my ancestors.â€? To continue harvesting her food is one of her life goals. To feed herself, Gingrich is learning how to navigate her long list of allergies. “I’m learning what works for me. Ptarmigan meat is rich and dark, like liver. And musk oxen is soooo good.â€?

“It’s been used for sculpture since the Middle Ages. It’s like driftwood but without the sand,â€? she says. “People like to think large, especially with sculpture, but everything has value, even if it’s small,â€? says Gingrich. With her small frame and gamine haircut, she appears younger than 28. “It gets to me a little bit to look young. My little siblings are all bigger than me.â€? Even her Koyukon name is delicate. Ggaadimits TLHUZ I\[[LYĂ… `¡ delicate, but with transformative powers. “I’m attracted to small spaces and things,â€? Gingrich says as she points to multiple smelt and ptarmigan sculptures. “Think of historical artifacts, pocket-size, that nomadic people could travel with.â€? Her art is a way of preserving and honoring the gifts gathered from the land.

Subsistence is hard work. “More than making something, you have “The reality of subsistence is that it’s messy,â€? says Gingrich. “It’s bloody and beautiful.â€? The beads dangling from her carved HUK WHPU[LK OLHKSLZZ Ă„ ZO IVKPLZ represent bloody, oozy slime. Why OLHKSLZZ& ¸0 KVUÂť[ LH[ Ă„ ZO OLHKZ but I’d like to start.â€? Gingrich is allergic to alder and cedar, so she carves with basswood, a soft wood that comes from a linden tree.

[V Ä UK [OH[ [OPUN [OH[ TV]LZ `V\ KLLWS` And carving is what I feel is most me. It’s become a big part of me, even physically. I have a carving arm.� Carol Richards is an Iùupiaq writer HUK KLZPNULY /LY UVUÄ J[PVU ^YP[PUN has appeared in the Alaska Quarterly 9L]PL^ HUK )LZ[ *YLH[P]L 5VUÄ J[PVU (Volume 2) and was selected as a notable essay in Best American Essays.

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Large Cluster “Made for the Boat� Maple Granola Recipe and photo by Susie Jenkins-Brito, Set the Net

0M [OLYL L]LY ^HZ H Ă„ZOPUN IVH[ Z[HWSL [OH[ OHZ [YHUZSH[LK ZTVV[OS` MYVT OVTL [V NHSSL` [OPZ NYHUVSH PZ P[ -YVT IHJRWHJRPUN [V ^PU[LY ZRP [YPWZ JHTWPUN L_J\YZPVUZ HUK KH` OPRLZ HTPKZ[ ZHSTVU Ă„ZOPUN ZLHZVUZ HUK ILYY` WPJRPUN ZLZZPVUZ [OPZ SHYNL JS\Z[LY NYHUVSH powers all our adventures. Large Cluster “Made for the Boatâ€? Maple Granola makes 10 cups of granola—is easily halved but also stores well in an airtight container for up to three weeks on the counter or up to three months in the freezer! To make: You’ll need: ŕ Ž J\WZ YVSSLK VH[Z ŕ Ž J\WZ Ă…HRLK \UZ^LL[LULK coconut ŕ Ž J\WZ JOVWWLK WLJHUZ ŕ Ž J\W ZSPJLK HSTVUKZ ŕ Ž J\W OLTW ZLLKZ ŕ Ž [LHZWVVU JPUUHTVU ŕ Ž [LHZWVVU U\[TLN ŕ Ž [LHZWVVU JVHYZL ZLH ZHS[ VY kosher salt ŕ Ž ;HISLZWVVUZ VSP]L VPS ŕ Ž J\W THWSL Z`Y\W ŕ Ž SHYNL LNN ^OP[LZ

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Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large cookie sheet (I like to use a half sheet size) with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl evenly combine oats, coconut, pecans, almonds, hemp seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Using a rubber spatula turn in olive oil until mixture is evenly dampened. Pour in maple syrup and again turn to spread syrup evenly throughout granola. Finally, in a small bowl whisk egg whites until frothy and mix evenly into granola mixture. Turn granola out onto

prepared cookie sheet and spread to an even thickness with rubber spatula. Bake 45-55 minutes, carefully turning granola halfway through baking with a large spatula to avoid breaking up the clusters but allowing for even baking. Granola is complete when touching with your palm, oil no longer feels “damp�. To cool, slide parchment paper from cookie sheet onto a wire rack and allow to come to room temperature before storing. Though not pictured or listed in the recipe, dried fruit such as unsweetened cranberries or tart cherries add a little tang to the sweet and are a fantastic addition to this granola.

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OUR MISSION IS YOUR SUCCESS Join the Alliance today! 500+ Alaskan companies supporting resource development

WE NEED YOUR HELP IN 2020 TO: Promote the responsible development of Alaska’s oil gas and mining resources Improve public awareness of the key industries supporting Alaska’s economy Build stronger relationships within industry for the benefit and success of our members Visit our website at www.alaskaalliance.com for more information on membership and all of our activities

info@alaskaalliance.com

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@AKAlliance

12/12/19 3:11 PM

Jason Borgstede

X-Gamer created Alaska’s board life By P.M. Fadden

The 49th State is iconic for accomplishTLU[ ]PH LɈVY[" YL^HYK PU L_JOHUNL MVY hard work and vice versa. Its people live by this contract and few personify it more than Alaska family man and in-state entrepreneur, Jason Borgstede. Jason’s roots in-state and on snow run deep. And beyond owner of Blue & Gold Boardshop, he works tirelessly as an

advocate of Alaska heritage—especially when it comes to boardsport. It’s a lifestyle that created a life’s work of imparting passion. Yet thirty years, a pro snowboarding career and three X-Games medals later, Jason ‘Borgy’ Borgstede demonstrates that what matters most hasn’t changed at all. It’s still about spreading “the stoke.�

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“I moved here in ‘88 thinking it would be the end of normal life,â€? Jason recalls of the frontier move. “That turned out to be true, but not in the direction I was expecting.â€? Jason’s heart softened quickly for Alaska. “I fell in love with it and the pride of being from here. I drew the state on my board for X-Games and other televised events. I took every chance I could to push up other Alaskans.â€? From the beginning, Jason had a quick and certain satisfaction in skateboard’s kick-push. Inherent tendency toward counter-culture inclined him to pursue it. Jason faced the lack of acceptance for boardsport during those early years. But rather than being discouraged, Jason felt motivation to promote a budding recreation culture. Soon winter came to call at Alaska, and while many turned to huddling indoors, Jason instead found a dynamic new outlet in a recent invention—the snowboard. *V Ă„UHUJLK I` OPZ TVT HUK Ă„M[` KVSSHYZ SH[LY 1HZVU OHK OPZ Ă„YZ[ WSHZ[PJ WSHUR HUK from there it truly was all downhill. “Snow was so new to me and to be able to OVW VU H IVHYK HUK [Y` [V Ă„N\YL P[ V\[ Q\Z[ gave me this world I felt destined to be a part of,â€? Jason said. “The bug bit me and I knew I was doing something positive, even if it wasn’t cool.â€? That zeal would prove a common thread in later successes. Jason knew what he liked, and he went for it. As brimming with potential as it was unaccepted then, snowboarding became the center of Jason’s universe. Notable Ă„UPZOLZ VU [OL UH[PVUHS JPYJ\P[ LHYULK the up-and-comer a highly prized slot on the team of prestigious Alaska shop,

Photos courtesy Blue & Gold Boardshop

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Borderline. It was an appointment that would alter both a life and in-state industry. “Growing up with local shops as a focal point of boarding community was an important part of my snowskate experience,â€? Jason recalls. “Those guys set the foundation for all of us to come together and form something magical.â€? Borderline was the standard-bearer for Alaska board sport. Global Team sponsorship and X-Games Gold medals later, Jason found himself waking-up to having ‘arrived’—without having left. ¸0 OVWLK 0 JV\SK VUL KH` Ă„N\YL V\[ OV^ [V give the community what I got out,â€? Jason said. “I wrote pages and pages of what I would do, what my goals would be, and how to treat people.â€? “It took years, but I eventually learned what I needed to take a shot at opening Blue & Gold.â€? A brick and mortar board shop with a Ă„UNLY VU [OL W\SZL VM (SHZRH Z[YLL[ HUK mountain culture, Blue & Gold Boardshop plays host-site to movie premieres or speaking engagements including avalanche awareness talks. It organizes free activities and hands out heaps of NLHY 0[Z Z[HɈ HUK V^ULY ]VS\U[LLY ^P[O United States Amateur Snowboard Association and attend civic meetings to lobby for skateparks. Jason says Blue & Gold educates its customers and works beside area businesses to give the public something they just might love for life and the history behind why they should.

0U[LYPVY H[ )S\L .VSK )VHYKZOVW H IHZ[PVU VM JHY]PUN J\S[\YL PU (UJOVYHNL

“It showcases our history,â€? he says. Attendance is on the rise at events like Legends of Alaska, and more parents are bringing their kids to the shop. Jason’s wife and perhaps one day his son will join him on the slopes. “Alaska is a challenge,â€? he said. “It digs its claws in, forms people into something special.â€? For Jason, his home is a place of challenge and reward, of swirling chaos as well as solitude, where achievement is Ă„UKPUN H OHWW` WSHJL VU H ZUV^IVHYK

1HZVU ^P[O ZVU )LHY )VYNLZ[LKL IHSHUJPUN MHTPS` [PTL ^P[O H `LHY YV\UK I\Z` ZJOLK\SL

(YJ[PJ =HSSL` HUK ^OH[ Z ILSPL]LK [V IL [OL LHYSPLZ[ WOV[V VM 1HZVU Z YPKPUN /L ^HZ `YZ VSK

Enter the Great Land’s newly born Snowboard Hall of Fame and the Blue & Gold-built event, Legends of Alaska. It PZ OLSK H[ (YJ[PJ =HSSL` [OL Z[H[LÂťZ Ă„YZ[ ZRP area to allow snowboarding. “Legends honor those who built the foundations of Alaska snowboarding,â€? Jason emcees the three-year-old event.

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The long cold months By Paul D. Atkins

January is tough for some of us. The winter is in full swing and even though the dark has begun disappearing day by day, it’s still the deepest part of what many consider the “long cold time”. Smoke pours from the stacks on houses and cabins from the ever-increasing amount of wood being shoved into the belly of whatever contraption that keeps us warm. With each stick of stove wood, you think back and are thankful for that last load of timber you were able to pick up on your last boat trip upriver. You just hope it’s enough. I love January and especially February. Things are frozen and the snow provides a blanket of opportunity for getting out on snow machines, seeing the country and TH`IL L]LU Ä UKPUN W[HYTPNHU VY [^V And if you happen to own a dog team you can harness up and race across the ice, preparing for the upcoming mushing season or just to check out the trails or maybe cut a new one.

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Like spring in most places January and February is a time of renewal, a time to OLHK [V JHTW VY TVYL ZWLJPÄ JHSS` OLYL PU rural Alaska, a chance to get away for a weekend or at least a day and enjoy the cold weather in its fresh brilliance. It’s a time of opportunity, a time to plan as well. -VY TL P[»Z H [PTL [V Ä SS T` T\ZRV_ [HN and replace the moose that was never found back in the fall. A time to drag out the sled, gas up the machine and go in ZLHYJO VM H T`[OPJHS JYLH[\YL [OH[ ^PSS Ä SS the empty spot in my freezer, plus if the chance presents itself, maybe even grab a caribou or two. I truly cherish this time of year. For many of us who live up here and make the subsistence lifestyle our own, winter provides us with many opportunities. If you have the right gear and transportation, the frozen ground and ice

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provide access to most of rural Alaska. It’s a chance to get closer to nature, plus TH`IL Ä UK ^OH[ `V\ JV\SKU»[ IHJR PU [OL summer and fall. It can be dangerous. Winter’s deep snow, thin ice and below-zero windchills are not something to take lightly. January and February are also times [V YLÅ LJ[ LZWLJPHSS` ^OLU 0»T V\[ZPKL gearing up my sled in the dark to go in ZLHYJO VM TLH[ 0 [OPUR IHJR [V T` Ä YZ[ muskox hunt, which occurred on the Seward Peninsula many years ago.

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>OLU [OL VJLHU MYLLaLZ HUK JVUKP[PVUZ HYL YPNO[ `V\»SS Z[HY[ [V ZLL [OL ILNPUUPUN VM ^OH[ ^PSS VJJ\Y SH[LY PU [OL ZWYPUN 4\ZOLYZ HUK [OLPY KVNZ ^PSS IL V\[ HUK HIV\[ ^VYRPUN [OLPY [LHTZ J\[[PUN UL^ [YHPSZ PU [OL ZUV^ HUK PJL

I lucked out and the drew the tag and even though I had never hunted the hairy ILHZ[ ILMVYL 0 ^HZ HISL [V ÄUK ZVTLIVK` who had. The logistics were a nightmare, but when I landed in Nome, he was there, and things were in place. ;OL [YPW Z[HY[LK VɈ UPJL LUV\NO 0[ ^HZ cold, but the weather was good, and the sky was clear at the time. With ten gallons of gas and food for a couple of days we headed north on snow machines to an area where a herd was supposedly hanging out. We pulled into a small cabin that my buddy owned, unloaded our gear and began the process of glassing the surrounding hillsides for brown spots. Call it luck or destiny we saw several bulls right VɈ I\[ H[ H JVUZPKLYHISL KPZ[HUJL MYVT where we were. It was late in the day and a decision had to be made. Go now or wait until morning? Hindsight is 20 20 they say and looking back we should have waited until the next day, but of course we didn’t. We hit the tundra, churning the deep snow under our tracks getting closer and closer. Finally, we left our machines HUK THKL [OL ÄUHS Z[HSR :P_ I\SSZ Z[VVK watching and I was able to get the shot VɈ /HWW` HUK LSH[LK H[ V\Y S\JR ^L casually headed back to our snowgos not

noticing the wind and distant clouds that ^LYL ÄSSLK ^P[O ZUV^ HUK PJL We were caught in a whiteout. After what seemed the longest evening VM T` SPML ^L ÄUHSS` MV\UK [OL V_ I\YPLK in snow, caked in ice and if it hadn’t been for one of skies catching a hindleg, we would have never found it. Visibility was nonexistent, but eventually we were able to get it into the sled and head towards the cabin. The ride home was death defying, especially after losing our trail, burying the machines several times and then having to cross a creek that was a little on the wet side. But we made it.

0M `V\ NL[ V\[ LHYS` LUV\NO ^OLU [OL KH` IYPUNZ ZVTL KH`SPNO[ `V\»SS ÄUK H ]HYPL[` VM ^PSKSPML >OL[OLY P[»Z H SH[L HYYP]PUN NYV\W VM JHYPIV\ VY PU [OPZ JHZL H W[HYTPNHU Z[VYTPUN \UKLYS`PUN ^PSSV^Z HUK [\UKYH NYHZZ SVVRPUN MVY MVVK

I’ve never been so exhausted and scared in my life. It was an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. It gave me a new appreciation for what the winter can bring, a new understanding of what weather can do in adverse conditions and the imperative to be prepared if you hope to make it out alive. 1HU\HY` HUK -LIY\HY` HYL KLÄUP[LS` [OL long cold months—and the perfect time in Alaska. Paul Atkins is an outdoor writer living in Kotzebue.

*VSK KHYR UPNO[Z ^OLU [OL ZR` PZ JSLHY JHU IL THNPJHS OLYL PU [OL MHY UVY[O HUK HSS V]LY (SHZRH MVY [OH[ TH[[LY ;OL UVY[OLYU SPNO[Z HYL H ZWLJ[HJSL [V ZLL LZWLJPHSS` PM [OL` HYL KHUJPUN HJYVZZ [OL ZR` PU H ]HYPL[` VM JVSVY

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Telecom to launch Alaska satellites By Elwood Brehmer

The founder of one of Alaska’s oldest telecommunications companies is betting big on the state once again. Chuck Schumann founded Microcom in Anchorage in 1984. The satellite telecom company grew quickly and has since found success in Hawaii and Lower 48 markets as well, but Microcom leaders have refocused their attention on Alaska of late with tens of millions of dollars of investment for the state. 0U :JO\THUU MV\UKLK 7HJPĂ„J Dataport Inc. with the goal of improving Internet access across Alaska. By January 2019 he had put together a partnership to get that done. +\IILK [OL (\YVYH WYVQLJ[ 7HJPĂ„J Dataport has joined forces with Bayarea satellite developer Astranis Space Technologies Corp. to build and launch two, and eventually maybe more, “microsatellitesâ€? that will help grow broadband internet capacity many-fold for most of Alaska.

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There is rightfully a lot of focus on increasing broadband access in much of South America, Africa and the Middle East, but Alaska has largely been forgotten by much of the industry, Schumann said when he announced the 7HJPĂ„J +H[HWVY[ÂťZ (\YVYH IYVHKIHUK network. ([ [OL [PTL [OL WSHU ^HZ MVY 7HJPĂ„J +H[HWVY[ [V L]LU[\HSS` VɈLY \W [V gigabits per second of broadband capacity. However, technological improvements in the fast-advancing broadband satellite market have allowed the company to double its ultimate capacity to 80 gigabits per second or TVYL HJJVYKPUN [V 7HJPĂ„J +H[HWVY[ project manager Alexander Schumann, Chuck’s son. Alexander said broadband access is so poor across much of Alaska that the Federal Communications Commission,

ADVERTORIAL

which regulates the telecom industry, has a lower minimum speed for what constitutes broadband in the state compared to what is acceptable across the other 49 states. Currently, Alaska has about 2.5 gigabytes per second of satellite bandwidth across multiple broadband providers, according [V 7HJPĂ„J +H[HWVY[ The broadband tracking website BroadbandNow lists Alaska as being 80 percent covered by some sort of broadband service at an average speed of 25.8 megabits per second. Alaska is the 44th most connected state when it comes to broadband availability, according to the site. The lack of access to reliable Internet access has been cited as a fundamental impediment to economic growth across much of rural Alaska. On top of that, what PZ [OLYL VM[LU PZUÂť[ HɈVYKHISL (SL_HUKLY noted that rural residents and businesses can pay many times more for broadband,

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for example, than those in Anchorage, and what they are getting is much slower. “If that was me with internet service in Anchorage and I was paying (rural Internet rates) I would be paying $6,000 to $7,000 a month for Internet and I JHU»[ HɈVYK [OH[ HUK Y\YHS (SHZRHUZ JHU»[ HɈVYK [OH[ HUK [OL` KVU»[ ¹ (SL_HUKLY said. “They choose not to adopt broadband and not participate in the online economies and the digital era that have been expanding so fast over the past few years.” Rural Alaska health care providers have also expressed a widespread need for better Internet access to aid in providing telehealth other information sharing needs. At the root of Alaska’s lack of broadband coverage is the fact that satellites are

usually placed in orbits over more populated places. Alaska’s position to the west of the rest of North America and east of Asia means the state mostly misses out on coverage from satellites dedicated to other parts of the world. “Alaska remains the only U.S. state with no statewide high-throughput satellite coverage,” Alexander said, adding that what broadband satellite capacity the state does have is by and large already being consumed.

;OL 7HJPÄJ +H[HWVY[ ZH[LSSP[LZ ^PSS IL [OL ÄYZ[ VULZ WVZP[PVULK [V WYV]PKL TVYL KPYLJ[ KH[H [YHUZTPZZPVU [V (SHZRH

Additionally, satellite-based systems used in extreme latitudes are often obstructed by objects on the ground, or even the curvature of the earth, because they are over the Lower 48.

equatorial orbit, or GEO, satellites that are launched into an orbit thousands of miles above Earth and mirror the planet’s rotation.

The Aurora system will overcome that issue by utilizing geosynchronous

The Aurora satellites will settle in orbits V]LY [OL 7HJPÄJ [V NP]L (SHZRH [OL ILZ[ possible coverage.

ADVERTORIAL

continued on page 47

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A gem of western Alaska

The Bering Land Bridge National Preserve By Clark Fair

While the artifact discovered was tiny, the discovery itself was momentous.

those little boxes. In one of them he found a human tooth.

Actually, it was more like a re-discovery, one that further enhances the value of a little-known national treasure in western Alaska.

In 1949, Danish archaeologist Helge Larsen excavated numerous artifacts from a complex of 12 caves on the northern Seward Peninsula. His Ä UKZ PUJS\KPUN Z[VUL [VVSZ HUK IVUL fragments, were labeled and cataloged, and then placed in small cardboard boxes that were stored at the National Museum of Denmark.

Two years later, after a DNA analysis, the results were published in the Journal of Science, revealing that the tooth, which had belonged to a one-and-a-half-yearold child, was 9,000 years old, the oldest human remains ever discovered in the Arctic—more than twice the age of the next oldest, which were discovered in Greenland. The analysis also indicated that the child was a member of a population called the Ancient Beringeans. Remains from this culture have been discovered in only one other place in the world—in the Tanana Valley, some 400 miles to the east.

0U 1LɈ 9HZPJ HU HYJOHLVSVNPZ[ working with the National Park Service (NPS), reexamined the contents of all

But the tooth and other artifacts from the Trail Creek Caves comprise only a fragment of the diverse and fascinating

The story began about 80 years ago.

world now known as Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, a 2.6 million-acre remnant of Beringea, the subcontinent that linked Alaska and Siberia during periods of low sea levels caused by ice ages. It is generally accepted that the land bridge, which existed for thousands of years, formed one of the key WHZZHNL^H`Z MVY O\THUZ Ä YZ[ LU[LYPUN the American continents. In the region today, Alaska Natives living in communities such as Deering and Shishmaref continue the lineage and culture established by those settlers thousands of years ago. Although dominated by tundra, the preserve’s terrain is varied and contains Ä ]L KPZ[PUJ[ aVULZ! ³ the northern coastal plain along the Chukchi Sea and Kotzebue Sound;

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(U 57: YHUNLY ZJHUZ [OL ^PKL VWLU [\UKYH MVY ^PSKSPML 6U *HWL ,ZWLUILYN HSVUN [OL *O\RJOP :LH JVHZ[ ]PZP[VYZ JHU ZLL NYHZZ` [VWWLK ZHUK K\ULZ

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( SHYNL I\SS JHYPIV\ YLSH_LZ PU [OL ZHML[` VM [OL VWLU JV\U[Y` VM [OL WYLZLY]L

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Photos courtesy the National Park Service

Âł the undulating uplands, crisscrossed by meandering streams; Âł [OL 2\aP[YPU Ă… H[Z" Âł the craggy Imuruk lava plateau, and Âł the Bendeleben Mountains, which form the preserve’s southern boundary. ;OL WYLZLY]L ^OPJO ^HZ LZ[HISPZOLK Ă„ YZ[ as a national monument by President 1PTT` *HY[LY PU ^HZ TVKPĂ„ LK [^V years later to a preserve with the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), thereby allowing both subsistence and sport O\U[PUN (KTPUPZ[YH[P]L Vɉ JLZ HUK H visitor center for the preserve, both run by the NPS, are located in Nome on the southern Seward Peninsula. The most visited site within the largely treeless preserve is Serpentine /V[ :WYPUNZ ^OPJO VɈ LYZ UV OVZ[ HJJVTTVKH[PVUZ PU H Ă„ YZ[ JVTL Ă„ YZ[ served NPS bunkhouse. Other notable locations include the Trail Creek Caves,

Devil Mountain Lakes, Ear Mountain, and the Lost Jim Lava Flow, the name of which originates from a member of a U.S. Geological Survey research team who became separated from the rest of his NYV\W ^OPSL THWWPUN [OL SH]H Ă… V^ PU Caribou are native to the preserve, as are muskoxen. Muskoxen, however, had to be reintroduced to the area in 1970 after being wiped out earlier in the century. Other mammals found in the preserve include reindeer (introduced in 1894), walruses, polar bears, red foxes, brown bears, Arctic foxes, ribbon seals, wolverines and ILH]LYZ ;OL HYLH HSZV OVZ[Z ZPNUPĂ„ JHU[ numbers of nesting waterfowl. Visitors to the preserve enjoy camping (although there are no designated camping sites), wildlife viewing and bird ^H[JOPUN Ă… PNO[ ZLLPUN ZUV^TVIPSPUN KVN T\ZOPUN HUK O\U[PUN HUK Ă„ ZOPUN Regardless of the activity, visitors should be cognizant of the tremendous variability of the weather and the total absence of services within the preserve.

Even getting there can be a challenge. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve is roadless and remote from population JLU[LYZ 4VZ[ ]PZP[VYZ LP[OLY Ă… ` PU[V [OL preserve in their own single-engine planes or else charter an air taxi out of Nome or Kotzebue. ;OL 57: VɈ LYZ H KPYLJ[VY` VM JVTTLYJPHS visitor-service providers, including air taxis, at www.nps.gov/locations/alaska/ services-bering-land-bridge.htm. The preserve itself is open to the public 24 hours a day all year, but the visitor center, located in the Sitnasuak Building on Front Street in Nome has regular business hours on weekdays only. For directions and more information, go to the preserve’s website at www.nps.gov/bela/index.htm. Clark Fair has written about rural Alaska for several decades and is a regular contributor to Alaskan Spirit.

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·· JUST FOR KIDS ··

R O M F U D S A K M O X O G

Musk oxen have walked the Earth since the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago. These creatures shared the Pleistocene period with animals like the wooly mammoth and sabretooth tiger and made their home in far northern climates of what are now Alaska, Greenland, Siberia, Norway, and Arctic Canada. /\U[LK [V ULHY L_[PUJ[PVU PU [OL [O JLU[\Y` TVKLYU LɈ VY[Z [V YL]P]L musk ox numbers in Alaska have led to a population of more than 5,000 of the shaggy beasts, with 3,500 of them roaming the Seward Peninsula near Nome. People are fascinated by a musk ox’s amazing ability to survive in OHYZO LU]PYVUTLU[Z HUK [OL Z[HɈ H[ [OL 4\ZR 6_ -HYT PU 7HSTLY provided a few interesting facts to help kids understand them, from head to tail. Visitors to the Matanuska-Susitna Valley are welcome at the farm this winter: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Book a tour online on the Musk Ox Farm website: www.muskoxfarm.org.

Got Hay?

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·· JUST FOR KIDS ··

Musk Ox Must-Know Facts Telling Tails? No way. Musk oxen have no visible tail! They have short stocky legs, ears, and only a small tail not visible through all their hair. These wooly traits help keep a musk ox warm in the cold arctic winters.

GOOD READS Courtesy of the University of Alaska Press, Fairbanks

No parka needed! Musk oxen have a very warm undercoat that keeps them warm all winter. That coat is call qiviut (kiv-ee-oot). Outside of spring when they shed their qiviut coat, most people will never see it since the oxen’s guard hair (long outer coat) protects the qiviut from rain, wind, and mosquitos. Pass the hay, please. Musk oxen have four stomachs, much like a cow or sheep. This is called a ruminant stomach and it helps the ox digest plants they spend their days eating. To get the needed nutrients out of their MVVK T\ZR V_LU T\Z[ JOL^ WSHU[Z [^PJL" ÄYZ[ ^OLU [OL` rip it from the ground, and second after they throw the food back up into their mouth and chew it a second time, called chewing cud. Do you feel lucky, punk? Musk oxen stand down predators on a regular basis. When animals like wolves threaten a herd, the adults circle up or form a line in front of calves to protect them. Ouch, that had to hurt! But not so much. Musk ox males will run into each other’s heads at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour during the fall rut season trying to decide who should be the boss bull. While that would be more than enough to give people a headache, their horn boss (forehead horn) is made for it.

Word Scramble

1. 2. 3.

Flight of the Golden Plover: The Amazing Migration Between Hawaii and Alaska by Debbie S. Miller Catch up with the beautiful golden plover’s annual migration in this beautifully illustrated book for beginning readers and their families. The golden plover travels 6,000 miles annually between the cold Alaska tundra and the grassy, warm meadows of the Hawaiian Islands. A formerly endangered species, the plover now thrives with adaptations to make it at home in both places, and the story follows one bird on a fun journey with animal friends like the Nene goose, musk ox, grizzly bear, arctic fox, and sandhill cranes. A great readaloud or read-alone book for accomplished early elementary readers.

How many words can you make out of the name Musk Oxen? Give it a try!

M U S K OXEN 4. 5. 6.

January / February 2020

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Best in the West competition

Bringing success to small businesses This piece was originally published in the Calista Corporation publication Storyknife – Yaaruin

Contest open to entire YK Region

skills. What he needed to learn was how to run a business.

More than 75 small businesses in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (YK) Delta have received startup training and funding from the annual Best in the West competition over the past decade.

During the Best in the West contest, Joe JYLH[LK H I\ZPULZZ WSHU ;V ÄUK V\[ PM OL could secure adequate customers and be WYVÄ[HISL OL JVUK\J[LK THYRL[ HUHS`ZPZ gathering data from city records and the U.S. Census Bureau. He also learned about creating an LLC and how it would be taxed.

Even more impressive: 80 percent of them are still in business!

“It was challenging and fun at the same time,” Joe says.

In the 2019 competition, a total VM ^HZ ZWSP[ HTVUN Ä]L winners, many of whom used the money to help with startup expenses.

Joe named his business Apollo Home Solutions LLC. He used Best in the West award money to pay for tools and a portion of his licensing costs.

Here are a few 2019 Best in the West winners whose businesses NV[ VɈ [OL NYV\UK PU

>OLU ^L ÄYZ[ ZWVRL [V 1VL PU 4H` OL had created a Facebook business page and ordered business cards, but his state business license hadn’t arrived in the mail yet. By late summer, Joe was booked up with projects and getting ready to take Apollo Home Solutions full-time. His advice for other prospective business owners:

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Joe Pete, Apollo Home Solutions LLC Delivering heating fuel, gasoline and diesel in Bethel provided Joe Pete a steady paycheck but it wasn’t what he SPRLZ [V KV ILZ[·I\PSKPUN HUK Ä_PUN things with his own hands. The young husband and father of two aspired to create a handyman business. With 7-plus years in construction and some training and experience in plumbing and electrical, Joe already had critical job

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“Don’t be like cheap tape, which doesn’t stick to anything. Things usually work when you stick with it. Mistakes and failures are at your side as wise teachers, guiding you toward success. ¸;PTL WHZZLZ I` [VV X\PJR [V W\[ VɈ `V\Y hopes and dreams.” Carole Jung Jordan, Jung & Jordan Trucking When a sand pit on the outskirts of Bethel came up for sale late last year, Carole Jung Jordan and her husband John Jordan saw a window of opportunity to create a family business.

They bought the sand pit with their own savings. As they worked through the purchase process, they joined the Best in the West competition. Their intentions were to start a business of hauling sand, topsoil and gravel for residential and commercial customers in Bethel. Step by step, they built their new business, Jung & Jordan Trucking. John already owned a dump truck and had his eye on a small yellow D-3 dozer. The couple used the Best in the West award money as a down payment for the + ^P[O ÄUHUJPUN MVY [OL YLZ[ WYV]PKLK by First National Bank Alaska. “I didn’t think the Best in the West process ^HZ ]LY` KPɉJ\S[ 0 [OV\NO[ VM P[ HZ TVYL of a challenge, because you had to do the KPɈLYLU[ Z[LWZ HSVUN [OL ^H` 4` O\ZIHUK and I participated in all of the workshops and enjoyed them,” Carole says. “This competition opened our eyes to the KPɈLYLU[ I\ZPULZZLZ NYV^PUN PU )L[OLS 0[ OLSWLK \Z [V UL[^VYR HUK [HSR [V KPɈLYLU[ business owners in town. It also helped clarify some things. My family owned I\ZPULZZLZ I\[ [OPZ ^HZ T` ÄYZ[ [PTL ever having a business.” John was already well versed in sand pit operations; he had successfully operated a dirt hauling business in the past and worked with the previous owner of the sand pit. The family worked as a team this summer —Carole took care of the business side in the evenings, John’s 14-year-old daughter helped with phone calls, and John operated from a work trailer at the sand pit. “We knew there was a demand for this. Now we’re really seeing it.”

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Until recently, Patrick’s ability to churn out P[LTZ ^HZ SPTP[LK I` [OL [PTL HUK LɈVY[ it takes to punch holes, sew, and tighten pieces of full-grain leather by hand. “Every 20 minutes, I needed to shake my hands. You get up in the morning, your OHUKZ HYL Z[PɈ ¹ Thanks to the Best in the West contest, 7H[YPJR JV\SK HɈVYK [V I\` H ZL^PUN machine that is speeding up his product assembly and reducing stress on his hands. Patrick continues to work full-time as a transportation director in Bethel but plans to accelerate his production of leather goods after subsistence activities end for the year.

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Carole is a big believer in the goals of Best in the West. “The advice I have for other small businesses is to join Best in the West. It will help solidify your business plan. The other participants are very supportive and have good ideas and feedback.” “We also want to show our four daughters that they can do things themselves. There’s no limit to what they can do, just because they live in a small place like Bethel.”

Patrick Samson, Tundra Leather Not long ago, Patrick Samson painstakingly cut and stitched custom leather items tough enough for a subsistence lifestyle on the tundra. Lately, he’s taken it to the next level with a Cobra Class 4 industrial sewing machine. “That sewing machine is a godsend,” he says. Patrick’s new business, Tundra Leather, specializes in heirloom-quality products like knife sheaths, wallets and handbags.

“Christmas is around the corner. I’m trying to stock up so people have gifts they can buy,” he says. How Patrick became interested in creating high-quality leather items is an interesting side story. It all started when he began making his own hunting knives. 7H[YPJR :HTZVU

He decided to make some sheaths, too, I\[ [OL SLH[OLY OL VYKLYLK ^HZ ÅPTZ` HUK the tools weren’t all that great either. “I thought, there’s got to be a better way to make a knife sheath. Out here with the elements, you need a good leather. I had the drive to make the absolute best knife sheath ever.” He found some thick and heavy leather online. “Lo and behold, it was a lot more superior. “That’s when it dawned on me that there are people like me who need a superior leather product,” he said. One of Patrick’s favorite aspects of the Best in the West competition was getting practice in public speaking and how to market a product. “The positive feedback from other contestants also was very good,” he says. Patrick’s advice for other prospective business owners is to forget the negative vibes and go with the positive ones. “Know that you have something good, and stick with it.” It isn’t too early for YK Delta residents to think about applying for the 2020 Best in the West competition, proudly supported by Calista Corporation along with many other regional partners. Applications are typically available in early December. Participants attend workshops where they learn the ins and outs of developing a business plan, professional licensing, budgeting and marketing. Awards are announced in the spring. Calista Corporation has over 31,000 Shareholders and is the parent company of more than 30 subsidiaries in the following industries: military defense contracting, civil and vertical construction, real estate, environmental remediation and natural resource development, marine transportation, VPS ÄLSK ZLY]PJLZ HUK OLH]` LX\PWTLU[ sales, service and rentals.

January / February 2020

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Salmon, weed and halibut By Laine Welch

Photo courtesy Alaska Seafood

Weed is set to give a big boost to Alaska’s blue economy! The interest in growing seaweeds in Alaska is gaining momentum and training more farmers is the goal of a program starting next February in Kodiak, Sitka and Ketchikan. The training is phase two of the 2014 Alaska Mariculture Initiative that aims to grow a $100 million industry in 20 years. “We’re doing this training because there is immense interest MYVT JVHZ[HS JVTT\UP[PLZ HUK JVTTLYJPHS Ă„ZOLYTLU š ZHPK Riley Smith, development director with the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation which helped spearhead the mariculture push. (SHZRHÂťZ Ă„YZ[ RLSW MHYT WLYTP[Z ^LYL PZZ\LK PU H[ 2VKPHR and now 21 growers have added dulce, nori and sea lettuce to their macroalgae startup menus. ¸0[ÂťZ H YLHSS` NVVK Ă„[ ^P[O V\Y L_PZ[PUN Ă„ZOLY` PUMYHZ[Y\J[\YL š ZHPK :HT 9HI\UN KPYLJ[VY VM [OL (+- . JVTTLYJPHS Ă„ZOLYPLZ KP]PZPVU ¸>L OH]L HU VJLHU ^VYRMVYJL VM Ă„ZOPUN JVTT\UP[PLZ ]LZZLSZ Ă„ZOLYTLU WYVJLZZVYZ [OH[ PU THU` JHZLZ NL[ \ZLK PU H kind of boom and bust manner. This gives an additional shoulder to a season.â€? So far two Alaska processors, Ocean Beauty and Silver Bay Seafoods, are involved in the new industry.

“This has been predicted for several years. This is projected to continue for all 2020 TCEYs greater than approximately 18.4 million pounds,â€? Stewart said. “It’s essentially the breakeven point over the next three years. So, we’re looking at a period of YLSH[P]LS` SV^ WYVK\J[P]P[` MVY [OL 7HJPĂ„J OHSPI\[ Z[VJR V]LY [OL next three years.â€? TCEY (total constant exploitation yield) is the amount of removals of halibut over 26 inches for commercial, recreational, ZWVY[Z JOHY[LY Z\IZPZ[LUJL HUK I`JH[JO PU V[OLY Ă„ZOLYPLZ -VY 2019, the coastwide TCEY was 38.61 million pounds.

Halibut continues decline (SHZRHUZ JHU L_WLJ[ SV^LY JH[JOLZ MVY 7HJPĂ„J OHSPI\[ MVY [OL foreseeable future. ;OH[ ^HZ [OL TLZZHNL MYVT [OL 0U[LYUH[PVUHS 7HJPĂ„J /HSPI\[ Commission at its recent Seattle meeting. The IPHC oversees OHSPI\[ Z[VJR YLZLHYJO HUK ZL[Z JH[JO SPTP[Z MVY UPUL Ă„ZOPUN regions ranging from Northern California and British Columbia to the Bering Sea. ;OLYL HYL ML^LY VM [OL WYPaLK Ă…H[Ă„ZO KV^U WLYJLU[ [OL` weigh less (down 5 percent) and no big pulses appear to be coming into the stock was the grim summary of the 2019 OHSPI\[ Ă„ZOLY` HUK [OL YLZ\S[Z VM Z\TTLY SVUN Z\Y]L`Z H[ ULHYS` Ă„ZOPUN Z[H[PVUZ PUJS\KPUN HKKLK [V [OL *LU[YHS .\SM VM (SHZRH [OL IPNNLZ[ OHSPI\[ Ă„ZOPUN OVSL The numbers of spawning halibut also appeared to continue their decline over the past year, said IPHC lead scientist Ian Stewart.

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“The non-directed discards, meaning bycatch, was up from a little over six million pounds to a little over 6.4 million pounds,� Stewart said.

Salmon permits gain value The value of Alaska salmon permits has ticked upwards in YLNPVUZ [OH[ L_WLYPLUJLK H NVVK ÄZOLY` [OPZ `LHY ;OL YLJVYK ZVJRL`L ÄZOLY` H[ )YPZ[VS )H` OHZ IVVZ[LK ZHSLZ VM driftnet permits to nearly $200,000, up from the mid-$170,000 range prior to the 2019 season. Another strong run forecast of 48.9 million sockeyes for 2020 with a projected harvest of 36.9 million could increase the value even more, said Doug Bowen of Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer. What’s really raising eyebrows, Bowen said, is values for driftnet permits at Area M (False Pass) on the Alaska Peninsula where lots of people want in and not many want out.

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“We sold one at $235,000 which is amazing - $40,000 more than a Bay permit,â€? Bowen said. Listings by other brokers YLĂ…LJ[ [OL ZHTL [YLUK ^P[O (YLH 4 ZLPUL WLYTP[Z HSZV commanding over $180,000. ([ 2VKPHR ^OPJO OHK H Z[YVUN Ă„ZOLY` [OL ]HS\L VM ZLPUL WLYTP[Z ]HS\L PUJYLHZLK MVY [OL Ă„YZ[ [PTL PU THU` `LHYZ from $30,000 to $40,000.

Salmon season posted 10 percent gain Alaska’s 2019 salmon season was worth $657.6 million to ÄZOLYTLU H WLYJLU[ PUJYLHZL MYVT [OL ÄZOLY` Sockeye salmon accounted for nearly 64 percent of the total value, topping $421 million, and 27 percent of the harvest H[ TPSSPVU ÄZO HJJVYKPUN [V WYLSPTPUHY` LZ[PTH[LZ MYVT the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Final values will be determined in 2020 after processors, buyers, and direct THYRL[LYZ Z\ITP[ [OLPY [V[HSZ WHPK [V ÄZOLYTLU Pink salmon were the second most valuable species representing 20 percent of the total dockside value at $128.6 million, and 62 percent of the harvest at just over TPSSPVU ÄZO Chum salmon accounted for 10 percent of the value at $63.8 million and 9 percent of the harvest at 18.5 million. Coho ZHSTVU JVU[YPI\[LK HIV\[ WLYJLU[ VM [OL ÄZOLY` ]HS\L H[ TPSSPVU HUK WLYJLU[ VM [OL OHY]LZ[ H[ TPSSPVU ÄZO The Chinook salmon harvest of just over 272,000 was worth TPSSPVU [V ÄZOLYTLU [OL [OPYK SV^LZ[ ]HS\L ZPUJL limited entry began in 1975. Salmon prices for 2019 took a dip for all but sockeyes which averaged $1.45 per pound, an increase from $1.33. The average price for Chinook was $4.48 per pound, down from $5.98 in 2018. Cohoes at $1.15 dropped from $1.34; pink salmon at $.30 declined from $.45 and chums at $.49 took a big dip from the $.78 paid on average last year. The price drops, especially for pinks and chums, likely stemmed from the huge Russian harvest that was expected to approach 1.8 billion pounds this year. That compares to a 2019 Alaska salmon catch of just over 872 million pounds. Average salmon weights this year were 11.84 pounds for Chinook, up from 11.59 pounds in 2018. Sockeye weight of 5.24 pounds was down slightly from 5.26 pounds. Coho salmon averaged 6.77 pounds, down from 7.42, and pinks averaged 3.27 pounds, down from 3.76. Laine Welch is the acknowledged dean of Alaska seafood writers and is a regular contributor to Alaskan Spirit.

January / February 2020

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Flying with RavnAir

Passenger Guide 38 Travel in Rural Alaska 39 Customer Service 40 FlyAway Rewards / Menu 41 Route Map 42 Our Fleet

www.FlyRavn.com

March / April 2019

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RavnAir Alaska Tips

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When departing from a regional hub à ® *OLJR PU VUL OV\Y WYPVY [V ZJOLK\SLK KLWHY[\YL 6UJL `V\ HYL JOLJRLK PU Z[H` PU [OL [LYTPUHS HUK SPZ[LU [V HSS HUUV\UJLTLU[Z HZ Ã…PNO[Z TH` SLH]L LHYS` à ® )L Z\YL [V KYLZZ HWWYVWYPH[LS` MVY ^LH[OLY JVUKP[PVUZ HZ ]PSSHNL KLZ[PUH[PVUZ KV UV[ OH]L MHJPSP[PLZ [V ZOLS[LY WHZZLUNLYZ VY [OLPY ILSVUNPUNZ à ® 4HU` ]PSSHNLZ KV UV[ WLYTP[ HSJVOVS 7SLHZL JHSS HOLHK [V [OL YLNPVUHS O\I [V PUX\PYL HIV\[ SVJHS Y\SLZ HUK YLZ[YPJ[PVUZ YLNHYKPUN HSJVOVS [YHUZWVY[ HUK JVUZ\TW[PVU

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à ® 0U TVZ[ JHZLZ JHYY` VU IHNNHNL PZ UV[ HSSV^LK )L WYLWHYLK [V JVUZVSPKH[L `V\Y ILSVUNPUNZ PM ULJLZZHY` à ® <WVU HYYP]HS IL Z\YL [V PKLU[PM` [OL ]PSSHNL HNLU[ :PTWS` HZR `V\Y WPSV[ VY H SVJHS YLZPKLU[ ;OPZ PZ ]LY` PTWVY[HU[ HZ [OL ]PSSHNL HNLU[ ^PSS IL JOLJRPUN `V\ PU HUK WYV]PKPUN \WKH[LZ VU [OL Z[H[\Z VM `V\Y YL[\YU Ã…PNO[ à ® (SS IHNNHNL PZ Z\IQLJ[ [V SVHK YLZ[YPJ[PVUZ )HNNHNL [OH[ JHUUV[ IL HJJVTTVKH[LK VU `V\Y Ã…PNO[ ^PSS IL [YHUZWVY[LK VU [OL UL_[ H]HPSHISL Ã…PNO[ à ® *LSS\SHY WOVUL ZLY]PJL PZ =,9@ SPTP[LK PU Y\YHS HYLHZ

When departing from a village à ® *OLJR PU ^P[O [OL =PSSHNL (NLU[ H[ SLHZ[ [^V OV\YZ WYPVY [V `V\Y ZJOLK\SLK Ã…PNO[ [PTL (S[OV\NO ^L Z[YP]L [V THPU[HPU VWLYH[PVUZ HZ [OL` HYL ZJOLK\SLK THU` MHJ[VYZ JHU HɈLJ[ HJ[\HS Ã…PNO[ [PTLZ )L Z\YL [V Z[H` PU [V\JO ^P[O [OL =PSSHNL (NLU[ MVY [OL TVZ[ \W [V KH[L PUMVYTH[PVU

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Fares guaranteed for 24 hours 9H]U(PY .YV\W YLX\PYLZ [OH[ HSS YLZLY]H[PVUZ IL W\YJOHZLK H[ [PTL VM IVVRPUN 0M ^P[OPU OV\YZ VM W\YJOHZL `V\ KLJPKL [OH[ `V\ ^PSS UV SVUNLY ULLK `V\Y [PJRL[ ^L VɈLY M\SS YLM\UKZ MVY HU` [PJRL[ W\YJOHZLK KPYLJ[S` [OYV\NO 9H]U(PY ^P[OPU OV\YZ VM W\YJOHZL ^P[OV\[ HU` WLUHS[PLZ WYV]PKLK [OH[ [OL YLZLY]H[PVU PZ THKL VUL ^LLR VY TVYL WYPVY [V [OL ZJOLK\SLK ÅPNO[ KLWHY[\YL 0M `V\ ULLK [V THRL JOHUNLZ [V `V\Y [PJRL[ HZ SVUN HZ [OL UL^ P[PULYHY` TLL[Z HK]HUJL W\YJOHZL YLX\PYLTLU[Z HUK [OL JSHZZ VM ZLY]PJL W\YJOHZLK PZ H]HPSHISL ^L ^PSS JOHUNL `V\Y [PJRL[ H[ UV JVZ[ [V `V\ ;OL JOHUNL T\Z[ IL YLX\LZ[LK ^P[OPU OV\YZ VM W\YJOHZL HUK VUL ^LLR VY TVYL WYPVY [V [OL ZJOLK\SLK ÅPNO[ KLWHY[\YL

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ALASKAN SPIRIT

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January / February 2020

12/12/19 3:11 PM

RavnAir Group

Route Map

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January / February 2020

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ALASKAN SPIRIT

41

12/12/19 3:11 PM

Our Fleet

The number of passengers may vary based on length of flight, amount of luggage, and flight operations. Aircraft specifications listed are actual. Maximum payloads and size of shipment may be reduced due to weather, distance, size, and weight of the shipment.

DeHavilland DHC-8-100 Max passengers: 29 - 37 Max payload: 8,100 pounds

Saab 2000 Max passengers: 45 Max payload: 12,120 pounds

Beechcraft B1900C Max passengers: 19 Max payload: 3,800 pounds Max cargo length: 14 feet

Max cargo width: 54 inches Max cargo height: 57 inches

B1900 Cargo Max passengers: N/A Max payload: 5,000 pounds Max cargo length: 25 feet

Max cargo width: 54 inches Max cargo height: 57 inches

Piper PA31 Chieftain Max passengers: 7 Max payload: 1,500 pounds Max cargo length: 8.5 feet

Max cargo width: 40.5 inches Max cargo height: 41.5 inches

Cessna C208 Caravan Max passengers: 9 Max payload: 2,200 pounds Max cargo length: 14 feet

Max cargo width: 60 inches Max cargo height: 54 inches

Cessna C207 Skywagon Max passengers: 5 Max payload: 900 pounds Max cargo length: 8 feet

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AlaskanSpirit_Jan2020_.indd 42

Max cargo width: 39 inches Max cargo height: 39 inches

January / February 2020

5V[L! KPTLUZPVUZ HYL PU[LYPVY

12/12/19 3:11 PM

THE MAGAZINE OF RAVN AIR GROUP

AND RURAL ALASKA

SEPTEMBER 2019

Alaskan Spirit Magazine

CULTURE IN OUR ART

Native Art and Artists

ALASKA FEDERATION OF NATIVES 2019 Fairbanks Convention

SEASON OF GATHERING

Hunting and Subsistence

ANCHORAGE

Living The Big Wild Life THE MAGAZI

NE OF RAVNAI

R GROUP AND

JULY 2019

RURAL ALASKA

Telling the stories of rural Alaska and the communities we serve. BEST DAYS! Summer Exploring Alaska

A KENAI PENINSUL

H I S T O R Y • A D V E N T U R E • C U LT U R E • P E O P L E

ound Alaska’s Playgr

CAINES HEADHistoric Treasure

• ART • FOOD

Seward’s Hidden

KANS CREATIVE ALAS Creators ers, Artists, Design

THE MAG

AZIN E

OF RAV

N AIR GRO

UP AND

RUR AL

MARCH

ALASKA

Alaskan Spirit is the one magazine on RavnAir and PenAir flights throughout Alaska, connecting the 120 communities we serve daily.

2019

CAs MA-I EL’S the Age BEnceTH Through Da

DELTA YUKONthe Yup’ik Land of

S MADNES MARCH ketball fever Alaska

bas

THE MAGA

ZINE OF RAVN

AIR GROU

P AND RURA

L ALASK A

JANUARY

2019

There’s no place like

And online 24/7 at www.FlyRavn.com.

NOME WINTER IS RACE SEA SON Idita

rod Iron Dog Yukon Ques t

GOT ICE?

Valdez Ice

Fest

We can connect you with these communities and the 800,000 passengers who fly with us each year.

Call or email to get started. Lee Leschper | 907-957-6025 Lee.Leschper@FireweedStrategies.com

AlaskanSpirit_Jan2020_.indd 43

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RavnAir Alaska

Puzzle page (Answers on page 46)

Across 1

Feeble

5

Baghdad’s --- City

9

Archie’s wife

14

Spoken

15 U N nuclear watchdog 16

Reproduced sound

17

Thin coating

18 Theoretical birth of the Universe 20

In the offing

22

Desperate

23

Yarn

24 Before this 29 Business disappointment 33

Yorba ---, R M H’s birthplace

34 Saturated 36 Injure 37 Methodology

© 2016 Crosswordsite.com Ltd.

Down

38

Once again

40

Exchange

1

Attics

31

42

Sepulcher

2

Hilarious

32

Beatle married to Bach Forego

43

Congenital

3 Troublemakers, often

34

45

Genuine

4

“Get Shorty” author --- Leonard

35

Bill Cosby’s late son

Place

37

Candidate’s aim

47 Chinese ultimate reality

5

48

Not entirely natural, if born in this

6 Expression of relief

39 Merchandise

49

Beaten by the Continental Army

7 Property document

41 Agnus ---

51

Gist

53

Flared dress type

56 58

Class Mendelssohn’s “Scottish Symphony” key

59 Living on land and in water 64 Blowout

44

Ice hockey player Bobby ---

8

Hydrophobia

9

Enthusiastically

44

Lymphatic tissues often removed after infection

46 “Taken” star --- Neeson

10

Name

49

11

Former name of Psiloritis, Cretan mountain

50 Slender

12

Can plating

52

Strait west of Wales, AK Stocky horse

54 “Lorenzo’s Oil” actor Nick ---

13

Harley, often

19

Retirement arrangement

57 Implement

55 Rub out

65

Of the nose

21

Legend

66

O T shipwright

58

25

Itemize

59 Military nurses’ group (Abbr.)

67

Chart-toppers

60

Besmirch Pro bono TV ad

Arthur --- stadium, Queens, N Y C

26

A way to disappear

68 Tors

27

Watery swelling

61

69 Hilarity

28

Sly fighter?

62 Crone

70 Every family has one

30 Pear-shaped stringed instrument

ALASKAN SPIRIT

AlaskanSpirit_Jan2020_.indd 44

63 The Emirates

January / February 2020

12/12/19 3:12 PM

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January / February 2020

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Why do good candidates turn down great jobs? By Paula Bradison We heard from one missed opportunity last month that waiting ^P[O HU VɈ LY PZ HSZV H TPZ[HRL!

That is the “woe is me” we hear from employers every week. According to the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation, the Number One complaint by employers across (SHZRH PZ KPɉ J\S[` ^P[O OPYPUN After owning a recruiting company and conducting hiring within [OL TLKPJHS Ä LSK MVY V]LY `LHYZ 0 JHU LTWH[OPaL ^P[O [OL HTV\U[ VM [PTL LɈ VY[ HUK MY\Z[YH[PVU P[ [HRLZ [V YLJY\P[ X\HSP[` JHUKPKH[LZ ;V [OH[ LUK OLYL»Z OV^ VUJL `V\ KV Ä UK [OH[ NYLH[ candidate, to make sure they join your team.

Top 10 reasons employees turn down great jobs: 1. Social interactions are uncomfortable or non-existent between co-workers at interview site 7VVY Ä YZ[ PTWYLZZPVU VM [OL MYVU[ KLZR VY YLJLW[PVU 7VVY Ä YZ[ PTWYLZZPVUZ VM PU[LY]PL^LY 4. Interviewer has poor interview skills or interviewers ask redundant questions 5. Poor Glass Door reviews of what it is like to work at your organization

As a business leader your time is valuable and so is the time of `V\Y Z[HɈ ZV THRL [OL ILZ[ \ZL VM `V\Y [PTL 0U T` V^U SLHKLYZOPW YVSLZ 0 ^HZ JVUÄ KLU[ 0 OHK [OL ILZ[ knowledge of what type of candidate I wanted. I compiled a list of qualities I was looking for, just as if purchasing a new car. Like you, I always want to get the best deal I can when shopping for a car. I keep an open mind and look everywhere for the best deal. Sometimes that best deal comes from someplace I never expected. The same can be said for great employees. In my experience, employers who keep an open mind about the type of candidate they will consider can often end up with a candidate that exceeds expectations and adds great value to their company. If you are like most of the executives I know, you want to be [OL Ä UHS ZH` PU OPYPUN HUK [OH[»Z OV^ P[ ZOV\SK IL ;OLYL HYL ZV many time-consuming steps between deciding you want to hire HUK THRPUN [OL VɈ LY 0M `V\ HYL H ZTHSS [V TPK ZPaL I\ZPULZZ consider outsourcing recruitment.

6. Poor total compensation package 7. No clear employee development plan 8. Poor PTO package 9. Outdated atmosphere, candidates notice technology, employee attire and workspace alike (U VɈ LY [HRLZ [VV SVUN [V IL L_[LUKLK

“The thing is, I submitted to an employer over a month ago and was called in for an interview. Then it was silent, I assumed that [OL` OHK HSYLHK` Ä SSLK [OL WVZP[PVU >OLU [OL` JHSSLK [V VɈ LY TL the position, I had already taken another job. “

(SHZRH OHZ H NYLH[ OPYPUN WVVS VM X\HSPÄ LK JHUKPKH[LZ HUK `V\ ^HU[ [V Z[HJR KLJR PU `V\Y MH]VY [V Ä UK [OL WLYMLJ[ JHUKPKH[L MVY your great job.

World-class museums continued from page 13 Whitney Museum: No, this has nothing to do with the famous New York art museum. This is the Valdez repository of Maxine and Jesse Whitney’s one-of-a-kind lifetime collection of Alaskana—quaint, endearing, bizarre and quirky all at once. Scrimshaw, taxidermy, dollmaking, garment-making, painting, advertising. Almost every human art you can imagine is represented, all of it uniquely Alaskan. There’s literally nothing else like it on Earth. www.mjwhitneymuseum.org.

Puzzle Page Solution to puzzle on page 44

Eric Lucas lives on San Juan Island in Washington state.

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January / February 2020

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Unalaska Raiders say Thanks RavnAir! Recently, the Unalaska volleyball team took second in the (SHZRH Z[H[L [V\YUHTLU[ SVZPUN H OLHY[IYLHRLY [V *YHPN PU Ä]L sets. Principal Jim Wilson reached out to RavnAir to thank the airline for all the help getting the athletes to their games. “I just wanted to take a moment on behalf of Unalaska City School District, our volleyball team and families of players [V [OHUR `V\ MVY HSS VM `V\Y LɈVY[Z PU OLSWPUN [V NL[ V\Y NPYSZ to their games during the last few months, and especially to regions and the state tournament,” Wilson said. For the six seniors on the team, this state tournament was their last opportunity to play together and for some of their parents to be on hand. ¸(NHPU [OHUR `V\ MVY HSS VM `V\Y LɈVY[Z PU Z\WWVY[ VM V\Y RPKZ ¹ said Wilson, including photos of the team with his message. “I just wanted to share their smiles and experience with you as you have been a part of the journey.” 9H]U(PY .YV\W 7YLZPKLU[ *,6 +H]L 7ÅPLNLY ZHPK [OL HPYSPUL makes it a priority to be a good neighbor and work with school districts and teams to ensure they have a positive experience as they travel to compete.

<UHSHZRH ]VSSL`IHSS JVHJO 9HJOLS 7L[LY HUK OLY [LHT KPZWSH` [OLPY ZLJVUK WSHJL Z[H[L [YVWO` MYVT [OL YLJLU[ (:(( JOHTWPVUZOPWZ ;OL [LHT HUK JVHJO YLSPLK VU 9H]U(PY ÅPNO[Z [V NL[ [OLT [V TH[JOLZ [OYV\NOV\[ [OLPY Z\JJLZZM\S ZLHZVU

Alaska satellite launch continued from page 27 “Microcom decided not to continue to rely on Lower 48 solutions and providers that don’t want to serve Alaska, so we decided to do something about it,” Alexander said. “The objective is to bring truly high-speed broadband to everywhere in Alaska in two `LHYZ 6U KH` VUL VM V\Y ZLY]PJL VɈLYPUN we’ll be able to provide broadband to every point in Alaska.” >OH[ 4PJYVJVT HUK 7HJPÄJ +H[HWVY[ did is work for three years to develop the GEO system, which has evolved into a two-satellite system. Phase one of the Aurora project is set to start with the launch of the Aurora 4-A ZH[LSSP[L SH[L PU HUK VɈLY \W [V gigabits per second of broadband capacity

across Alaska. The Aurora 4-A satellite is scheduled to go into service in early 2021. Alexander noted that Aurora 4-A—a satellite about the size of a washing THJOPUL·PZ M\SS` ÄUHUJLK HUK J\YYLU[S` under construction in California. It will be followed by the launch of the Aurora 4, which is scheduled to come online in late 2022 and will bring with it the full 80 gigabits per second of broadband to Alaska. The Aurora satellites will be launched by SpaceX, technology magnate Elon Musk’s spacecraft launching company based in California, and will link to the company’s ground-based teleport facility near Talkeetna.

(SL_HUKLY ZHPK 7HJPÄJ +H[HWVY[ ZL[[SLK VU a two-satellite system to provide diversity and redundancy. It will also cover up to 500 miles above the North Slope. The 80-gigabit capacity will also allow for ZPNUPÄJHU[ NYV^[O PU IYVHKIHUK \ZHNL across the state. “This is not only going to serve the direct to consumer market, it’s going to allow enough capacity to serve the cruise ship market and airlines,” he said. “There’s a lot of growing need for broadband and not just the direct to consumer market, and this system will be able to handle that.” Elwood Brehmer writes about business in Alaska for a number of publications including Alaskan Spirit.

ADVERTORIAL January / February 2020

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ALASKAN SPIRIT

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12/12/19 3:12 PM

Nickie Pratt

Every customer and cargo matters Connecting Alaskan communities has always been RavnAir Group’s mission, and that includes delivering millions of items of cargo each year. And making sure every one gets delivered is Nickie Pratt’s job. Nickie is a cargo supervisor at RavnAir Group, the same responsibility she held for PenAir for many years. She is the glue [OH[ RLLWZ [OL JVUZ[HU[ Å V^ VM JHYNV VU schedule--everything from critical medicine [V NLHY MVY JVTTLYJPHS Ä ZOLYTLU [V IHZPJ household goods to pizzas and Subway sandwiches for community gatherings! “I moved here from Oregon. Back in 2000, I started as a one-person department (with PenAir) that grew until we got our own building. “Now I can’t see doing anything except working around airports. I love this. Especially dealing with the villages and the people all over the state. I love that, helping the communities. Whether it’s Ravn or PenAir, it’s all the same feeling, that for those in remote Alaska, you want to provide all the help you can. The feeling that Alaska is like one small community especially applies in serving rural Alaska, she said. ¸>L»YL ULPNOIVYZ 0[ YLHSS` PZ [Y\L 0 Ä UK PU this industry, even your competitors are people you work with. To get the end product, to get things out to the people out there.” Most cargo team members wear multiple hats, dealing with people, cargo, schedules and the challenges of Alaska weather. She’s proud of the advantages RavnAir VɈ LYZ OLY JHYNV HUK MYLPNO[ J\Z[VTLYZ “We do believe in most cases we can do it right, and right now, faster and cheaper. And for sure, they will get more personal service!” she laughs with a big smile. “That’s what I love!’

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“Alaska weather is our biggest chalSLUNL ¹ ZOL YLÅ LJ[LK ¸>L JHU HS^H`Z Ä SS H WSHUL I\[ P[ Z[PSS KLWLUKZ VU the weather.” Making passengers and their luggage a priority, especially in the summer season, also means cargo can be delayed. In spring and fall, it’s rain or more correctly freezing rain, and not snow, that causes the biggest challenges. RavnAir Group customers should keep those challenges in mind when shipping cargo, she added. “What a lot of our regulars have learned is to ship early. Waiting until the last minute, people forget where they are, and the weather can change everybody’s plans. So, plan ahead. That’s number one for customers, both businesses and individuals.” It might be easier to pick an industry that RavnAir doesn’t carry cargo for, but those serving rural Alaska make up most of the cargo, especially construction, Federal agencies and private businesses working on Federal projects. “Fish is the biggest,” she said. “Any village VU [OL ^H[LY HSZV OHZ NV[ Ä ZOLYTLU ;OH[»Z an industry that we take care of too. Their JHYNV PUJS\KLZ Ä ZO HUK L]LY`[OPUN [OH[ goes along with it. That includes critical parts that the seafood plants need to keep open, personal gear for the people who work there, parts for boats—things that mean they can be losing $1 million a day if they don’t have them.”

that RavnAir might see, she added. “The other day somebody tried to ship a miniature horse!” she laughed. “Live bees are another big item (beekeepers have to restart their hives with new bees each spring).” Pizzas from shops like Moose’s Tooth Pizza and Papa Murphy’s, and organic produce from specialists like Full Circle Farms are also popular items. After 20 years in the travel industry, Nickie still loves both the job and the adventure P[ VɈ LYZ “I like to travel. But I try to go someplace warmer with friends!” The same teamwork that is part of everything RavnAir does is a core of her team.

Hunters each fall are another important cargo category, she added.

“Communication is always key, and that’s true not just inside the company but externally as well.

“We ship all their gear, and hope they think to ship it ahead of time. For bringing back TLH[ Ä ZO IV_LZ HYL [OL ILZ[ ¹

“We want them to feel welcome at RavnAir. We see lots of the same customers. It really makes me feel good.

There is also no limit to the unusual cargo

“It is all about the customers.”

January / February 2020

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