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Photo by Tyler Rhodes DIOMEDE’S DANCERS–Drummers and dancers from Little Diomede entertain the crowd Feb. 25 at the Nome Recreation Center as part of the Bering Strait Regional Conference. C VOLUME CVIII NO. 9 MARCH 5, 2009 Emergency shelter to open doors at -10 By Tyler Rhodes when at least two men have died in The next time the temperatures Nome from exposure. Long dis- plunge colder than -10 degrees F, cussed, talk of a shelter of any sort Nome’s homeless population should has remained just that for years. have a warm place to spend the night. When the community members A loose coalition of community who make up NEST realized they members and organizations has had the resources needed to provide formed under the acronym NEST— emergency shelter when the weather the Nome Emergency Shelter necessitates it, they decided to act Team—to help ensure that no more sooner than later and iron out the de- people freeze to death for lack of tails as they go. “There’s a number shelter. As of March 4, the Nome of people in the group who are very Nazarene Church on the corner of interested in having something hap- Second Avenue and Division Street, pen now,” said Isaac Grody- will be the site of an emergency shel- Patinkin, a NEST member who ter from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. when the works at the Nome Community ambient temperature is -10 or colder Center. “There’s going to be bumps or if there is a wind chill of -20. and hiccups along the way.” The move comes with a sense of immediacy in the wake of a winter continued on page 4 Prepare to pay more as postal rates climb By Tyler Rhodes and was designed to help ease the When postal rates rise, the price tag cost of living in Bush Alaska. on nearly everything that is purchased The cost spike for bypass mail in rural Alaska jumps likewise. comes as rates rise across the board The next installment of sticker for nearly all postal service products shock should hit the shelves this May and services. The price hike is set to as the cost of shipping goods through go into effect May 11. “Basically, the mail system will jump anywhere overall the parcel post rates have in- from 6 percent to 50 percent, de- creased significantly,” said U.S. pending on the weight of the object Postal Service Spokesperson Darus shipped and the distance it travels. Macy. “We are mandated that the Also set to jump is bypass mail. product charge cover cost of pro- Bypass mail is named so because the cessing and distribution.” items delivered from urban mer- To give an idea of the price in- chants to rural customers are not creases, Macy gave the example of a routed through a post office, but 68-pound item shipped from Anchor- Photo by Tyler Rhodes rather sent directly with air carriers. age to Savoonga. Under the current BACK HOME—Marjorie Tahbone of Nome performs with UAF’s Inu-Yupiak dance group Feb. 25 at the The program makes for a significant Recreation Center as part of the Kawerak Bering Strait Regional Conference. For more photos, see page 8. portion of many air carriers’ revenue continued on page 3 Conflicting plans for Bering Sea resources aired at forum By Laurie McNicholas Representative of organizations on opposite spokesmen for Oceana Inc. and Greenpeace council approved Amendment 89 to the Fishery As increasing numbers of fish species mi- sides of this issue participated in a Bering Sea USA. Julie Raymond-Yakoubian, Kawerak’s Management Plan for groundfish of the Bering Sea grate into the northern Bering Sea, fishermen are issues forum Feb. 25 at Kawerak’s Bering Strait social scientist, was the forum moderator. and Aleutian Islands management area, which es- asking the North Pacific Fisheries Management Regional Conference in Nome. They included Currently there is a moratorium on bottom tablished a northern boundary for bottom fishing Council to open the area to bottom trawling. three speakers from the Best Use Cooperative, trawling in the northern Bering Sea, an area that as a precautionary measure while the council de- Simultaneously, tribes whose people have composed of vessel owners who bottom trawl includes Norton Sound. At a meeting in June 2007, velops an FMP for the northern Bering Sea. lived off resources of the northern Bering Sea for flatfish; representatives of the Bering Sea the NPFMC received resolutions from 25 Bering Amendment 89 created four new Habitat Con- for thousands of years are developing a plan to Elders Advisory Group, with a membership of Sea tribal governments calling for protection of servation Areas in which non-pelagic trawling is submit to the council to protect their subsis- 34 tribes along the Bering Sea coast from Shish- subsistence resources and sensitive areas from bot- tence resources from bottom trawling. maref to Platinum on Goodnews Bay; and tom trawl fishing. During the same meeting the continued on page 6 Visit the Nugget on line at www.nomenugget.net e-mail [email protected] 2 THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2009 OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Ulu News By Senator Donald Olson forecast upon which her budget had with federal funds, due to the federal ers and other items in the Public requirements and opportunities. We’ve passed the 30 day mark of been built. Most of the reductions economic stimulus bill recently Safety budget. I was happy to see The Legislative Budget & Audit the 90 day session and things have are not really cuts; for example, $100 signed into law by President Obama. the increases to the VPSO program Committee, of which I am a member, been busy here in Juneau. We have million is simply to remove authori- This item does not change the serv- and the solid support of the Com- met last week to approve energy had Finance Committee hearings al- zation for possible exploration tax ices in any way, since it only changes missioner, himself a former VPSO, projects amounting to nearly $100 most daily, to hear a variety of bills credits which do not seem to be the ratio of who pays for those serv- for strengthening and building this million for approximately 70 proj- and to be briefed on the State’s fi- needed; another $166.5 million is to ices between the state and the federal program to keep the peace in rural ects. Our district was approved for 9 nances and economy. The Governor delay paying down the unfunded lia- government. Alaska. With the state of the econ- projects totaling $25.5 million. The released her budget amendments bility on retirement funds. (This is There are even increases in the omy, our VPSOs are needed now approved projects in our region are: February 18, proposing $445 million different than the current pension ob- amendments, the biggest of which is more than ever. -Buckland/Deering/Noorvik Wind in budget reductions. It was neces- ligation, which the state is not chang- in Public Safety. When the budget Commissioner Masters gave my Farm Construction, $10.8 million sary to do so because the revenue ing; the PERS and TRS rates will was originally released, there were budget sub-committee an update on - Nome/Newton Peak Wind Farm projection that accompanied the remain unchanged.) Another $73.5 no increases for the VPSO program, the VPSO program February 19. He Construction, $4 million amendments shows an expected de- million is a funding switch to reduce so I wrote a letter to Commissioner said that the increased pay seems to - Kotzebue Wind Farm Expansion crease of $2.1 billion in expected the state’s share of the Medicaid Joe Masters expressing my concern be having the desired effect, and they Construction, $4 million state revenues compared to the fall budget by 6.2 percent and replace it and asking for additional funding to are seeing an increase in the number - Unalakleet Wind Farm Con- be requested in the Governor’s of applicants for VPSO positions, as struction, $4 million amendments. Thankfully, her well as a slowing in the vacancy of - Upper Kobuk Region Hydro- amendments do include an increase VPSO positions. He also said that electric Feasibility, $1,025,000 of nearly $2.5 million for VPSOs and the VPSO training will now be eligi- - Nome Transmission Construc- Editorial another nearly $6 million for Troop- ble for certification toward Trooper continued on page 14 Itʼs Called S-E-R-V-I-C-E Waging Peace for the Salmon Benjamin Franklin is probably rolling himself smooth in his grave. His beloved Postal Service , which he founded and was the first Post- By John Enge tions. Like they are trying to con- broken even? The history of extinc- master General, is coming into hard times. Its level of influence has For Community Based Fisheries vince us the fish are invisible and just tion of species is being made as we fallen. The Postmaster General no longer holds a cabinet position— Management to work, fishermen of swim through nets. Remember what speak. Exact numbers of king and hasnʼt for years. The Postal Service is required to pay its own way and different gear groups need to meet Hitler said about saying something chum salmon, herring, squid and hal- run as a business. In fact it is not a business; it is a government serv- face to face. That brings up a vision loud enough and long enough? ibut are irrelevant; the commercial ice. What other government services (other than the US Mint) are re- of Japanese and Seattle trawl com- The king salmon and the chum fisheries for these have plummeted quired to make money? pany owners meeting with Eskimo salmon (some say the pollock as since the start of large scale domestic The U.S.

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