NEXT ISSUE: APRIL 1 75¢ Periodical Postage paid, Glennallen, AK USPS # 022164 Vol. 33 Issue # 48 Published Thursdays Glennallen, AK March 25, 2021 email: [email protected] * ph: (907) 259-4486 * fax: (888) 870-3167 Remembering Powerful Public Testimony Hardships and Hard at CRNA Climate Change Work on Chenega Day Plan Meeting Amanda Swinehart - website. Allison Sayer - CRR Staff CRR Staff The remaining residents were relocated to nearby On March 3, Copper River March 27 is Chenega Day, communities, and Evanoff Native Association (CRNA) and the Valdez Native Tribe went on to become an air Environmental Coordina- (VNT) recently held a gath- traffic controller in Cordova tor Sarah Sherwood hosted ering circle on Facebook then Anchorage. He said it a virtual community meet- Live to honor the history of wasn’t until after the Alaska ing. This meeting was part the Village of Chenega and Native Claims Settlement of the initial stages towards celebrate the strength and Act in 1971 that talk started the ultimate goal of cre- determination of its people of trying to move back and ating a “Climate Change in reestablishing the com- reestablish the village. Adaptation Plan,” with munity after natural and “Everybody was pret- funding from a Bureau of manmade disasters. ty excited. We met every Indian Affairs Tribal Resil- Larry Evanoff was at a year and talked about it,” ience Program grant. migration patterns, moose smaller fish, fish that appear boarding school in Wrangell Evanoff said. “And finally, Sherwood gave a brief rutting, and unpredictable to have more parasites or when the Great Alaskan people were starting to lose summary of some of the or low salmon runs. Resi- other diseases, and chang- earthquake shook the state interest because every time impacts of climate change dents have reported having es to caribou habitat due to on March 27, 1964. One of we came together, we just observed statewide, in- to travel farther for berries, brushy vegetation invading the tsunamis it caused de- talked about it, that’s all we cluding more invasive moose and caribou, and the tundra. stroyed the small Village of did was talk.” plants, salmon disease, having fewer and smaller Erica Juhan from AN- Chenega in Prince William Evanoff said that changed larger spruce bark bee- berries. Residents have also THC gave an overview of Sound where he is from, in 1981 when the Profes- tle populations, increased reported more difficult trav- the Local Environmental killing an estimated third sional Air Traffic Controllers flood and fire risk, increased el to subsistence resources Observer, or LEO network of the people who lived Organization went on strike. fresh and ocean water tem- due to changes in freeze up (www.leonetwork.org). in the village according to peratures, record high air or break up. This program collects ob- the Chenega Corporation’s Continued Pg. 4 temperatures, and cumula- tive ice loss among others. Odin Miller from AITRC servations from local people Locally, Sherwood said echoed these observations, and utilizes mapping tools community members have noting that he had collect- ed local observations of Continued Pg. 6 News Around observed changes in caribou the State Gwich’in Language Im- program is led by director Senate Bill 39: mersion Project Opens in Evon Peter and guided by Fairbanks their advisory board mem- Overdue or Unnecessary? On Monday, March 15th, bers Mary Fields, Hishinlai’ Amanda Swinehart - something that has been on bill, SB 116, in 2019. 2021, Tanan Ch’at’oh Peter, Charleen Fisher and CRR Staff Alaskans’ minds since be- Among dozens of chang- opened their doors and held Sam Alexander. In addi- fore the 2020 election. es, SB 39 would establish an their first day of a full im- tion to the language nest Sen. Mike Shower, whose “I think you can find that election offense hotline as mersion Gwich’in language the program will be work- district encompasses com- there is a shaken confidence well as a ballot tracking sys- nest in Fairbanks. The lan- ing on Gwich’in language munities along the Glenn in our election system. And tem, prohibit voting by fax guage nest is a community research, documentation, Highway from Palmer to I don’t care necessarily in state elections and classi- based effort to revitalize the and materials development Glennallen and areas south about what is happening na- fy the collection of ballots Gwich’in language, an en- for teaching and learn- of the Glenn and west of the tionally. Like I said, we’ve from other voters, known dangered Arctic Indigenous ing the language. (Native Richardson, including Val- been working on this for as ballot harvesting, as a language that is spoken by Movement press release, dez, is the sponsor of SB 39, years,” Sen. Shower said. misdemeanor. Additional- less than 800 people around excerpted) “an act relating to elections “What I want to do, what ly, it would amend 2016’s the world. and voter registration.” our intent is, is find a way to Ballot Measure 1, which au- Their inaugural cohort Village Police Officer State legislatures across try to restore faith of Alas- tomatically registers PFD of 2 year olds completed Shot in Bethel the country are currently kan citizens in our election applicants to vote. Instead, their first week of immer- On March 16, 2021 at considering similar bills, system.” PFD applicants would have sion this week with their but Sen. Shower said it’s He sponsored a similar teacher Hilda Johnson. The Continued Pg. 5 Continued Pg. 7 2 March 25, 2021 copper river record Birch Tree Tea Mackenzie Dysinger If it’s one thing I know about a birch tree, it’s their incessant love of poetry --and no they don’t care for Thoreau. They’d rather dream of more romantic things with Lord Byron and Mr. Keats. If you manage to catch a birch in the beginning of spring she will talk for hours on the hope of brighter things. But as spring fades and summer rushes by a birch tree in the fall is the most dreadful thing of all. Despite her delightful appearance she spends the day quoting Plath away to anyone who’ll listen. Refusing to be comforted she will wail on and on about the impending darkness that’s doomed to come. In the winter she is silent, pulled back into her bark, Writing sonnets and odes to a day when life will start-- all over again with the turn of spring-- and that my dear friend, Photo by Allison Sayer is the most suitable time to have tea with a birch tree. Join us for the 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting • Hear reports • Learn about CVEA projects and issues • Accept director election and Bylaws amendment results • Enjoy scholarship awards and employee service recognition Registered members will be eligible to win door prizes. Members present online will receive a $10 credit on their power bill and will be eligible to win the grand prize, a CVEA Beater! • Advanced registration is required • Registration details will be available April 1 at cvea.org • The first 75 members per district registered April 1-April 20 will receive a fun ‘early registration’ gift (one per membership) • Registration will close at 12 p.m. on the day of the meeting in each district Photo by David Hollis Amanda Swinehart after 2nd COVID- 19 shot. copper river record March 25, 2021 3 Why Did the Vole Climb the Tree? Upcoming Ned Rozell - Alaska Science Forum Weekend A few years ago, Link Ol- Weather son wanted students in his mammalogy class to see one of the neatest little creatures Copper Basin in Alaska, the northern fly- ing squirrel. He baited a few WEEKEND live traps with peanut but- ter rolled in oats and placed weather them in spruce trees. Glennallen When he returned the FRI SAT SUN next day, he found no flying squirrels. Instead, peering back at him were the beady eyes of the mice of the north, 31 °F 29 °F 30 °F red-backed voles. 7 °F 4 °F 7 °F The curator of mammals Valdez at the University of Alas- FRI SAT SUN ka Museum of the North, Olson knew a bit about northern red-backed voles. He thought back to the few vole papers he had read and 32 °F 31 °F 29 °F 19 °F 17 °F 17 °F did not remember a sentence about their ability to climb. McCarthy A search led to just two FRI SAT SUN references. One is a men- tion from author and biologist Ron Smith in his book about Alaska natural 34 °F 31 °F 30 °F history: “This vole has been 8 °F 3 °F 4 °F seen in trees.” The other Delta was from me, in a column I FRI SAT SUN wrote about a vole I saw in a spruce tree when I walked past at 40 below. Photo by Todd Paris Olson wanted to document 28 °F 24 °F 22 °F the northern red-backed A northern red-backed vole climbing down a tree. 8 °F 2 °F 3 °F vole’s climbing in a science appear. to any Alaskan who has it might be looking for food. Tok journal. For help, he didn’t FRI SAT SUN have to look far. Working Nations captured voles seen them on a birdfeeder Nations got evidence for with him in the mammalogy more than six feet up in or inside the house. Nations the latter when one of his lab was a guy quite enthusi- trees. His camera docu- and Olson saw value in doc- cameras captured a vole astic about voles.