Alaska is warming twice as fast as the rest of the U.S., and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is seeing the impacts faster than than most of the state. 

For decades, Napakiak has been picking up and moving its buildings further from the encroaching Kuskokwim River. The City of Napakiak, the Napakiak Tribe, and the Napakiak Village Corporation have worked together to fund and coordinate the effort. Now, the erosion is accelerating and threatening critical infrastructure that’s too big for the community to move on its own. The community is seeking outside funding to help.

Napakiak needs a new school. The Kuskokwim River is less than 200 feet from the current building and the question is when, not if, the water will overtake the ground beneath it. The current school is too big and too old to move. In this third story in a series on the threat posed by increased erosion caused by climate change, KYUK brings us a report on the limited funding options for reconstructing a school in rural Alaska.

The Kuskokwim River is getting too close to the Napakiak school. Currently the river is frozen and sits about 150 feet from the school fuel tanks and less than 200 feet from the school building itself. School district officials expect the water to reach the structures before new ones can be built. KYUK traveled to Napakiak to find out how the local school staff is approaching the issue.

Donlin Gold is waiting on one important permit for its proposed gold mine in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The state says that it will issue a decision by the end of 2018. And next year looks pretty busy for Donlin as state agencies prepare for public hearings over more permits. The company needs at least 100 permits before it can start mining.