Gov. Dunleavy arrived in Bethel on Feb. 9 at the invitation of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Regional Tribal Government, one oftwo organizations trying to unite the 56 tribes in the region under one government. In a conversation he had with KYUK while he was in Bethel, Dunleavy said that he was not trying to legitimize the Y-K Regional Tribal Government’s effort.
“I come to all parts of the state of Alaska at the invitation of anybody and everyone,” Dunleavy said. “We were asked to come out and take a look at the school in Napakiak, and talk to folks about some of the issues and concerns out in this neck of the woods.”
One of the region’s main concerns is the declining salmon runs in the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers. Recently, tribal groups have intensified calls to limit salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea. Dunleavy has created the Alaska Bycatch Task Force to look at that issue, but he said that he’s not ready to support reducing the limit of salmon bycatch that is allowed.
“Well, first we have to understand it. First we have to look at all the data, all the science. We have to find out what type of fish are being intercepted. Where are these fish? Really, what rivers are these fish destined for? We have to, again, turn over every stone to to examine what is really going on before we jump any conclusions,” Dunleavy said.
He said that the state’s bycatch task force would seek to answer these questions, but did not provide a timeline for doing so. Dunleavy did not appoint anyone to represent subsistence fishermen from the Y-K Delta to his bycatch task force.
Public safety is another major priority for the region. Two recent incidents highlighted the need for improvements to public safety in Western Alaska. Over the summer, a fugitive who allegedly shot a person in Russian Mission evaded state troopers for over three months. And this fall, a group of hunters spent a week strandedon the lower Yukon River before they were rescued.
Dunleavy said that state troopers have since added four investigator positions in Bethel, and are repositioning pilots and aircrafts to improve response times to Western Alaska villages. He also said that the state would be working together with groups like the Association of Village Council Presidents to work on hiring more Village Public Safety Officers (VPSOs).
“It's not a directive out of Juneau that's going to really take care of these issues. It's working collaboratively with the nonprofits,” Dunleavy said.
More VPSOs is a goal many state politicians have sought, but their numbers have steadily decreased. Dunleavy did not offer new solutions.
Dunleavy was also in the Y-K Delta to see the erosion threatening the school in Napakiak. The governor has allocated $54 million in his proposed budget to build a new school there. It will be up to the state legislature to approve that funding. When asked for his ideas for the many other communities in the Y-K Delta working to adapt to environmental threats, he said that it would be a piecemeal approach.
“Unfortunately, we don't have resources to address every single issue at this time,” Dunleavy said. “We come up with a prioritization list that hopefully will address the issues, starting with the most severe and most immediate, and then we work our way through the list.”
Dunleavy’s term as governor ends in December 2022. He has announced that he is seeking reelection.
