There is some good news and bad news this month for ice conditions on the lower Kuskokwim River. Mark Leary, who is a member of Bethel Search and Rescue, gave the latest update:
"We’re kind of in a good place and a bad place right now," Leary said. "The good thing is that there is no more snow on top of the ice, so that’s going to let it grow easier. If we can have real cold weather for a week or so with no snow, things will get good quickly."
As for the bad, Leary says that the river "needs glare ice conditions, and it’s really hard to follow a trail, and it’s been typically in these very conditions that we’re having right now that we’ve lost people."
For Akiachak, the ice conditions are much different this year than last year.
"They have an unusual amount of open water in their area," Leary said.
Akiachak Search and Rescue has been busy marking open holes.
Leary describes what BSAR is seeing near Bethel:
"You go up Kusokuak Slough, that’s the part I didn’t mention in the report," Leary said. "It’s pretty good until you get to old Kuskokuak, Kiseralik, and Little Kasigluk. From that point on it’s wide open all the way back to the upper end at the Kuskokwim."
For Bethel, the BSAR report says that the nearest open water is nine miles upstream, but the report also says that the ice is not all that thick closer to town. Measurements range from 8 inches in front of Bethel to 2 inches or less in front of Straight Slough.
Leary urged people to stay off the ice and wait for colder weather. Leary also noted that this year’s freeze up appears better than last year’s. December 2017 was the warmest month on record for Alaska.