Environment

There are not as many king salmon in the Kuskokwim River this spring as expected and Assistant Area Management Biologist Aaron Tiernan of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says that they are taking a conservative approach to get as many kings as possible up the river to spawn.

State biologists reviewed the numbers with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Inter-tribal Fisheries Commission, and the Kuskokwim River Salmon Working Group.

The Association of Village Council Presidents' Environmental Department has been trying to get ahead of the curve on recycling electronic waste - or e-waste - from Bethel for the past several years. That’s according to Ben Balivet, AVCP’s Environmental Manager.

The Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge reports that numerous tundra fires are currently burning in the region. Smoke from at least one of them may be visible from Bethel. The Akuliktuak River Fire, 22 miles east of Bethel and five miles east of Kwethluk, is reported to be 90 percent contained. 

All the fires are thought to have been caused by lightning. 

Relocating the Newtok school is not a simple task. It's going to take many years to do, and during that time students may be living and studying in two different places as Newtok moves to its new location: Mertarvik. The new site is located on higher ground, away from tidal waters eroding the old village.

The Lower Kuskokwim School District has now included the cost of building and moving to a new school in its 6-year plan - the first step to getting the project on the state's capital spending list.

The Bethel City Council has unanimously agreed to a lease with state conservation officials for an air quality monitoring site. City Manager Pete Williams introduced the lease for land located just behind AC (Alaska Commercial) on Fourth Avenue.