Villagers doing okay despite bare store shelves, lack of prescribed meds
As KNOM reports, it’s now been a full month since regular helicopter service was halted to the remote Bering Strait community of Little Diomede. The aviation company flying to the island village says mechanical issues and weather are keeping flights from resuming—and residents say they’re getting by despite just one delivery of mail and cargo in the last month.
Diomede Mayor Andrew Milligrock says aside from some bare store shelves, the community is doing well by sharing what they have.
With no ice runway this year, the community relies on helicopter service to ferry mail, cargo, and people to and from the island. Some residents have run out of prescribed medications.
Oregon-based Erickson Aviation contracts with regional nonprofit Kawerak to provide what’s known as Essential Air Service. But the only helicopter flying between Nome and Diomede went to Anchorage in January for maintenance. A single delivery made it to the village in mid-February—but that helicopter was immediately grounded again.
A spokesperson for Erickson says the company launched a larger helicopter—a Bell 412SP—from Anchorage and hopes to get the craft to Nome within the next few days.
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Wasilla Republican proposes cutting state support for public broadcasting by half
As APRN reports, the Legislature is considering reducing the amount of funding available for public broadcasting by half. Rep. Lynn Gattis, a Wasilla Republican who chairs the Department of Administration finance subcommittee, introduced the cuts by saying the group was focused on essential needs.
”In this fiscal climate, the state should focus on mission critical services, reduce its footprint, and take this opportunity to get out of business that it doesn’t need to be in,” said Gattis. “This has truly been an opportunity to evaluate the wants versus the needs of state government.”
Between operations and infrastructure, public radio and television were granted $5 million in state funds in the last budget. With the proposal offered by the House Finance subcommittee, funding would be reduced to $2.5 million.
Tyson Gallagher, an aide for Gattis, explained that the cuts would be focused on outlets that have other broadcasting options in their service area. That includes commercial radio stations.
”With the advancements in technology and the development of other broadcast sources,” said Gallagher, “there’s less of a need to maintain public service programming at comparable levels to prior years.”
Last year, KNBA received 119-thousand dollars last year. The changes will now be sent to the full House Finance Committee for consideration.
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Clamming closed due to 80% decline in east Cook Inlet clam populations
There will be no digging for clams on east Cook Inlet beaches this year. The Alaska Department of Fish and Gameissued the emergency order Tuesday [Feb. 24]. It prohibits the taking of any clam species on beaches from the Kenai River to the end of the Homer Spit from March 1st through December 31st. The closure applies to both sport fisheries and personal use.
The department states it doesn’t know why razor clam numbers have been steadily declining over the last several years. But, it suspects it could be poor spawning or low success with settling.
Recent studies have shown that there are on average 80 percent fewer mature-size razor clams on the beaches than in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Fish and Game states that if any razor clams were to be harvested this year, it would likely hurt any population recovery that could happen.