ANCHORAGE, Alaska — With a historic visit to the Alaska Arctic, President Barack Obama on Wednesday turned the spotlight on the plight of Alaska Natives and others who toil in rural areas under rough-and-tumble conditions that most Americans would be hard-pressed to imagine.
Closing out a three-day tour of the state, Obama first visited the fishing village of Dillingham in Western Alaska to inspect one of the world’s biggest sockeye salmon runs and underscore the need to “protect this incredible natural resource, not just for the people whose livelihood depends on it, but for the entire country.”
From there, he traveled north of the Arctic Circle to the town of Kotzebue, a regional hub with a population of barely more than 3,000.
Obama’s trip, the first by a sitting president to the Arctic, puts on rare display the ways of life and daily challenges in Alaska’s more than 200 far-flung rural villages. Outside of Kotzebue, 1 in 5 in the Alaska Arctic doesn’t have a proper kitchen, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And even more lack complete plumbing. Instead, many use the “honey bucket” system — 5-gallon drums that serve as makeshift toilets are emptied into nearby sewage lagoons.
Wreaking havoc
The president’s goal was to showcase the havoc he says human-influenced climate change is wreaking on Alaska’s delicate landscape: entire rural villages sinking into the ground as permafrost thaws, protective sea ice melts and temperatures climb.
Alaska Natives have joined the president in sounding the alarm on climate change. Yet the obstacles they confront daily in rural Alaska extend far deeper, raising questions about whether the federal government has done enough to help some of the country’s most destitute citizens.
This is a life of subsistence hunting for bowhead whales, walruses and seals, a proud tradition of dependence on the land that poses immense logistical challenges.
“The vast majority of Americans have no idea there are dozens of communities in Alaska that live like this,” Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said in an interview. “It’s unacceptable, and we need to do more to fix it.”
Even as Obama’s travels brought him near the Bering Sea, U.S. officials reported the presence of five Chinese PLA Navy ships in the sea — the first time they have been observed there.
The ships were participating in a military exercise with Russia in previous days and then broke off to head into the Bering Sea, according to a U.S. defense official.
“We respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law,” said Navy Cdr. Bill Urban.
In his visit to Kanakanak Beach in Dillingham, Obama inspected all aspects of the fishing operation and pronounced a sample of salmon jerky to be “outstanding.” He took it in stride when he noticed salmon spawning on his shoes, and went on to deliver a serious environmental message.
“Hopefully by us coming here, we’re highlighting the need for us to keep this pristine and make sure that this is there for the children and grandchildren, great-grandchildren of all these wonderful fishermen,” Obama said.
