Esther Hugo: Road poses threat to Alaska Native lifestyle

Monday, May 16, 2011  

"As a part of his "Roads to Resources" program, Gov. Sean Parnell is pushing the development of a road to Umiat in order to provide private industries access to mining leases throughout Northern Alaska. The project is currently caught up in the capital budget process, but if passed it would branch off the Dalton Highway at the foothills of the Brooks Range to Umiat -- cutting through nearly 100 miles of subsistence hunting grounds and crossing four major rivers. The chances of this road altering the migration routes of our caribou herds and threatening all the plants and animals native to the area are too high, and we must stop the project before it moves forward.

As a Nunamiut Eskimo and a resident of Anaktuvuk Pass, I have relied on the Central Arctic Caribou Herd the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, and the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd to feed my family and support our community. Customs and practices associated with subsistence caribou hunting have been passed along to countless generations and are the foundation of our cultural identity. To lose the ability to share this knowledge with our children and grandchildren would be tragic.

In addition to threats from the project's construction, the development of a road to Umiat will also give Outside sport hunters public access to our traditional lands and rivers. This will create a threat to subsistence users in the region, as overhunting and abuse of the terrain will force locals to travel farther to gather the resources needed to feed the entire community. The high cost of living in rural Alaska makes subsistence hunting and gathering even more important, as going to the grocery store is an impossible alternative for our people. With gas prices at over $9 a gallon and rising, it is absolutely crucial that we continue to hunt for our food in order to make ends meet while preserving our culture."

Get the Story:
Esther Hugo: Road to Umiat would destroy rural lifestyle (The Anchorage Daily News 5/13)