|
 |
Climate Change Report:
In 1953 the Bureau of Indian Affairs permanently settled an otherwise nomadic, federally recognized tribe of Inupiat Native Alaskans onto an 8-mile-long barrier reef between the Chukchi Sea and the Kivalina River, approximately 600 miles northwest of Anchorage.
 |
|
 |
 |
“We've been noticing changes to the environment over the past several years. The way we live depends on the environment and what it provides for us in terms of food and sustenance.” |
 |
 |
|
 |
The 54-acre barrier island became home to the city of "Kivalina," which was originally comprised of less than 400 residents, a few residential sod houses, a new school, an armory, an airstrip and a few churches. Life moved forward over the next 30 years, and development ensued for the subsistence village. However, by the late 1980s coastal erosion had reduced the island to only 27 acres, and the natives, to a life of fear and uncertainty, explained Janet Mitchell, City of Kivalina administrator. Full Article »
|