A report to the Council on recent activities in Napaimute.
Seasonal Preparations:
The busy summer season began with a complete overhaul of the Native Village of Napaimute and Napaimute Enterprises assets. This included a thorough cleaning, maintenance, and repair of buildings, equipment and developed real estate. This huge task helped set the stage for more efficient implementation and successful completion of our scheduled projects for 2009.
Some of the work done during June included:
• Major maintenance and repair of our heavy equipment (oil changes, filter changes, all around lubrication, repair and or replacement of broken/worn parts, etc.). We advertised for a temporary heavy equipment mechanic in the newspaper and were very fortunate to have Case Nelson respond to the ad. It would have been impossible to find a more qualified person – especially one that is right at home in the Middle Kuskokwim and has spent a lifetime working on old equipment in a remote setting.
• Complete cleaning and reorganization of the Office, Community Building, and rental cabins.
• Complete cleaning and reorganization of the heavy equipment tool & supply van at the airport.
• Complete cleaning and reorganization of the wood working supply & tool tent (all of the sawmill, firewood, and briquette making supplies gathered and organized in one place).
• General maintenance & upkeep of all of our other misc. equipment and tools (ATV’s, generators, boats, water pumps, chainsaws, etc.)
• Maintenance/upgrade of the gas station that included replacing the soft hose connecting the tank to the meter station with solid piping and a safer, more efficient on/off switching system for the pump.
• General clean up & grounds maintenance of areas around NVN buildings and other work areas.
AVCP Forestry Department Site Visit:
Mike Burley, AVCP Forestry Specialist did a two-day site visit in early June to inspect the work done in October 2008 on the Fire Protection Project by the crew from Chugachmiut. This first-hand look gave Mike a better understanding of the immensity of the job we have to do to get all the knocked down timber out and clean up the areas covered by the Project. After his visit to Napaimute, Mike has gone back to Chugachmiut requesting that they provide additional funding to Napaimute to help with this expense. I will be following up on this in August with the intention, if we receive additional funding, of completing this work late in the fall when conditions are good (leaves are down, bugs are gone, and ground is freezing).
2009 Subsistence Fishing Season:
By mid June it was time to focus on subsistence fishing for King salmon, and having a reliable crew, the Director was able to work a lighter schedule during the peak of the run. While the strength of the 2009 Kuskokwim King Salmon run was reported to be average to good in the Lower River, by the time the Kings reach the Napaimute area they have been heavily thinned out and this year it was especially noticeable. We worked harder for less fish in 2009 having to constantly switch from 8” to 6” gear and from one side of the River to the other. All fishing was done at night, too. People fishing in the day time caught very little.
The Alaska Department of Fish & Game attributes the extra effort required to meet subsistence King Salmon needs in the Middle Kuskokwim to the continued increase in subsistence fishing in the Lower River. More people catching more fish. The solution for Middle Kuskokwim fishers seems to be to continue to expect to work harder for their fish or wait until the Lower River people are done fishing and fish on the later running, poorer quality Kings.
THE KUSKOKWIM RIVER PEOPLE CATCH OVER 50% OF ALL OF THE KING SALMON CAUGHT FOR SUBSISTENCE IN ALASKA. As our population continues to grow and more fish are harvested, the Director predicts that some day we may see a per household limit set on subsistence king salmon harvest.
At least we can be thankful we have not had to experience (yet) what the Yukon River people did in 2009: they were not allowed to fish the first run of Kings that came up their River and were severely restricted in their later fishing efforts. In speaking with Yukon People and reading about their plight in the papers it was not hard to relate to their frustrations and deep concern over not having met their subsistence fishing needs for the coming winter.
UAA Hydro-kinetic Feasibility Study:
Also in June, a team of graduate engineering students from the University of Alaska – Anchorage spent two days in Napaimute assessing the feasibility of generating electricity from the Kuskokwim River current at Napaimute. During the preceding weeks they had conducted similar studies at Bethel, Kalskag, Aniak, and Chuathbaluk. The Director was able to take a break from fishing and spend some time out on the water with them. The equipment they had and the data collected was fascinating to a person who’s spent a life time living and working on the River. They were also able to confirm that the River around Napaimute is one of the swiftest parts of the Kuskokwim. They found current speeds up to 8 mph which was, by far, much greater than any speeds they had seen at the previous locations. This is because the River in the Napaimute area drops about 2 feet per mile.
We discussed the characteristics of Napaimute that make it an ideal location for any future hydrokinetic demonstration project: we have no established power production and distribution system (we are not addicted to diesel power generation, yet), like current hydrokinetic energy systems, Napaimute is mainly a seasonal community (most of our energy needs are during the ice-free months), we have good infrastructure to support a demonstration project (nice lodging, good equipment, phone/internet, etc.), and we have highly motivated, responsible people with a great interest in the River that could operate and maintain a demonstration project. We will continue to pursue this and hopefully, in the next year or two see something beneficial to Napaimute come about.
Note: the UAA team leased Napaimute’s boat and paid for lodging while conducting their study.
Napaimute 4th of July Celebration:
With the 4th of July falling on a week end this year, we had a good turnout for Napaimute’s celebration. Almost all of the homesteaders came and brought many other friends and relatives. A few people from nearby villages also attended. The day began with an opening flag ceremony to remind the young people why we celebrate Independence Day and to recognize that this is the 50th Anniversary of Alaska Statehood. Four of our young tribal members read excerpts from the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the Alaska State Constitution, and the Alaska Flag Song. The afternoon was spent doing games for both kids and adults (mostly for kids) ending with a barbecue feast that many people contributed food to. The 2nd Annual Napaimute 4th of July Boat race took place after the feed. The evening was spent with a social gathering down at one of the homesteads ending with a late night fireworks show.
The bulk of the financial support for the Napaimute 4th of July Celebration was provided through the 2009 Napaimute Enterprises Budget with about $300 collected in donations from attendees.
Napaimute Home Sites:
This is the fourth year of the Napaimute Home Site Program which was originally designed to be a 5 year program. In 2009 lots were opened to tribal members only. We had one tribal member application received and approved: Megan Leary. She was awarded Lot # 7 and came in June to sign her paperwork and take possession of her lot. We now have a total of 5 tribal member lots awarded in the new subdivisions. There has been relatively no activity on these lots to date. In June, we built roads up to the top of the bank for each of the lots that were awarded in 2008 & 2009.
Non-tribal member home site lots continue to be occupied and developed more and more. There are some that come every week and the others come have come for at least two extended stays over the past two months. One homesteader has begun to take advantage of our public Internet access so that she can stay on her lot and still conduct business. The activity of these homesteaders has led to a great increase in interest from others in having a home site in Napaimute. We have had many inquiries over the summer.
Airport Activity:
Airplane activity at the Napaimute has become well-established. It makes the Director smile remembering one comment by a person back when we were first building the airport: “What you guys making an airport for? No body will land on it!” For June and July we have had over 30 landings. State Senator, Donny Olson landed the first twin engine airplane on the airfield! In researching transportation options for getting a well driller and his equipment to Napaimute, Hageland said they would be willing to bring a Caravan into our runway.
We even received 2 plane loads of by-pass mail for the store one day. Hageland Aviation (now Frontier Alaska) has been very good about sending up any mail or freight we have on charters going to Napaimute for no extra cost. A one way charter from Aniak to Napaimute is $300. There is another outfit that does it cheaper but is only available early in the morning or late at night.
Currently there is funding announcement out under the Economic Stimulus Program for Small Airport Development that the NVN Grant Writer and Director are looking at. If this Program is applicable to Napaimute’s airport situation, we will be coming before the Council with our ideas and to gather additional input.
In the meantime, the Council should continue considering changing the status of Napaimute’s airfield.
Napaimute Enterprises:
Under the part-time management of Shelly Leary, Napaimute Enterprises continues to do well. She has done a great job at organizing the store and keeping it well stocked. We are proud to be able to say that the gas price in Napaimute is one of the cheapest on the Kuskokwim River. This is because of the timing of our order and being able to get a delivery early in the season. Other communities are still getting their fuel orders so prices are slowly coming down elsewhere, but not quite as low as Napaimute’s.
One of the main focuses of Napaimute Enterprises over the past month has been the establishment of the firewood venture. Using the direction of the Council, given at the January Work Session, to “make it work this year with what you have”, the Director has invested a great deal of time into getting Napaimute’s firewood business off the ground. After all of the months spent researching and planning, it has been rewarding to see it come together and the firewood packages start to be produced. It has been a huge learning curve, but one, we have well prepared for. With this hands-on experience, the actual expenses of production are carefully being recorded to ensure that our pricing will facilitate success.
Of great concern though to Napaimute’s struggle for economic development, has been the proposed firewood business that has been “given” to AVCP. Currently the details are sketchy, but it appears that the Alaska Legislature appropriated $400,000 to ship 2,000 cords of firewood to our region to be sold at the amazingly low price of $220 per cord. The Director has been told that this is all chopped packaged firewood – very similar to what Napaimute is doing, but it is not possible for us to do it for that price. Not even a simple village person with a snow machine and sled can sell raw firewood logs for that cheap!
We have also been told that this Program is supposed to be sustainable: pay for itself and continue year after year. AVCP has been given the huge task of administering and making it work. This all smells very fishy to the Director and a letter was sent to AVCP demonstrating our concern and inquiring about the possibility of Napaimute being involved since we have done so much of the research and planning for our own firewood business (although, certainly not for this kind of volume!). We will be watching this closely as it develops (or doesn’t) at the same time continuing our own firewood business development, on a reduced plan. Originally, our goal was to produce 200 pallets this season, but we will now be satisfied with between 50 and 100 pallets. This will establish Napaimute’s name in the firewood business, without too much of an investment. In addition, under our current production system we would be unable to produce 200 pallets of seasoned firewood in time for the last fall barge to Bethel.
These are some of the key things we have learned during this initial season of Napaimute’s firewood business:
• The firewood processor works great, but needs a conveyor. It can pump out a small mountain of firewood each day, but the slow part is stopping to unload the out feed trough as it gets plugged up with firewood. A conveyor is needed to keep the firewood constantly moving out and away from the machine.
• Supply isn’t a problem. We produced 30 pallets just from the wood salvaged from the airport gravel pad clearing. We have a few years supply still down at the dump.
• Manually loading the firewood bags is very labor intensive. It takes two people about an hour and a half to load one bag, cover with a tarp, and band to a pallet. Makes a very nice package though. Wood is packed neat and tight. Good for shipping and more product for the customer. We will have to weigh the cost benefit of quantity versus quality. We can produce more pallets for cheaper by using a conveyor to load (there will be less product in each bag) or we can hand load and produce fewer but higher quality packages. Probably a combination of both would be best. Then offer different packages at different prices.
To complete our 2009 season we will begin an ad campaign in August-October that will include a newspaper ad w/ pictures showing our product and the local people that produced them. An ad will also be mailed to each of the Lower River Corporation Stores offering our product delivered to their villages for resale. An agreement has been reached with the barge company for delivery to villages above and below Bethel.
The key to 2010 will be stock piling a large supply of chopped firewood over the winter so it can be drying and packaging can begin right away late in the spring.
A forester from the NRCS is scheduled to come to Napaimute this fall. His task will be to develop a thinning plan for Napaimute’s huge forest resource in the lower section of Tract 6. We need to know how many of the trees we can take and still maintain a sustainable resource. He will be able to tell us how many cords we can take per year and this will be used in planning for the future years of the firewood business: How many firewood packages can we produce just with trees from this area. With this information we will be able to forecast whether or not we will need to supplement our supply with wood from other areas (driftwood, State land, etc.) to meet our annual production goals.
In closing this section of my report it is important to recognize Audrey Leary & Kaitlin Kristovich for all their long days of hard effort at producing firewood packages. Their good careful work has gotten Napaimute off to a good a start at being the region’s first organized, reliable firewood business.
Thank you girls!
ANA Airport Project:
This is the biggest project Napaimute is doing in 2009 and much of the time and expense of maintaining and repairing our equipment was in direct preparation for doing this work.
In late June several days were spent stockpiling dirt and gravel for the construction of the pads at the airport. After things settled down from the 4th of July we began the hauling from the pit to the site. For two weeks straight we hauled over 300 dump truck loads with several long days needed to complete the work as scheduled and to take advantage of the good weather/low water levels. The leasing of another dump truck (fits within the budget) was also necessary to complete this phase of the project on time.
Side note: Napaimute’s old dump truck has hauled over 1,000 loads since we brought it to our community: 700 for the airport, 300 for the dump road, and over 100 for this project. That truck sure has been a good investment!
At 7:30 PM on Friday July 24th, the last load of gravel was hauled and the pad was roughed out. On the 30th, Case Nelson will return to do the finish work on the pad: leveling, squaring, and sloping of the sides in preparation for seeding.
During these two weeks of hauling and pad building, we were short-handed. One of our employees was out for pre-scheduled surgery. Another had to go to Anchorage for a month long academic training (also pre-scheduled), so your Director had to fill in as dump truck driver and dozer operator in between his other duties. Once again, though, we were very fortunate to hire one temporary full-time experienced dump truck driver to keep the gravel moving all day every day until completion. His name is Peter Nick, Jr. from Kwethluk. Peter holds a CDL (commercial driver’s license) and has driven for Faulkner Walsh & Knik Construction – the two largest construction companies in the region.
The right people always seem to show at the right time in Napaimute!
Throughout June & July, the Director continued to work with Luke Demientieff on finding a way to get his drill rig over from the Yukon to Napaimute for the second phase of the Project. After many phone calls we were finally able to find a way to fly his equipment to Aniak and have it brought up by barge to Napaimute. All of this was contingent on him being able to earn extra income by drilling wells for private individuals in Napaimute. I polled Napaimute’s Homesteaders & Native Allotment owners and finally was able to get commitments for 7 additional wells. This was further made possible by Luke agreeing to take ½ down for each well and monthly payments for the balances due.
The well drilling is scheduled to take place during the first half of August. By the time Luke is finished, Napaimute will have more running water than most villages! Another huge step forward for our community.
On July 14th representatives of the Administration for Native Americans from Washington, D.C. flew in to do an Impact Assessment of our current ANA funded project. Although I hated to stop my role as fill-in dump truck driver for a day to play host to them, it was actually good timing. They got to see first-hand the Project under implementation (I met their plane in the dump truck). We did a 4.5 hr sit down interview then a couple of hours of touring the site and the rest of Napaimute. The Director is confident that they were impressed by what they saw and got a good understanding of the great impact ANA has had on Napaimute throughout the years. The start up of the firewood business using timber salvaged from the Project and the ability of so many others to get wells because of the Project scored a lot of points on the Impact Assessment.
Also that day a group of youth campers from Georgetown arrived for a tour of Napaimute to see all of our community & economic development activities. Your Director was thankful that Shelly was there to fill in as tour guide while he worked with the ANA people. We hope that those young tribal members from Georgetown gained some motivation and ideas for things they can do to help revive their community.
Upcoming Activities:
These are the bulk of activities that took place in Napaimute for June & July. For the remainder of July, August and the rest of the fall the following is scheduled to take place:
• Week of July 27th: Marcus Dammeyer, Kalskag Voc. Ed. teacher will be bringing a group of students up to work on finishing the Chapel.
• Haul stock piled timber out of dump site, install fencing, signs, and lay down additional gravel. Also touch up dump road.
• Continue producing firewood packages as time permits.
• Work with well driller putting wells in at airport commercial lots.
• Install septic systems at airport lots and do final touch up work on pads.
• Develop commercial lease document for the Council’s consideration.
• Work with Contractor (MACTEC) on next phase of Kolmokof Mine Clean Up (pending).
• Continue stock piling fallen timber for firewood & sawmill from 2008 Fire Protection Project.
• Work with NRCS Forester to develop a sustainable harvest plan for NVN forest resources.
• Continue overall activities of Napaimute Enterprises.
That’s the report. A big thank you to all of our employees that have been working hard to continue moving Napaimute forward:
Joseph Phillips, Eric Morgan, Case Nelson, & Peter Nick, Jr. – ANA Airport Project
Shelly Leary – Napaimute Enterprises, L.L.C.
Devron Hellings & Mitchell Dammeyer – Napaimute Environmental Department
Kaitlin Kristovich & Audrey Leary – overall general labor
Jacob Wise & Amanda Yako – Youth Workers
Thank you.
Created By mleary on 07/28/2009 03:49 AM
Last updated by mleary on 07/30/2009 03:06 AM
Welcome!
Print
eMail
