NELLIE WESLEY

“I am the environmental assistant. I manage the financial part of our EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) grant. The tribe receives a $120,000 grant every year, since 1997. We are into solid waste, recycling, and climate change. Globally speaking, Alaska is at the forefront of climate change, and we have seen a lot of change. Our winters are later, the ice is thinner and the permafrost is melting, our village sits right on top of permafrost. Trees and banks are falling into the river and poles are starting to lean. We are keeping an eye on it and trying to get training for what to do, watch for, or apply for. ANTHC [Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium] was doing a study on climate change in the villages and Noatak, [Alaska] was one of them. We said, “We will work with you if you come here,” and we helped them with their site visits and lodging. A big part of that study was the village’s water and sewer, and the one big thing that was noticed was the water plant building, they noticed cracks in the cement floor. That was the eye opener for the village. It showed that the ground underneath the building is melting. That led to a grant to do foundation work this summer.” — Nellie Wesley is Inupiaq and lives in Noatak, Alaska.