RICHARD MOUSE

“In the middle of June, the ice started really melting quick. Usually, it wouldn’t be until about the end of July. It hasn’t been a huge problem and people are still fishing all year, but it was surprising. The salmon started running early, maybe the middle of June. Even the berries came early. It’s been raining all year too, even in the winter.
I grew up here, I live right over there behind the willows. I built my own log house in the early '80s. The community was going to help me build my house, but all they did is talk. [laughs] I was hoping for help when I started building the house. They said they were going to help, but no one did. I had an older brother though; he helped me. I finished my house in October or November, just beat the winter. In 1982 after I graduated, I lived in a tent for about a year. Then I started building my house.” — Richard Mouse is Inupiaq and lives in Noorvik, Alaska.