Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities Newsletter
Monthly Update from the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities (CETC)
Issue 16, September 2018
Recent Events
Napakiak
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded a $449,000 Imminent Threat grant to the Native Village of Napakiak to replace the community's boat and hovercraft landing, which was eliminated by catastrophic slope failure in May 2018. Napakiak relies on hovercraft access for delivery of critical supplies and, due to their location on an island, boat access is necessary for transportation everywhere.
Photo: Native Village of Napakiak
Selawik
HUD has also awarded a $450,000 Imminent Threat grant to the Native Village of Selawik to restore water service to 25 percent of its residents who lost it as a result of a freezing event in December 2017. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) representatives visited the community and advised that without immediate repairs, the community's entire water and sewer systems would fail. The funds awarded will be used to repair the system, including leveling the housing, re-insulating, repairing vacuum leaks, replacing valves and installing new controls. The photo shows a sagging Arctic pipe, which delivers water to homes.
Photo: ANTHC
Dillingham
Strong winds and high waves on August 12, 2018 exacerbated previous damage to the sewage outfall pipe in Dillingham, Alaska, pictured above. In May 2018, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers observed erosion surrounding the area containing the sewage outfall pipe and city inspections in July revealed further damage had been done. The August storm event eroded approximately 20 additional feet of bank and left the pipe hanging, which endangers the city's wastewater disposal. Emergency efforts were made to secure and support the pipe. The City Council has authorized emergency maintenance funds to construct a revetment to prevent further damage. The Council will also discuss how to prepare for similar events in the future.
Photo: City of Dillingham
Grant Writing Training
Finding and securing funding is one of the largest barriers in our efforts to address environmental threats in Alaskan communities. The Alaska Native Epidemiology Center (ANEC) at ANTHC hosted a Tribal Grant Writing Training August 6th-8th in Anchorage, Alaska. Participants learned principles of technical writing and practiced strategies to effectively convey information to funders through strong grant applications. Community members from Chevak and Nunapitchuk, both environmentally threatened communities, participated in the training. Chevak seeks funding for an erosion vulnerability assessment. The City of Nunapitchuk seeks funding to address a host of issues described below.
Photo: Alaska Native Epidemiology Center (ANEC)
Community Profile: Nunapitchuk
Environmental threats associated with warming temperatures threaten the long-term habitability of the community of Nunapitchuk, Alaska. Nunapitchuk is a Yup'ik Eskimo village divided by the Johnson River, 22 miles northwest of Bethel, Alaska. Erosion and permafrost degradation threaten critical community infrastructure including the washeteria, public safety building, and homes throughout the community. The landfill is in critical condition; its location upstream of the community contaminates drinking water and negatively impacts community health. Residents report catching trash in their fish nets. Nunapitchuk has recently partnered with the Alaska Institute for Justice (AIJ) and the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys to install community-based erosion, flood, and permafrost thaw monitoring in order to better understand and address harmful environmental trends.
Nunapitchuk sits on warm ice-rich permafrost at 10-foot elevation, which threatens the long-term viability of the community. The community has long considered relocating to another site. In 2008, Nunapitchuk requested funding from the State of Alaska for a relocation feasibility study, but the request was vetoed. Currently, ten years later, AIJ and ANTHC are working with the community to access information to inform their decision-making. In addition to considering relocating to another site, Nunapitchuk seeks to protect the public safety building and the two city garages from erosion, open a new landfill, and build a new washeteria. The community recently submitted a Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) application to the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund a feasibility study for a bridge to connect the community.
Photo: Native Village of Nunapitchuk
Current Funding Opportunities
FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation
This is an opportunity to fund projects identified in your community's Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Eligibility: Any local or Tribal government with an approved natural Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Due Date: Early January 2019.
More Information: To read the Notice of Funding Opportunity, click here. If your community would like assistance with an application, contact the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities (CETC) at etc@anthc.org or 907-729-4521.
Job Announcement
We are hiring! If you are interested in this position, apply as soon as possible.
Are you passionate about social justice, rural Alaska infrastructure, and working with communities on the front lines of climate change? Join our team at ANTHC!
Funded by a grant from the Denali Commission, the CETC has a dedicated team that works with environmentally threatened communities across Alaska who are experiencing infrastructure impacts associated with flooding, erosion, and permafrost degradation. We do this by working closely with community members to understand their needs and priorities, identifying resources that support them, and grant writing.
We’re recruiting for a Grant Writer I/II/III. Our ideal candidate will have a grant writing background, experience working on infrastructure projects in rural Alaskan communities, and strong project management skills. It’s an exciting and diverse position and we’re looking for someone who is passionate to join our team.
Interested? Apply for the Grant Writer I/II/III position at https://anthc.org/anthc-job-openings/
Questions? Contact Jen Harrington at jharrington@anthc.org or 907-729-3480.
Resources
Training Opportunities
1. Tribal Vision, Design, and Capacity Grant Writing Workshop
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Office of Minority Health (OMH) Resource Center are offering a technical grant writing workshop. This training provides American Indian/Alaska Native professionals with strategies to make grant proposals more competitive.
Date: September 26 & 27, 2018
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
To see a flyer, click here
To register, click here
2. Project Planning & Development Training from Three Star Enterprises
In this three-day training, participants will gain a foundation for creating a community-based project and grant writing skills. With this information, you will have the ability to adapt them to any community, any project, and any funder. Topics will include: defining the community condition, project goal setting, identifying resources and partnerships, establishing objectives, determining deliverables, developing an approach and plan, determining outputs, identifying staffing needs and potential challenges, creating a sustainability plan, and determining project costs.
This training will be held in four locations: Chefornak, Alaska: September 25-27, Anchorage, Alaska: October 9-11, Utqiagvik, Alaska (Barrow): November 6-8, Fairbanks, Alaska: February 12-14
For more information, contact r.perry@3starak.com
To register for Chefornak, click here, To register for Anchorage, click here
Registration for other dates will open soon.
News Roundup
In Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska, a Growing Erosion Problem May Soon Outpace Local Efforts to Slow It In Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska, storms continue to damage a seawall that protects the community from erosion. In order to protect the town in the future, a continuous rock wall, estimated at $120 million, must be built.
Funding Secured for Kivalina School, Access Road Kivalina, Alaska has long sought funding for a new school and an access road for years. They are now on track to get both, which will aid their ability to relocate their community away from aggressive environmental threats.
Strong Waves Wash Away Dillingham Shoreline High surf and 55 mile-per-hour gusts damaged the bluff near Dillingham, Alaska's sewage lagoon on August 26th.
Some Arctic Ground No Longer Freezing-Even in Winter New data from two Arctic sites suggest some surface layers are no longer freezing. If that continues, greenhouse gases from permafrost could accelerate climate change.
New Study Says Global Models Sharply Underestimate Permafrost Emissions A new study suggests global climate projections have been drastically underestimating carbon emissions from permafrost.
When is it Time to Retreat From Climate Change? This 2017 New Yorker article reports that retreat from climate change impacts is underway and will continue to increase throughout the U.S. and worldwide.
Upcoming Events
Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management
November 27-30, 2018
Registration for the Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management hosted by ANTHC at the Anchorage Downtown Hilton is now open. Click here to register.
About the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities
The Center was established with a Denali Commission grant to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and supports rural Alaska communities experiencing infrastructure impacts associated with environmental threats such as flooding, erosion, and melting permafrost.
ETC@anthc.org | (907) 729-4521 | 4500 Diplomacy Drive, Suite 561, Anchorage, AK 99508