"The Fate of Nature" - excerpts

'THE FATE OF NATURE': LAST OF FIVE PARTS

Chenega wrestles with complexities of past and future

In a human community, as in an ecosystem, there is no rewind function. What's lost is lost, and hope lies in creating healthy relationships that are new. The grief must die for the next generation to rise.

'THE FATE OF NATURE': FOURTH OF FIVE PARTS

Exxon Valdez oil hits Chenega in the breadbasket and the wallet

Chenega was destroyed by the 1964 earthquake, rebuilt in the 1980s and then hit by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. The cultural changes caused by those events affect residents’ lives every day.

'THE FATE OF NATURE': FIRST OF FIVE PARTS

The night that Chenega disappeared into the sea

Editor’s note: For the next five days, we’ll be running excerpts from Alaska author Charles Wohlforth’s new book, “The Fate of Nature,” which explores the history, science and people of Prince William Sound. The excerpts tell the story of the village of Chenega, starting with the devastating 1964 earthquake and tsunami.

'THE FATE OF NATURE': PART 2 OF 5

Chenega: After the '64 tsunami, a decade without a home

On the Monday after the Good Friday earthquake, Larry Evanoff received a package of home-baked bread and treats from his mother. Later that day, he was pulled from class and told a tsunami had destroyed his village and killed his parents.

'THE FATE OF NATURE': PART 3 of 5

From one couple's strength, New Chenega rises

In the third of five excepts from “The Fate of Nature” by Charles Wohlforth, the story of Larry and Gail Evanoff continues as they seek to rebuild the village of Chenega, which was destroyed in the great earthquake of 1964.