Anaktuvuk Pass is an area rich with cultural, traditional and natural spirit. Established in 1949, we're a community that embodies the pride of our Nunamiut ancestors who were the last nomadic tribe to settle in Alaska. We carry this pride with us every day, as it continues to shape who we are and where we come from.
Located above the Arctic Circle in the Brooks Range and within Gates of the Arctic National Park, Anaktuvuk Pass is the only home that many of its residents have ever known. Just as our ancestors did, we continue to survive in rural Alaska by carrying out a subsistence way of life, depending on nearby caribou herds to support our livelihood, our diet and our cultural identity. Without these caribou and other plants and animals in the region, residents of Anaktuvuk Pass would not be able to feed their families, forcing them to move out of the region and turning our ancestors' heritage into a thing of the past.
As a part of his "Roads to Resources" program, Gov. Sean Parnell is pushing the development of a road to Umiat in order to provide private industries access to mining leases throughout Northern Alaska. The project is currently caught up in the capital budget process, but if passed it would branch off the Dalton Highway at the foothills of the Brooks Range to Umiat -- cutting through nearly 100 miles of subsistence hunting grounds and crossing four major rivers. The chances of this road altering the migration routes of our caribou herds and threatening all the plants and animals native to the area are too high, and we must stop the project before it moves forward.
As a Nunamiut Eskimo and a resident of Anaktuvuk Pass, I have relied on the Central Arctic Caribou Herd the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, and the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd to feed my family and support our community. Customs and practices associated with subsistence caribou hunting have been passed along to countless generations and are the foundation of our cultural identity. To lose the ability to share this knowledge with our children and grandchildren would be tragic.
In addition to threats from the project's construction, the development of a road to Umiat will also give Outside sport hunters public access to our traditional lands and rivers. This will create a threat to subsistence users in the region, as overhunting and abuse of the terrain will force locals to travel farther to gather the resources needed to feed the entire community. The high cost of living in rural Alaska makes subsistence hunting and gathering even more important, as going to the grocery store is an impossible alternative for our people. With gas prices at over $9 a gallon and rising, it is absolutely crucial that we continue to hunt for our food in order to make ends meet while preserving our culture.
Both the Naqsragmiut Tribal Council and the City of Anaktuvuk Pass have passed resolutions against building a road to Umiat, and we thank Sen. Donny Olson and Rep. Reggie Joule for voicing our opposition in Juneau. It is important, however, that all our state's lawmakers understand the concerns of our community even if they are not from this region. Building a road to Umiat will eliminate thousands of years of tradition to develop an industry that will last but a few decades. It is time that our leaders stand up for the people of this region and protect their culture for future generations.
A lady once asked me after visiting Anaktuvuk Pass, "Do you know you live in God's country?" Ever since then, I can't help but look at the mountains, hills and land around me and know this beautiful place I call home has made me the happiest person in the world. I want my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to live here just as our ancestors did before us, surviving with our subsistence way of life.
It saddens my heart to know a road to Umiat will make that dream impossible.
Esther Hugo is mayor of Anaktuvuk Pass.
By ESTHER HUGO