Subsistence salmon fishing is winding down for the season in Northwest Alaska. Forty-four-year Kotzebue resident Lance Kramer scrambles to finish putting up fish before he moves on to other tasks, such as seeing President Obama breeze through town on Sept. 2.
While Kotzebue might not be as well-known as its northern neighbors Nome and Barrow, it's a fitting stop for a president trying to promote a balanced approach by allowing offshore oil development and trying to stem climate change.
The region has experienced problems attributed to climate change firsthand -- as well as the industrial opportunities presented by melting ice.
"The big question is about industry and subsistence -- how can you have both without hurting the other?" said Kramer late Monday along Kotzebue's pebbly beach front as he filleted a dozen or so chum salmon with an ulu knife. "We have to have development, but subsistence is the most important thing."
Kramer, the senior director of lands for the NANA Regional Corporation who also appears on National Geographic's "Yukon River Run," said subsistence is paramount.
He's not happy that the Obama administration allowed Shell to drill this summer because the oil company hasn't proven it can clean oil from ice. Still, he's glad the president is addressing climate change.
"Alaska is the last great place to get this right. If we screw this up, everyone loses," he said.