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Aleut TP*-'—■.J^-ti,attbluu Ut kah neck Informing and Reporting
Unungang Toonooktakuks T/tc Aleuts Swnic
Vol. 1, No. 23-luesday, Sept. 3, 1963 Fairbanks, Alaska
Forest Industry Plan At Minto Told By State
High probability of a paying for
est -products industry in the Minto
areg, particularly along river
courses, has been revealed with the
completion of a forest type recon
naissance survey by the state Di
vision of Lands.
By aerial measuring white spruce
over 746.700 acres it was found that I
about 326.000 acres supports tim-1
ber of merchantable size.
This includes 35.900 acres adjac
ent to the Tarvana, Nenana and Kan- j
I tishna Rivers: 90.100 acres in low
land flats, and 200,000 acres in up
lands.
Using figures ba«ed on liver bank
timber alone, it was predicted that
a poi table sawmill could be oper
ated on a one million board feet a j
year sustained yield cut.
By increasing forest fire protec- j
tion in the uplands, and allowing
young timber there to mature, this
figure could be substantially raised, I
it was stated in a Division report.
The survey was restricted to white
spruce in two size classes: pole
| timber 5*10 inches d.b.h. and saw
timber 10 and more inches d.b.h.
The report stated, “If a milling
operation were to be established in
the Minto area, it would in all prob
ability, be located on along the!
Tanana River. Logging would, for!
the most part, be restricted to the
freeze up period because of the
many wet areas and sloughs along
the river.
‘ The most logical market for the
lumber would be located down
l river to villages along the Tanana
j ancl Yukon Rivers," the report
| stated.
In addition to the timber survey
the Division has conducted an era- I
ployment study that shows an es
timated income of $50,000 per year
for Minto area residents if a por
table sawmill, capable of cutting
500,000 board feet a year is estab
lished along the Tanana River,
This is based on lumber being
worth $100 per thousand board feet.
This indicates that if the one mil
lion board feet sustained yield fig
ure is reached, according to the
timber survey report, that a $100.
1 000 a year payroll could be antici
pated at Minto.
Minto is an Athabascan Indian
village located on the Tanana River
downstream from Nenana. It is
only accessible by boat and plane
in summer, and dog team, tracked
vehicle or plane in winter.
TINY GIRL HAS HIGHEST RADIATION COLNl—It is believed that little live year old girl, Dorothy
Ahgook, of Anaktuvuk Pass, has the highest, or one of the highest radiation counts of any person in
the United States. Dorothy’s sister, Vera, 6M* yea rs, also has a highest count, as well as another little
girl of another family. Minnie Ahgook, of the same village. Little Dorothy shows wonderment on her
face as her picture was taken. She and everyone in Anaktuvuk Pass, live mainly on caribou meat.
Caribou lives on highly coiV.aminated lichens and sedges that get nutrients out of the air and there
fore absorb radioactive fallout. Simon Paneak, president of the Anaktuvuk Pass village council, when
asked what he thought of possibility of changing diet and relocation, answered. "Caribou is our only
way of life here. It would cost a lot of money to the government to feed us and move us—but it would
be the only way.”
State Officials Tell Doubts
Of Successful Tibetan Influx
Governor William A. Egan and
William R. Wood, president of the
University of Alaska have indicat
ed to Tundra Times doubts and res
ervations about the proposed plan
to resettle Tibetan refugees in
Alaska.
In an exclusive interview with
Tundra Times, Governor Egan said
Alaskans for 50 years had been try
*ng to develop a reindeer meat in
dt^'ry and poor results at market
ing i been achieved.
He pointed out Alaska’s small
population of 250,000 did not offer
i great market potential and said it
vas difficult to get Alaskans to
iccept reindeer meat in the place
of beef.
"I can’t help but feel the same
vould be the case with the yak,”
re said.
“It would be like asking the popu
lation to break away from electri
city to kerosene lanterns to ask
hem to break away from beef to
yak.”
“We also have a problem in Alas
ka of assisting a great percentage
of our population to become self
(Continued on Page 5)
Times to Have
First Birthday
The next issue of (lie Tundra
Times will be published on Septem
ber 23 in order that the issues will
be more properly spaced. During
the month of October we will re
turn to our usual first and third
Monday publication dates. We wish
to inform our readers that on Oc
tober 7, the Tundra Times will be
one year old and the issue on that
date will be our anniversary publi
cation.
Anaktuvuk People Worried
About High Radiation Rate
By Thomas Snapp
Times Staff Writer |
ANAKTUVUK — (Special) “Our
people are worried about radiation. I
If the radiation gets higher and
r higher, we don’t know what we are
i going to do." I
So spoke Simon Paneak, presi
! dent of the village council of this
• small settlement of IDS people—
known to have the highest average
radiation counts of any other peo
ple under the U. S. flag.
Although in April. Paneak sair
the village had written to the State
Health Department in Fairbanks
seeking assistance to move t
another location because of radi
ation. that the village had decided
not to move now.
"Our only way of life is here.'
he said. ,
"We don’t know where we could
move. We like this country bcltci
than the Arctic coast and we would
feel out of place anywhere else. We
don't know how to make a living
in the Yukon."
According to Paneak, the peopb
became alarmed after receiving ;
letter in March from a Fairbanks
woman stating that the- villagers
were receiving dangerously high
radiation.
Later, he said Sidney Heidelsdorf.
radiologist, and John Melville. o£
the State Health Department, in
Fairbanks, came to Anaktuvuk Pass
and assured them that they could
eat all the caribou meat they
wanted without danger.
H. M. Parker, manager of the
[ AEC laboratories in Hanford,
Washington was at the village re
cently, Paneak said, and had taken
whole body radiation counts of the
people there.
“He told us our radiation had in
creased about 25 per cent since last
year,” the council president said.
According to a leter from Parker
dated June 30. preliminary results
of the whole body counts at Annk
tuvuk Pass showed an average in
crease of 50 per cent and a maxi
mum increase of 112 per cent.
Last year the Anaktuvuk Pass
people had whole body counts of
Cesium-137 averaging 421 nanocur
ies and a few individuals had body
burdens of 800 nanocuries. 8he
(Continued on Page 5»
Significant Development
For Univ. of Alaska Told
By Thomas Snapp
Times Staff Writer
Alaska has been a state five years
and. according to many, the most
significant development since state
hood has been the tremendous ex
pansion of the University of Alaska.
In that relatively short span of
years, the University has doubled
and tripled in size—expanded more
than in all its previous history.
Right now the University of |
Alaska campus is buzzing with 11
major projects and many small ones
totaling about $15,000,000. In the
past two years projects totaling
about $5,000,000 have been com
pleted. In the next four years proj
ects totaling about $20,000,000 are
to be constructed.
In other words, the University
is about to the half way mark in
a gigantic 6-year $40,000,000 ex
pansion program.
The campus area of the Univer
sity has been expanded to 300 acres.
To the 100-acre main campus has
been added the 200-acre West Ridge
campus encompassing part of the
present agriculture experiment
farm.
Significant
“To me the most significant thing
that has been done since statehood
has been the almost complete re
; versal of support to the University
I of Alaska by the people of the
i state.” Dr. William R. Wood, pres
j ident of the University, told Tundra
Times.
“After statehood, the people have
(Continued on Page 5)