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Mf Ut kah neck Informing and Report 7
Unungang Toonooktakuks The Aleuts Speak \
Vo1- No- 16 Monday, May 20, 1963 Fairbanks, Alaska
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ALASKA’S BIG EAR—In the heart of Alaska, near Fairbanks, is located the largest, most sophisticated
GSFC satellite ground station in the world—the Gilmore Creek Data Acquisition Facility. Alaskans
know it by two nicknames, the ’’Big Dish,” and the “Big Ear.” Built at a cost of between $!> and S6
million, it can receive, amplify and record radio signals from satellites that are 10,000 to 100.000 times
weaker than radio signals that can be received on a standard AM radio. A duplicate of the station, a
second “Big Ear,” is being constructed this summer at Fox, Alaska, for the exclusive use of the U.S.
Weather Bureau. —Tundra Times Photo
In Scientific Research
Alaska Becomes Space Strategic
Bartlett Says Fishing Industry,
Defense in Alaska Deteriorating
E. L. (Bob) Bartlett, Alaska’s
senior U. S. senator, in Fairbanks
Friday emphasized the deterioration
of the state's fishing industry and
Alaska's military defenses.
He then went on to stress the
danger of radiation to the unique
Arctic food chain, assailed the fed
eral bureau of land management
for unnecessarily causing a dispute
that stimied the state land selec
tion program, and announced a de
finite decision had been made to
locate the customs headquarters at
Tok, rather than at the border.
He pointed out Alaska natives
had need for land and were entitled
to compensation fpr any land rights
that had been extinguished.
Citing the need for Intercontin
ental Ballistic missiles in Alaska,
Bartlett said Alaska was surround
ed by more Russians, in fishing ves
sels, than there are Russians in
Cuba.
"They are fishing but they do
other things too,” he said.
155 Red Ships
Bartlett said just before leaving
Washington to fly to Fairbanks to
address the Lathrop High School
Key Club that he had been inform
ed that 155 Soviet fishing vessels —
more than ever before — were ly
ing off the coast of Kodiak.
“They are in legal waters but in
there in large numbers taking bot
tom fish.”
Fallout Danger
On the subject of radiation, Bart
lett said, "I feel there is more of a
danger from fallout in Alaska than
in the other states, particularly be
cause of the strange situation in
volving the unique Arctic food
chain.”
He said he had used the senate
floor repeatedly to call for exten
sive day-to-day studies of the dan
ger.
Land Dispute
On the state vs. BLM land dis
pute, Bartlett said he had inserted
strong language last week in an
Interior Department appropriations
bill that he believed would end the
dispute. He said the BLM was di
rected to follow the Statehood Act
explicitly and not quibble about
surveying the exterior boundaries
of tracts 5.760 acres in size. If the
BLM responds, the dispute will be
resolved in favor of the state.
Bartlett said the customs station
would definitely be located at Tok
because the geological survey could
not find suitable land free of per
(Continued on Page 7)
By Thomas Snapp
Times Staff Writer
Alaska is fast becoming one of
the most important states in the
nation so far as space science re
search is concerned.
And because of Alaska's stra
tegic geographic location at the
top of the globe, officials say the
49th state is destined to become
even more important as the U. S.
pushes forward into the frontiers
of space.
Though the 49th state is not os
tensibly important in the glamorous
and glittering Mercury Project or
Man in Space program, it holds a
basic, key position in regard to the
space science research program that
makes the man in space program
possible.
The space research program finds
out the conditions man will meet
in conquering space.
Eventually, the Tundra Times is
told by officials and scientists, the
strategic importance of Alaska for
space science may be much greater
than its present strategic military
importance.
The increasing importance of the
state in the field of space science
can be seen from the growth of the
Geophysical Institute of the Univer
sity of Alaska and from the dozens
of space research projects that are
being carried on there. Near Col
lege, Alaska, there is an area so
covered with large antennas point
(Continued on Page 7)
HoSikochyk Village Moves
To Grayling Leaving
Trader With Few Customers
By Thomas Snapp
Times Staff Writer
Climaxing a long and bitter dis
pute. about 100 natives of the Lower
Yukon village of Holikachuk arc
now moving to a new location at
Grayling, leaving behind a trader
practically without customers.
Spearheading the carefully
planned move of practically the
entire population of the village to
the new site are Henry Deacon,
president of the village council,
and Wilbert Nicholas, council sec
retary.
For two years the natives of Holi
kachuk have been enlisting the aid
of state, federal and church officials
in assisting them in the move.
Trader Protests
The trader, Frank S. Walker,
manager of the Turner and Son's
store at Holikachuk for the past
2G years has vehemently protested
the move as economically unsound,
once at a Bureau of Indian Affairs—
Missionary Conference in Fairbanks
in February and again through an
article in the April 10 issue of
Jessen’s Weekly.
Despite Walker’s protests, the
move is taking place as planned. The
actual move was started on May 11.
the day after school was out for the
year.
Alaska’s newest village of Gray
ling will be located about forty
miles northeast of Holikachuk,
which is located about 110 air miles |
north east of Bethel and 50 miles
southeast of St. Michael.
Aid Pending
The village has applied for aid in
building homes at Grayling to the
Public Housing Administration
through the Alaska Housing Au
thority. The proposal to furnish
money for long term, low-payment
loans was set to Washington two
months ago.
State and federal officials are
hopeful that the proposal will be
approved soon so that financial aids
can be obtained in helping the peo
ple obtain materials, such as insula
tion. windows, etc. that are needed
but which the natives are not fi
nancially able' to afford.
Tents, tf Necessary
The peopie of Holikachuk have
made it clear, however, that they
arc mov'ing regardless of whether or
not governmental aid is available.
Some have indicated they will live
next winter in tents, if necessary. *
By the middle of February, 350
logs had been obtained by the vil
lagers, using a new chain saw made
available by the BIA. On the pro
ject all the able-bodied younger
men had cut trees and the older
men had gone along as camp tend
ers and cooks. Women, who were
the heads of households, were asked
to contribute $35 for food.
Agencies Help
T. E. Elliott, chief. Operations
(Continued on Page 71
Editorial
Our Position
In regard to the proposed Rampart Dam, the Tundra
Times at present has not taken a stand in favor or against
the project. All it has done to date is to point out the inequi
ties that concern the natives, created by the proponents in
their great rush to realize the final determination of the
project.
We definitely feel that this situation is unfair. At
tempts to force a determination, even before feasibility
studies are complete, is a fact with which this paper does
not agree. Incidents, like the one at the state legislature at
Juneau where an attempt was made to muzzle a former
professor at the University of Alaska for expressing his
opinion opposing the proposed dam at a conference at
Whitehorse, Y.T., are directly against the great tenets of
our country, that a person will be able to voice his opinion
without alarm.
On the other hand, there is a colonel, head of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Alaska, who, while en
gaged in engineering feasibility studies of the proposed
dam, promotes the project through speeches and talks at
meetings throughout the state.
It does not seem congruous to us that on the one
hand a public servant from a military corps can speak
freely favoring a proposed project while, on the other
hand, a university professor would be unable to give his
(Continued on Page 2)