The wind system in Kokhanok was recently a centerpiece of the International Wind-Diesel Workshop that took place earlier last month. 40 people visited the remote community on the Alaska Peninsula to observe the operational and technical aspects of the high penetration wind-diesel system that has been serving the community since last fall. SWAMC staff made the site visit to witness this success in community energy sustainability.

In other renewable energy news, the Alaska Energy Authority recently announced their recommendations for Round IV of the Renewable Energy Fund. The SWAMC region had 7 projects selected for funding at the statewide $25M allocation level, serving the communities of Cold Bay, Old Harbor, Port Heiden, Nelson Lagoon, New Koliganek, along with the Kodiak and Lake & Peninsula Boroughs. Those seven projects would total $4.9M in funding, or 20% of the $25M statewide level. For comparison, the Southeast region would be the largest  to gain and is recommended for $7.8M, or 31% of the total. If the Legislature were to fund up to the $36.6M statewide level, the Southwest region would total $7.7M by gaining two additional projects, or 21%, while the Southeast would add up to $12.5M, or 34% of the $36.6M. Read all about the recommended allocation breakdowns here. Thus far, the SWAMC region has been awarded $24M for projects from Rounds I-III of the RE Energy Grant Fund, representing 16% of the $150M allocated.           

SWAMC's staff recently attended a "Listening Session" sponsored by the Denali Commission [DC]. The Commission wants to hear from communities, agencies, and other organizations about how the DC has been performing, where they should focus their resources, your experience with the Commission, and so forth. The Commission also aims to strategically plan with rural Alaskans in light of the impending challenges at the Federal level. This white paper gives a greater explanation of the sessions.

The Commission has been holding these sessions around the state, but they're also taking written comments until April 15. Comments can be emailed to: communications@denali.gov.

They would love to hear from specific communities, so if you have any comments please address the following three questions:  

1.       Why is the Commission important to rural Alaska?

2.       What recommendations would you make as to the manner in which the DC  does business?

3.       What should the future role/focus of the DC be in rural Alaska? 

As a ratio of Resident Boat Owners to those who Home Port in their home community, all districts in Southwest Alaska have seen a decline. Only Seattle has leveled off since1995. This tells us that less Resident Boat Owners maintain their boat in the community in which they live. Lower ratios would lead to the conclusion that the local fishing population was/is more dominated by a fleet that lives in one district and fishes in another. The communities with the largest fishing fleets as recorded by Home Port are Seattle, Bristol Bay and Kodiak. All SW communities ended the 32-year period since 1978 with similar or slight increases with their Home Port fleet. Home Port is an indicator of the competitive advantage that communities hold in meeting the needs of the boat-owning fishing community. With the exception of Bristol Bay, the communities recorded were able to maintain the percentage of Resident Boat Owners in relation to Total Vessels [see graph below]. This is an important indicator that displays the level to which Resident Boat Owners continue to live in the communities that support their profession. Declining levels in this category may indicate that boat owners (of any region) are harvesting their catch and leaving with the resource rents. SWAMC is maintaining a large database of relevant SW fishing statistics, so if you have any questions or need explanations on data please contact our office.  

Click on image to enlarge Source: Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission:  http://www.cfec.state.ak.us/