Galena seeking critical mass for nuclear project

Galena seeking critical mass for nuclear project

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This is an update to a video I posted earlier about an extremely experimental nuclear reactor proposed for Galena, on the banks of the Yukon. Big money projects are sexy when gas prices average $7.50 a gallon! Non-oil based energy is vital, but not on an experimental scale in a place where subsistence is so important. Even if it wasn't important culturally (which is hard to factor out since it is so vital), when you live in a place where barges can only travel 5 months out of the year, it is absolutely essential that you feel good and are successful in getting your food and water safely from the land yourself.

It's also important to note that the Galena City Council is different from Tribal Government.

26 days!!!!

wow, only 26 days until the convention!!! so amazing, it really is. i have to say that i am thrilled that my fisherman is home, but that now more than ever i am hoping that he can come with me to be a part of history. i am hoping to blog from the floor of the convention, and hoping that he can do so from the outside events (which are looking pretty good), so that we can get a united story of what this is all about!

but 26 days! the fish weren't that good, folks. please help us get there! if you'd like to donate air miles for josiah, please email me at lizlouise@gmail.com

thanks!

liz

Need More Coffee...

I apologize for the long wait in between posts. I have been learning first hand how it is to be a Kodiak fisherman's wife. It's tough, I have full respect for those women who stay home and take care of the family, the home, the chickens, the bull, hold two jobs...(Renee, I am PROUD of you, you are one of the strongest women I know!) I've been processing fish on my own, knowing that we probably won't get a subsistence set and knowing that the freezer is empty. (but here's to a better moose season than last! 

Anyways, to give those of you who don't know an idea, Kodiak is one of the longest salmon fisheries in the State, as well as one of the most remote. Sure, it's not that far from town, but there are so many spots to be fishing that boats hardly make it to port to make a phone call, check email, have a shower. Get vegetables? Hah! Usually boats make it to port in the middle of the night, when nothing is open. The boat had issues with it's satellite phone, so it wasn't until they were gone for awhile that we got our first call, a total of 2.5 minutes in length, mostly comprising of 'what? you're breaking up!' Renee (captain's wife) said it best when she said that sat phone calls are a practice in divination. And I'm no Hermione! 

So, next time you are making the decision to decide between farmed (raised/dyed) and wild caught, after you think of how much healthier for yourself and the environment the Wild Alaskan Salmon option is, think how of us, and how important to us the fishery is. Those of us involved in Wild Alaskan fisheries hold these values so close to heart that we put up with a lot! 

Obama Supports sustainable fisheries, too! If I can figure out how to convert a pdf so that you can see this, the Obama campaign has a nice commercial fishing policy statement that I've been working on them with... let me know if you know how to do this!

 

River Reactions - Yukon River Intertribal Watershed Council, Galena, AK

River Reactions from Kevin Co on Vimeo.

Alaska seems to be the remote place that so many think of as their go to for energy, without remembering that it is not only our home, but a home of cultures from time immemorial, that depends on the environs for our livelihoods, cultural heritage, food, spirituality and so much more than words can describe. 

This is another video from my friend and neighbor Kevin Co, about the experimental (and first of it's kind) nuclear reactor proposal by Toshiba to be tested along the Yukon River in Galena, Alaska.

My Debut on the barackobama.com website! Road To Denver: An Alaskan Activist

Alternate Delegate Liz’s hometown of Homer, Alaska looks like it could be featured in National Geographic. Surrounded by the aroma of Evergreens and breeze from the Kachemak Bay, Liz’slog cabin is surrounded by wildlife including moose, bear, and lynx. Yet despite her remote location, Liz is at the hub of many political hot topics. Between the many economic and cultural problems associated with the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the environmental and health hazards that the exemption of the Clean Water Act on local waters have caused, Liz has spent almost her whole life working to improve the land she loves.

Liz has been actively involved in the Democratic party since she was in high school and spent years studying environmental policy and working policy jobs. “In 2006, I worked with many of the Tribes in Cook Inlet in a landmark cooperation with the goal of having the Tribal voice heard on oil and gas issues. ” She also participated in the 2006 National Pollutant Discharge Ellimination System program to improve the permit by “limiting toxic discharges” and appointing agency officials instead of industry employees to monitor pollution levels.

Aside from her political involvement, Liz works at a retail shop and entertains the many tourists that visit the small fishing town every year. Engaged to a commercial fisherman, Liz loves the water and was the first person recorded to swim the length of Wonder Lake in Denali National Park.

She also organized (and swam) the first crossing of Kachemak Bay to raise awareness of women’s rape and violence in Alaska.

In this election, Liz is looking enact policy change.

“Non-profits struggle with the full-time job of finding consistent funding from non-traditional sources. Governmental jobs face legislative 'restructuring.' … No matter how much input we had supporting a policy change (or simply keeping current policies and legislation from changing), the sway/influence of corporations held more had more influence."

Liz’s frustration with the influence of corporations in the lobbying system led her to support Barack Obama.

“[He] not just inspires hope with inclusion and great ideas, but backs that with distinct examples of community organization and policy changes.” Liz looks forward to the Convention so she can support the candidate who offers the leadership and change she seeks for her state.

Signs around Homer, and some videos worth watching

this one you have go here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz3pwegV1nE&feature=related

more than 5 minutes, but worth it. you'll understand with this one. really, it's worth your time.