Crooked Creek, AK

Multiple wildfires are burning near communities in the Upper Kuskokwim River area. The Aghaluk Mountain Fire is burning less than 10 miles southwest of Sleetmute and has reached 107,151 acres in size. Fifty-seven firefighters are working to protect structures in the area, and more firefighters arrived this past weekend to help.

No gillnet openings have been announced for the lower Kuskokwim River after the opening on June 16. The 12-hour opening runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from the river’s mouth, upstream to Aniak. The waters upstream of Aniak opened to gillnets full-time on June 12. Gillnets are restricted...

Rain has halted a fire burning near the upper Kuskokwim River villages of Sleetmute and Red Devil. But fire officials warn that it will likely pick up again as skies get sunnier. For now, after Monday’s rain, the Aghaluk Mountain Fire is only 1% active, according to a detection and...

A historically massive tundra fire is burning within approximately 3.5 miles from the lower Yukon River community of St. Mary’s, according to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the fire agency responding to the blaze. The fire has moved 1.5 miles closer to the community since Saturday. It has also spread eastward and is approximately 7.5 miles from Pilot Station. To the west, it is burning 18 miles from Mountain Village. A second fire is burning 24 miles north of Mountain Village. Meanwhile, a different fire is moving closer to upper Kuskokwim River communities.

Salmon fishing has begun, and the Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group met for the first time this season to advise state fishery managers. The group is made up of fishing managers and stakeholders on the river. It votes on management actions it would like to see on the river and provides its recommendations to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The Aghaluk Mountain Fire is burning near the upper Kuskokwim River, about 10 miles Southwest of Sleetmute and 12.5 miles from Red Devil. It’s grown to roughly 95,000 acres, creating smoky skies over the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta villages. Alaska Division of Forestry Spokesman Brentwood Reid said that eight smokejumpers and...

A historically massive tundra fire is burning within approximately 3.5 miles from the lower Yukon River community of St. Mary’s, according to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the fire agency responding to the blaze. The fire has moved 1.5 miles closer to the community since Saturday. It has also spread eastward and is approximately 7.5 miles from Pilot Station. To the west, it is burning 18 miles from Mountain Village. A second fire is burning 24 miles north of Mountain Village. Meanwhile, a different fire is moving closer to upper Kuskokwim River communities.

Beginning May 18, Alaska residents impacted by flooding in May 2022 can register for funding to offset the cost of damages and flood-related expenses. Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared a disaster on May 7 after the ice jams caused flooding at Manley Hot Springs. Later, on May 13, he added other communities where flooding also occurred, including Sleetmute, Red Devil, McGrath, and Glennallen.

On May 2, 2022, the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge Manager announced by emergency special action 3-KS-01-22 that the Federal government will assume management of Federal waters of the Kuskokwim (from the mouth of the River to the Yukon Delta NWR boundary in Aniak) beginning June 1, 2022, for the conservation of Chinook and chum salmon.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting that the Kuskokwim River will see similar salmon runs as last year and has released its initial fishing regulations for the upcoming salmon season. On the Kuskokwim River, the state is forecasting below average Chinook salmon runs and poor chum runs....

Two agencies are sending donations to the villages of Sleetmute and Red Devil after ice jams caused flooding over the weekend of May 7. The recent flooding turned homes and neighborhoods in both Sleetmute and Red Devil into islands. The villages sit about 9 miles apart along the Kuskokwim River. The water damaged roads and homes in both communities and washed out a portion of the airstrip in Red Devil, which is the only way in and out of the town right now. The closure has made it impossible to get supplies into the community.

Most of the Red Devil airplane runway has reopened after closing due to flood damage. Alaska Department of Transportation spokesperson Shannon McCarthy said that about two-thirds of the runway reopened after it dried out on May 10. Now workers are repairing a portion of the runway which was washed out by the flooding that occurred on May 8. The washout spans 30 feet at its widest point and 2 feet at its deepest.

The upper Kuskokwim River communities of Sleetmute and Red Devil have both declared local disaster emergencies following flood damage the occurred on Sunday. The water has since receded, and the National Weather Service has ended its flood warning for the Kuskokwim River. Tim Andreanoff lives in Sleetmute. He remembers the...

The upper Kuskokwim River communities of Sleetmute and Red Devil have both declared local disaster emergencies following flood damage the occurred on Sunday, May 8. The water has since receded, and the National Weather Service has ended its flood warning for the Kuskokwim River. Tim Andreanoff lives in Sleetmute. He...

The first River Watch flight over the Kuskokwim River will happen at the end of the week. A team with the National Weather Service is headed to Bethel to monitor spring breakup along the river. Winter conditions are persisting in the upper reaches of the Kuskokwim River between McGrath and...

“The summers of 2020 and 2021 saw the lowest numbers on record for chum salmon returning to the Kuskokwim and Yukon rivers. There are many possible reasons for these low returns. I used the scientific method to investigate one of those possible reasons.” Those were the opening lines of Sleetmute 8th grader Kiley Hayden when explaining her science project at the recent Alaska Science and Engineering Fair held in Anchorage.

Subsistence salmon fishing on the lower Kuskokwim River and its tributaries will once again fall under federal management this summer. The Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge will manage the fishery in consultation with the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Regulations will be similar to last year. Set net Openings. There...

Musher Hugh Neff and his nine-dog team won their first Kobuk 440 in Kotzebue on April 10, crossing the finish line just two minutes ahead of Aniak's Richie Diehl. The Kobuk 440 takes mushers on a roughly 400-mile trail from Kotzebue to Kobuk and back. Neff led almost the entire race and had a comfortable hour lead on Diehl out of the Kiana checkpoint, just 80 or so miles from the finish.

If you live in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta you may be familiar with Yuut Elitnaurviat, the workforce development center in Bethel that trains local people for local jobs. Until recently, it was the only facility of its kind in the region. The Arviiq Regional Economic Development and Training Center opened in...

The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC) has launched a new regional facility to help build employability skills, economic opportunity, and cultural connection in the Middle Kuskokwim. The Arviiq Regional Economic Development and Training Center in Aniak opened in early February and will begin its first trainings in the next few weeks. TKC...