Nominations open for advisory committee

Do you participate in local hunting, trapping or fishing activities? Do you want to get involved in the State’s fish and game regulatory process?
Nominations are currently being accepted to serve on the Bethel Fish and Game Advisory Committee. Four primary seats and one alternate seat are up for election. Elections will be held on Tuesday November 27 during the Bethel Fish and Game Advisory Committee public meeting beginning at 6:00pm at the ADF&G office, located at 570 4th Ave. For more information or to nominate an individual, contact Jen at 907-543-2931.
Jen Peeks
Bethel, AK

Hello out there
As I sit here looking out the window at the mostly cloudy/rainy sky, I try to tell myself it’s too bum out to go picking. This year the fishing and the berry picking bug has hit me again. I’m just glad the fishing one didn’t last that long, although the darn berries keep calling – saying look how big I am over here. So much so, lately I get there and the berries are getting soft.
Thank you very much to my niece Amber for the yummy strips.
Speaking of subsistence, its hunting time again. As the saying goes – waste not, want not. So if you don’t want to deal with your catch, give it to an elder or a single parent, they’d appreciate it.
Along with the stinkweed, maybe even pick a little extra for people who might need some. Been a little too rainy to do so lately.
Middle of October and still could pick blues and blacks. Thanks to global warming I guess. Sure is funky doodle. They are sooo yummy and some are so big.
It has been brought to my attention that maybe some of the things I write might hurt my mom. So I want to say I’m sorry to her and my children for maybe being a little dysfunctional of which I cannot help like I can’t help hurting every day, but it doesn’t stop me from who I am. Oh well!
Don’t forget to pick the stinkweed now. It’s more potent when its green, so you’d have to drink less of it. It cures at least 168 different ailments, and it tastes better than cough syrup I think. You can boil the water and let the stinkweed seep in the water, or boil it to taste, and drink about ¼ cup 2 to 4 times a day. Pick extra and give some away.
I find it funny how AC Co. has sales on items that they don’t even have in their stores. If they are selling those items (probably for a little more than they paid for it), they should at least have the product in their stores. Much less, if you ask them if they are going to get some in, they have no clue if they are or not. It’s up to the main office as to who gets what shipment.
Wow – for the prices of things like a can of soda. What we paid a nickel $0.05 or a dime $0.10 for when I was young, is now $1.55 and $2.09 a can. A bag of apples and oranges (which might already be rotting) $13.95. A banana is over $1.09. Instead of helping out the economy, the politicians are lining their pockets…
Like I keep trying to tell the different entiites – if it was me – I’d buy potato seeds, along with whatever would grow up here, and send them to all the communities, or at least the Elders. That way they could eat healthier foods. Make a community garden somewhere.
It still floors me when I think of subsistence versus commercial. When we are doing subsistence gathering, we are doing so to sustain our families/community. Commercial activities help some people, but not all. All of our people are important, and it is important to keep them fed, that is why subsistence is very important.
Along with, do you know that after they outfished the fish in the ‘70s, not only did the fish get smaller, they were less. It took 40+ years for them to get big and hopefully plentiful again. Please don’t let the commercial vessels/fishermen outfish it again. It affects the subsistence activities, which really isn’t fair to our people.
I see they finally are making Carnival Cruises liable for themselves. Shame on people who knowingly put toxins in the sea and on land. Don’t they care that they are harming/killing live things? That eventually it will end up starving people, who would eventually die… I’d hate to be the one to carry that burden. Let alone, answer to God for it.
I was talking to someone the other day, and he mentioned about how God put us all here to help each other. That, no matter what line of work anyone chooses, we are all helping each other. Don’t forget to go into a job you know you will enjoy – more fun that way.
A few of us would like to extend our appreciation to Columbus Day being changed to Indigenous Day. At least it shows that our forefathers did not struggle for nothing. The day is now given true meaning.
Don’t forget to pick that stinkweed/wormwood. Pick extra for your Anchorage buddies, can’t seem to find much there. You only need about ¼ cup 2 to 4 times a day. You can boil the water and let the stinkweed seep, or boil it to taste. Taste better than cough syrup I think.
For some odd reason I’m thinking of the mas su (wild sweet potato). Yummy. Although there’s winter fishing/trapping, it makes me think of the nice tender greens of the willow (surra) plant. Of which, if you’re not allergic to aspirin (made from willow), you can make a tea from and have a cup of. Willow cures almost as many things as stinkweed.
Remember to tell people which way you are travelling, so they won’t have to look every which way if you happen to break down or something. And, use extra clothes. You can always take them off, but you can’t put them on if you don’t have them. Alapaa.
Take care you all. Be good. Be safe.
Karen Nanouk
Unalakleet, AK

Murkowski Honors Our Veterans
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) shared the following message with Alaskans on Veterans Day:
Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on November 11th, 1919, the first anniversary marking the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11th became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day.
This day is an opportunity to honor Americans who have answered the call to serve, whether in times of peace or in times of war. They have sacrificed their safety, their time, and so much more in the name of America’s freedom and protection.
An estimated 70,000 veterans live among us in Alaska, more veterans per capita than any other state. But these numbers are not just statistics. They are our friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. They are stories of commitment, courage, strength, and perseverance. Today we honor them for their devotion to duty– to our state and to our great nation.
And let us not only offer the appreciation of a grateful nation to our veterans, but also to their families, as we know their lives have been deeply impacted by the duty of their loved ones.
My thoughts and prayers are with those who have fought and served honorably. They have served with great devotion and follow a great tradition, the legacy left to them by a long line of brave veterans in our nation’s history. We owe each of them a sincere thank you for the lives we live today.
But our thanks and honor cannot be limited to just one day. We should always remember to voice the gratefulness we have for the freedoms and liberties that our military has secured for us and continues to protect. Words will always fall short of expressing our appreciation, but on this Veterans Day, we say thank you to those who serve– past, present, and future. God bless.
Senator Murkowski
Washington, D.C.