Here are some of the stories that defined 2021.
Click the links below each subject to read more about some of the major stories this year!
COVID-19
At the beginning of 2021, health care organizations around Bristol Bay began to roll out COVID-19 vaccines. Elders and essential workers were among the first to get vaccinated.
Read about the year in COVID-19 coverage
Education
Educators across Bristol Bay met the pandemic’s challenges with creative solutions. Students were resilient in the face of constant changes this spring. Dillingham's schools had a couple changes in leadership, sparking controversy.
Read about the year in education coverage
Environment
The weather has been wild this year. From record precipitation to blistering cold to dumps of snow, we've seen it all. Beyond the daily weather forecast, environmental news made waves across the bay in 2021.
Read about the year in environmental coverage.
Pebble
News around the proposed Pebble Mine slowed this year. But a few stories still turned heads in 2021, including the Environmental Protection Agency invoking the Clean Water Act in a step toward permanent protections for the region.
Read about the year in Pebble coverage.
Subsistence
Extremely limited caribou hunts, but bountiful moose around Togiak. Low salmon returns to the Chigniks for the fourth year in a row. In the bay, abundant sockeye and few Chinook salmon. People practicing subsistence experienced and adapted to changes in 2021.
Read about the year in coverage of subsistence.
Salmon in Bristol Bay
The largest sockeye run on record returned to Bristol Bay this summer: more than 66 million reds swam toward their spawning grounds. Districts pulled in record harvests of sockeye. Meanwhile, the Chinook run to the Nushagak was low.
Read about the year in salmon coverage.
Game
There was a touch of brucellosis among caribou, and an outbreak of rabies in Dillingham. But it wasn't all pestilence and blight.
Read about the year in game coverage.
Public safety and MMIP
It was a groundbreaking year for the Curyung Tribal Council, which joined a federal project to investigate Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. Dillingham police struggled with shortstaffing, and Aleknagik's 911 calls were re-routed to the state troopers.
Read about the year in public safety and MMIP coverage.
Infrastructure
A dumpster fire in Dillingham really set the tone for 2021. Week-long power outages, mysterious microwave glitches disrupting the internet -- well, why don't you just read about it?
Read about the year in infrastructure coverage.
Politics
Local politics most immediately affect our lives, and it’s been a whirlwind year in the bay, from redistricting to health and safety regulations to city manager searches.
Read about the year in political coverage.
Community
Get ready for the warm fuzzies, as you peruse the acts of service and kindness people undertook in 2021, stepping up to help friends, family and fellow community members.
Read about the year in community coverage.
Those we’ve lost in 2021
There's been tremendous loss this year, and KDLG can't do justice to every story. Here are some of those who have died or gone missing this year. People who would like to publicly remember those who have died can submit obituaries to Bristol Bay Obituaries. Email submissions and photos to obituary@kdlg.org
Read about the people we've lost this year.
KDLG’s local programs
Perhaps the biggest story of the year is that we brought back Open Line. We heard your rallying cries, your conviction that the region-wide call-in show is fundamental to the well-being of Bristol Bay’s public radio. And, darn it, we answered.
Read more about KDLG's local programming in 2021.
Contact the author at izzy@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.
