The Nushagak Classic Western Alaska Championship Sled Dog Association- also known locally as Nushwac- will dissolve its operations at the end of the month (Apr. 30) after more than two decades of community service.
The Dillingham nonprofit was the most recent organizer of the community's five-day Beaver Round-Up festival. They also organized an annual back-to-school supply drive, a pumpkin patch, and a New Year's Eve fireworks show. Beaver Round-Up, a tradition since the late 1950s, has had several organizers over the years. Nushwac took on the festival after the Beaver Round-Up Association dissolved in the early 2000s.
Charlene Lopez, who has managed Nushwac and led its community events for nearly 20 years, says she hopes someone else will step in to take over Beaver Round-Up.
“It’s very important right now if somebody out there wants to take it over,” Lopez said. “I do believe that the community of Dillingham does need events to keep going throughout the year.”
Lopez cites staff burnout, social media harassment, and economic challenges as reasons for Nushwacs dissolution.
“Our volunteers are tired,” Lopez said. “And when our kids come to us and say they are done, or they're tired of reading stuff on Facebook or hearing stuff at school, that's our time as parents to finally be done for our families.”
In recent years, organizers say they have faced accusations on social media of stealing funds from the nonprofit. Lopez denies these claims but says they have taken a toll on her and her family.
Other Nushwac organizers also say criticism of the organization's events demoralized volunteers.
Nushwac was founded in the early 2000s to support sled dog races in Bristol Bay. In 2014, it shifted focus to organizing other community events after poor snow conditions diminished local mushing.
The organization's funding comes from donations, as well as pull-tabs sold at a shop in downtown Dillingham, which will also close its doors at the end of the month. Organizers estimate that the four annual events cost about $146,833 each year.
Jennifer Gardner, who served as chair of the organization for the past 14 years, says funding was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which strained their resources.
“So as everyone knows, Covid was a huge economic disaster for our region. We lost a lot. And it hit Nushwac just as well,” Gardner said. “People weren't coming in and getting rippies. And the events that we were doing were really taking a toll on keeping people hired.”
Nushwac operates with six year-round employees and four seasonal staff, but relies heavily on volunteers. Organizers say putting together Beaver Round-Up requires hundreds of hours of work over six months with weekly meetings, which they say can run as long as six hours.
But volunteer numbers have dropped significantly, from 40 in past years to just 22 this year. Gardner says this added pressure on remaining volunteers. She described the decision to dissolve the organization as difficult but necessary.
“We did our best, every volunteer, every community member, every business that participated.” Gardner said, “We just want to give the community the best shot that they can, and it's time for Char and I to step back and let someone else do it.”
While Nushwac’s dissolution marks the end of an era, organizers hope someone will step up to continue the Beaver Round-Up festival. They say that after years of organizing, they hope to become participants.
