Tyler Thompson

The home of Dillingham resident Billie Benedict was ransacked this month while she was away for medical reasons. Now, several community members have reached out to help.  

 A crew of 33 smokejumpers and wildland firefighters from the Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot Crew have contained 50% of the fire. All immediate threats have been maintained by the fire crews.

Researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks will travel to Dillingham this week to continue erosion research in 11 of Bristol Bay’s coastal communities.

The students want the name "Squaw Creek" changed to “Seven Sisters Creek” to reflect the community’s connection to the sisters. The sisters traveled to Dillingham from Nushagak Point, a fishing village to the south. They settled there and lived between the creek and Lake road.

After months of work, the Curyung Tribal Council in Dillingham is finalizing its Tribal Community Response Plan to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons epidemic. The Tribe and federal partners from the MMIP project, shared core parts of the plan and ways people can help address the epidemic.

The department flew two surveys last week. Wednesday, they observed one small school of fish at the tip of Anchor Point and a dozen more between Togiak Reef and the village. No fish were seen during Friday's survey.

The U.S. Department of Energy chose 11 communities nationwide to receive federal assistance for projects aimed at reducing their reliance on diesel fuel. Five of the communities are in Alaska; Dillingham and Aleknagik are listed as one project.

A third of the state’s subsistence salmon harvest was caught in Bristol Bay in 2017. That’s according to a new report from the McKinley Research Group. The subsistence economy is critical to Bristol Bay’s culture, and it’s the oldest and most continuous use of salmon here. 

Tax Tip #10: Not paying your IRS debt owed should be your last resort. You should pay as much as you can as soon as possible. The IRS has payment plans and options for taxpayers needing time to pay in full.

A recent study by the McKinley Research Group estimates that Bristol Bay’s commercial salmon industry generated $2 billion in economic benefit and an average of 15,000 jobs in 2019. The 57-page study was published in February by “Bristol Bay Defense Fund,” a coalition of regional Tribes, businesses and conservation groups that support permanent federal protections at the region's headwaters.

The Bristol Bay Native Corporation is gathering photos of families and individuals to create a digital “BBNC Shareholder Family Portrait.” The effort started in December. So far BBNC has received over 700 submissions.