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Kivalina Alaska
67.43N - 164.32W
Population: 383
Location: Kivalina is at the tip of an 8-mile barrier reef located between the Chukchi Sea and Kivalina River. It lies 80 air miles northwest of Kotzebue.
History: Kivalina has long been a stopping-off place for seasonal travelers between arctic coastal areas and Kotzebue Sound communities. It is the only village in the region where people hunt the bowhead whale. At one time, the village was located at the north end of the Kivalina Lagoon. It was reported as "Kivualinagmut" in 1847 by Lt. Zagoskin of the Russian Navy. Lt. G.M. Stoney of the U.S. Navy reported the village as "Kuveleek" in 1885. A post office was established in 1940. An airstrip was built in 1960. Kivalina incorporated as a City in 1969. During the 1970s, new houses, a new school and an electric system were constructed in the village. Prior to 1976, high school students from Noatak would attend school in Kivalina, and board with local families. Due to severe erosion, the City intends to relocate -- a new site has been selected 7.5 miles away. Funds have been provided by various federal and state agencies since the early 1990s to assess relocation alternatives and to design and engineer the new site."
Culture: Kivalina is a traditional Inupiat Eskimo village. Subsistence activities, including whaling, provide most food sources. The sale or importation of alcohol is banned in the village.
Economy: Kivalina's economy depends on subsistence practices. Seal, walrus, whale, salmon, whitefish and caribou are utilized. The school, City, Maniilaq Association, village council, airlines and local stores provide year-round jobs. The Red Dog Mine also offers employment. Five residents hold commercial fishing permits. The Native craft industry has recently expanded - carvings and jewelry are produced from ivory and caribou hooves. The community is interested in developing an Arts and Crafts Center that could be readily moved to the new city site.
Transportation: The major means of transportation into the community are plane and barge. The community needs a road to the proposed new City site, 7.5 miles away. A State-owned 3,000' airstrip serves daily flights from Kotzebue. Crowley Marine Services barges goods from Kotzebue during July and August. Small boats, ATVs and snowmachines are used for local travel. Two main hunting trails follow the Kivalina and Wulik Rivers.
Climate: Kivalina lies in the transitional climate zone which is characterized by long, cold winters and cool summers. The average low temperature during January is -15; the average high during July is 57. Temperature extremes have been measured from -54 to 85. Snowfall averages 57 inches, with 8.6 inches of precipitation per year. The Chukchi Sea is ice-free and open to boat traffic from mid-June to the first of November.
Facilities: Residents haul water and honeybuckets. The Wulik River provides water through a 3-mile surface transmission line, which is treated and stored in a 600,000-gallon steel tank. The tank is filled each summer for the community's winter water supply. Wells have proven unsuccessful. Water is hauled from this point at the new washeteria. One-third of homes have tanks to provide running water for the kitchen. Four honeybucket disposal bunkers are located in the City. Funds have been requested to develop a Master Plan for a piped water and sewer system at the relocation site. A new landfill and honeybucket dump site were recently completed.
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