As gateway to the Arctic, Nome prepares for future development

An illustrious line-up of speakers attracted a large audience as the City of Nome held its first Investment Summit on Friday, April 18 at Old St. Joe’s to discuss the future of Nome in light of a planned port expansion, changes brought on due to climate change, an increase in tourism and the potential for large mines coming online in the region.
The summit focused particularly on the sectors of tourism, science, infrastructure and development, with the proposed Port of Nome expansion featuring large in the presentations.

The line-up included Senator Lisa Murkowski, Julie Kitka, co-chair of the Denali Commission, the former Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce Susan Bell, now vice president at Huna Totem. A science panel included Larry Hinzman, heading the Arctic Leadership initiative at the University of Alaska and the executive director of the North Pacific Research Board.  Local experts such as Nome’s Port Director Joy Baker, NEC Executive Director Emma Pate, BSNC Board Chair Roy Ashenfelter, NSHC CEO Angie Gorn and Bering Straits Housing authority leadership rounded out the list of presenters. There were also a few speakers from out of state who spoke  generally about economic and community development.

“The stories about Nome are legendary,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski in her opening remarks, mentioning the 100th anniversary of the Serum Run, the tenacity of gold miners and her own family history in Nome, before turning to the future.
“We are standing at one of the key gateways to the Arctic here. So when you think about what that does, it sets you up as a plank. It sets you up as a launch point, hub, really a spark for just about everything happening in this region.”
As she was flying in, she noted the lack of sea ice at Norton Sound. “The reality is, we’re just seeing this opening in the Arctic, which means everything from fish to tourists, they’re all heading north. They’re all coming to meet you here. And the industries that they can bring, the commerce that can flow, the resources that can be developed, the military interest - this is all very real,” she said.

“You’re on the front lines of a great power competition, and you need to keep that in mind.”
She said that it’s not a question of whether Nome is going to develop, but it is a question of how, recognizing Nome’s choice in the direction development will take.
Reflecting on the federal realities under the Trump administration, she said there are challenges and opportunities alike. She said the administration is taking a “real keen interest in the Arctic” and that some executive orders may hold opportunities, be it developing critical minerals or fisheries. As for challenges, she pointed to federal employee layoffs. In a recent meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lead agency overseeing the Port of Nome expansion, she learned that the Corps, like other federal departments, is hit by reductions in force and “by some of the budget issues.”
She pointed to major federal funding awards in the past for the Corps, boosting broadband investment and helping with Graphite One. Through the earmark process, there were federal allocations last year for Kawerak to conduct workforce training. “But we need to keep the assistance stable, and we need to supplement it,” she said. Right now, she said, there is uncertainty regarding federal funding. “We don’t quite know what the tariffs are going to bring to bear. So, as we’re looking to push for new funding, we’ve got to make sure that the funds that we already secured are going to be dispersed, and we also need to make sure that the state and local governments are capitalizing on every federal dollar that comes here.”
After the speech, Nome’s Mayor John Handeland presented her with a uniquely Nome gift, a private part of a male walrus. “We appreciate the fact that you do use diplomacy. You do shuttle back between the various camps to try to negotiate for us and for the good of Alaskans and the country,” Handeland said, as he handed over the gift. “Every once in a while you run into some real buggers, and you need to maybe talk a little sense into them. And if you’re not able to talk it, maybe you can beat it into them.”
One of the themes that permeated the summit was a sense that Nome should be on the front lines of the “opening of the Arctic” as climate change melts sea ice and trade routes open up. Murkowski spoke to Trump’s interest in Greenland, joking, “What’s Nome, chopped liver?”
“The shipping that you’ve got going out here. The resources that you have. It’s the national strategic advantage that we have here. So let’s make sure that as we talk about the advantages of having that security on that side of North America, we don’t overlook this side of North America, and by the way, the side, it is already part of the United States of America, so it is an opportunity for us.”
“You are on the frontlines in a great power competition. We need to keep that in mind,” said Murkowski, adding that while not every place got to decide how it would develop, Nome could. She stressed that Nome is in a key position to advance Arctic diplomacy as Nomeites are attending Arctic forums like Arctic Circle and Arctic Encounter events.

Melanie Bahnke, President and CEO of Kawerak, talked about history in her opening remarks, reminding the audience of Alberta Schenck, a Nome civil rights advocate whose decision to sit in the ‘whites-only’ section of the Dream Theater would eventually contribute to passing the Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945. “There’s all this concern right now about DEI, right? Well, Nome is kind of DEI. We are diverse. We were the leaders when it comes to equity,” Bahnke said, giving the example of Schenck’s activism to end segregation in Nome, the continued sense of community and helping each other out, in crisis and in everyday life.
“There is a place for all of us in this community, and as we hear all this noise outside, all this politics, and regardless of your political views, just keep in mind, it’s policies that affect us, and we are very good at taking care of one another. We come together in times of crisis,” she said.
When Kawerak was created, the goal was to improve the social, cultural, economic and political conditions of this region, she said. “We continue that work. My sleeves are rolled up literally today,” she said. However, Bahnke also offered a balanced view on the merits and challenges of development.
She emphasized that subsistence was an essential part of Nome’s economy, and talked about making sure Nome had the services and infrastructure to support development. She said she wants to assure that her daughter has the same opportunities she had when she came to Nome. “And so with that in mind, we need to be very careful when we look at any new development,” she said. “Are we ensuring that we have the supportive services to support that growth? Do we have enough housing so that we’re not pushing out people who might not make the high incomes that other folks do? Ensuring that we’ve got adequate housing, food, water, shelter and safety. Do people feel safe in our streets?”
“As we look to the future economic development, I’m very optimistic, but I also want to remind us to be guarded and cautious that we don’t throw out the baby with the bath water, that we don’t sacrifice the pristine environment, that our natural resources, fish, birds, moose, that we don’t sacrifice that just for the next dollar,” Bahnke said.

Infrastructure
Steve White, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Alaska, guided the audience’s attention to maritime infrastructure as 90 percent of trade moves across the water. Throughout the world, there are a few “choke points” where that trade has to move through a very limited space. The Bering Strait is one of them. The shipping season is getting longer with sea ice melting earlier and forming later. He showed a map of the type and frequency of ships that pass on the Russian vs. American sides of the border. There were many more tankers, commercial fishing vessels and ships supporting the Russian economy in various ways on the other side, while on the U.S. side, many ships were supporting communities here by bringing supplies.
White said it was important to further expand that maritime infrastructure on the U.S. side of the Arctic but also said that people in the Lower 48 did not understand the importance of subsistence. White said that we can “work together to get it done right.”
Tying into these conversations, Joy Baker discussed the Port of Nome, explaining the new four-phase plan to expand it.
Mike Schaffner, Senior Vice President of Graphite One, also gave a presentation where he spoke enthusiastically about the large graphite deposit the mine would be able to tap into.
In addition to discussions of development, many speakers also stressed the importance of meeting human needs for food, shelter, culture, and community, both for people who already lived here and for those who might come.
Jolene Lyon of the Bering Straits Regional Housing Authority talked about how her organization was handling complex housing needs. The housing authority serves all of the communities of the region, and their primary goal is to build homes for tribal members. She said they worked on innovative designs that made sense with the subsistence way of life–for example, building homes with bigger kitchens and porches and storage space for seasonal equipment.  They also use ventilation systems to avoid mold.
Lyon said that between 2020 and 2030, the Housing Authority planned to build between 46 homes and five triplexes in the region.
Emma Pate, executive director of Nome Eskimo Community, mentioned the tribe’s involvement in various services, including housing assistance for tribal members, vocational scholarship, and childcare assistance and family services.
CEO Angie Gorn discussed Norton Sound Health Corporation’s infrastructure projects. NSHC, the largest employer in the region with about 700 employees, is building a housing complex that will include four 20-plex units of housing, with two more units planned. It will have playgrounds and walking paths. They are investing in a basketball court. In addition, an assisted living facility with 12 beds is in the design phase and a child daycare facility for employee is planned.

Science
From Utqiagvik, Terri Mitchell discussed scientific research and community. The Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation Science program supports scientific research on the Arctic. Utqiagvik has over 7,000 acres zoned for scientific research, as well as a Research Center with laboratories, conferences and offices. UIC both does logistics for scientists and grows its own researchers from the community. They lodge scientists, do operations support and technical support, and do outreach back to the community. UIC emphasizes traditional knowledge and works with scientists to co-produce knowledge with hunters and also asks that people who do science on UIC lands bring their research back to the children.
“I always say that kids in Utqiagvik should have the best science education of anybody in Alaska,” said Mitchell.
UIC Science does “Soup N Science” talks where scientists discuss their research over traditional foods, and there is also an annual four-day science fair with both researchers and kids. There are also science research internships for Utaqiagvik shareholders attending college. Mitchell said that most researchers who do research in Utqiagvik also do research in Nome.
Larry Hinzman of UAF praised Utqiagvik’s program and encouraged Nome to continue to create its own. He said that Nome’s current growing resources, like Graphite One, would not last forever. He encouraged Nomeites to be intentional how they developed beyond that, adding that the community needed home-grown scientists who understood the community’s needs. He also said that Nome was essential to a scientific understanding of the future of the Arctic. “The region around the Seward Peninsula right now is what the region around Utqiagvik is going to look like in a hundred years,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Nome, students are already getting involved in scientific research. Nome Eskimo Community’s Emma Pate described the effort to get high school students involved in researching harmful algal blooms, and the essential nature of that research for the future. Last Thursday, a team of Nome-Beltz students presented their research to a group of outside scientists and locals at Northwest Campus. Locals from Nome, Unalakleet, Elim and Savoonga trained on how to test water for harmful algae. They will continue that testing throughout the season.

Tourism
Tourism was also discussed. Hugh Short’s company, PT Capital, is officially an investment firm, but it is helping to support tourism development across the Arctic, including in Alaska and Greenland. Susan Bell works on tourist development, among other things, for Huna Totem. She works to ensure that constant visits from the cruise industry benefit the tribe, and stressed the need for community conversations and frameworks about which opportunities would help the community reach its goals and which wouldn’t.
Shauntel Bruner Alvanna from Nome’s Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center reported that web traffic to the Nome Visitor Center’s webpage has increased dramatically over the past year, with the Nome Cam being its most popular feature. She said she wanted more Nome businesses on the website so tourists could know what they might see in advance. She said that ten cruise ships were expected in Nome this season.
Bruner Alvanna said that currently, tourists were primarily interested in the Iditarod, gold history, and musk ox. She said she hoped that in the near future, they could add more opportunities to learn more about the land, view local art, learn more about cultural and traditional foods, and listen to other languages. She also said that there would be more demand for tour guides and local businesses and services in the future.
“The future of Nome is going to change. We get a voice in that change,” said Bruner Alvanna.

With reporting by Diana Haecker