Maybe 10 Years Left For 3 Arctic Villages Pounded By Erosion - ADN

[hatrack]

Erosion is attacking three of Alaska's most vulnerable Native villages so rapidly that residents could be forced to seek refuge somewhere else in a decade, according to a new report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Shishmaref, Kivalina and Newtok have a projected mortality of 10 to 15 years at their current locations along Alaska's storm-battered western coast. Moving the small communities to safer ground could cost as much as $355 million altogether, the corps said in the 44-page document detailing the expected impact of erosion in seven rural communities.

The others examined -- Bethel, Dillingham, Kaktovik and Unalakleet -- were given a 100-year life expectancy. About $74 million in federal and state funds have been spent to date on erosion control efforts in all seven communities.

The congressionally mandated report, released last week, raised provocative questions that need to be answered in the complex process of relocation: Who has final say in the selection of the new site? Does a community move at once or incrementally, such as Newtok is attempting to do? What becomes of the old site, particularly one with cultural value or potential contamination? How does climate change affect seaside villages typically protected against powerful elements by shore-fast ice that's now forming later in the fall? "We were able to show people what some of the issues are," said Bruce Sexauer, a senior planner who worked on the report. "It just shows there's a lot of work that needs to be done."

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http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/rural/story/7846849p-7740471c.html