Module VI- American Period: Transportation & Communication

Essential Question—What are issues facing Alaskans today related to transportation and communication?  

Barge Arriving in Skagway

Having worked in a few rural areas, I’m already aware of some of the issues with transportation in Alaska. Our state is huge—586,000 square miles! Only part of Alaska is accessible by road (some very rugged); the rest is only accessibly by boat or plane. The residents in the remote areas of Alaska rely heavily on airplanes and/or river/ocean barges to get mail, food, heating oil, and other necessary supplies. A couple obvious issues are cost and weather. As you can imagine, the fuel and resources needed for airplanes and boats/ships are very expensive. Despite the high costs, residents in these communities depend on these sources of transportation for their survival.

Warbelows Air Caravan

Weather is also another issue dealing with transportation. Travel by airplane can be very unreliable in the winter. Most planes do not fly when it gets colder than 30 or 40 below zero. Wind, ice and visibility are other factors affecting air travel. In the village I used to live in, we had our mail delivered three times a week via airplane (weather dependent). Because it was such a windy and cold area, we typically did not meet our 3x a week quota. Sometimes we would have two deliveries a week and in cases of extreme weather, we might not have any deliveries in the course of a week. This also means that passenger travel in and out of town (Fairbanks) was limited as well.

Travel by barge can be problematic in cases of excess ice in the oceans (Northern & Western Alaska). We’ve all heard about what happened in Nome this year when the Russian vessel had to be used to break through the ice and deliver heating fuel to the village. That case is an extreme one, one that could have been a life or death matter for those residents. This near disaster was covered heavily by the media.

GCI Logo

Communication in Alaska has increased tremendously. Many remote areas now have telephone and cable/satellite capability. Some areas even have cell phone service through GCI or ACS. Becauseof the transportation issues, our school district communicates heavily though e-mail (internet) or videoconferencing. Each village school in the Yukon-Koyukuk School District is equipped with wireless internet and a VTC system that can be connected instantly. It’s amazing to read about the significant gains in communication from the early 1900’s to now on EXPLORE ALASKA.

Examine Question— How does aviation affect the lives of Alaskans today?

Alaska Air Flight

As I mentioned earlier, aviation in Alaska is a main source of transportation for people, mail and cargo. Passenger travel in and out of the villages is very common and similarly, it is also very common to travel among Alaskan cities/towns. Many Fairbanksians like to travel to Anchorage for good shopping and dining. Some state residents also travel to Juneau when government is in session. Tourists that want to enjoy a more thorough trip to Alaska often travel via airplane to different cities and some even to remote areas on sightseeing tours. One very popular tour that leaves out of Fairbanks is a polar bear viewing trip to Kotzebue. The plane takes them up and drops them off for a weekend adventure. So as so you can see, not only is aviation travel fundamental for Alaskans but for tourists as well.

Wrights Air Caravan

Mail and cargo are also carried in airplanes. Remote village residents receive their mail anywhere from a couple days a week to 6 days a week (depending on size of the village and flight schedules). It’s always interesting to see the crowds of villagers waiting for the planes to arrive. Some of the cargo may include food to supply the local store, building materials, or even recreation items such as snowmachines. One thing that’s for sure, the locals always rush to the store after the supply comes in to get all the freshest foods.

When winter weather hits and airplane travel is hindered, some people struggle to make ends meet. Aviation travel is an extremely vital aspect of Alaskan transportation that impacts all of us in some way or another.

Extend Question—Who are the air carriers in your region (Fairbanks) and what are their history?

AlaskaAir-most well-known passenger carrier in the state; also carries some cargo.

EraAviation-Began in 1948; has flights to many destinations (remote and urban) in Alaska. Both passengers and cargo is carried; charters are available.

Wright Air Service-Al Wright began flying in the 1940’s; airline travels to many interior villages carrying passengers and freight. Charters are available.

Warbelows Air- Many reasons forced them to downsize; they still offer some passenger and freight flights to interior villages, tour packages, and charters.

Some smaller tour companies include: Northern Alaska Air Company, Tanana Air, Frontier Flying Service.

Modules I’ve visited—

Explore Alaska Class--Niki points out how the Natives use every bit of the whales that they hunt. They are the same way in the Interior with moose. They do not waste any part of the animal. Very neat!

The Alaskan Adventure--Lane was very impressed by the Alaska Sealife Center. I also went there and was impressed. It was neat to see numbers, facts, and animals (up-close and personal). Fishing is such a big part of the economy up here-it's really interesting to learn more about the impact it has on the state.

Exploring Alaska from the Coast--Chelsey's blog includes a beautiful picture of Anchorage as a tourist destination. Don't you all feel so honored to live in a place where so many millions of people love to visit every year??

Evaluation—

I really enjoyed reading about transportation in Alaska because my job requires me to travel extensively. It really is an eye opener when you think about how dependent Alaskans are on air and boat travel. This module also reminded me of the near disaster in Nome this year when the ice was too thick to get the heating fuel into the village. It goes to show that transportation is vital for the survival of many Alaskans (especially in remote areas).