North Dakota

Ukrainian refugees moving to North Dakota to work in oil fields

Published

12 months ago

August 6, 2023

Ukrainian refugees moving to North Dakota to work in oil fields

Heritage Foundation V.P. of Foreign Policy James Carafano on Ukraine President Zelenskyy blaming lack of munitions for slowed counter offensive, and the U.S. and its allies conducting military exercises in Australia.

Workforce shortages in the oil fields of North Dakota are attracting Ukrainian refugees who’ve fled their homeland due to Russia’s war.

A humanitarian program known as Uniting for Ukraine has brought 16 Ukrainian refugees to North Dakota as part of a pilot program with the North Dakota Petroleum Council’s Bakken Global Recruitment of Oilfield Workers program, while 12 more are scheduled to arrive by mid-August. The program has humanitarian and workforce missions.

When the oil boom began a decade ago in the Bakken oil field, which is primarily located in North Dakota but extends into eastern Montana and Canada, it initially had a workforce that was primarily local but thousands flocked to the area from around the country hoping to fill high-wage jobs as the U.S. economy experienced sluggish growth.

“People came by planes, trains and automobiles, every way possible from everywhere for the opportunity to work,” Council President Ron Ness told the Associated Press. “They were upside down on their mortgage, their life or whatever, and they could reset in North Dakota.”

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Maksym Bunchukov, Andrii Hryshchuk and Ivan Sakivskyi help themselves to perogies at a lunch hosted Monday, July 17, 2023, by the Ukrainian Cultural Institute in Dickinson, North Dakota. The three Ukrainians are among the first recruits of the North (AP Photo/Jack Dura / AP Newsroom)

A downturn in the energy sector, followed by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation combined with a series of economic shocks sent many recently-transplanted workers back to their home states.

Ness told the AP that workforce issues have become “very acute” in the last 10 months, estimating there are roughly 2,500 job openings in an oil field that’s producing roughly 1.1 million barrels of oil per day. He explained that there are so many open jobs, employers tend to not advertise every individual job opening, instead posting once or twice for a block of open positions.

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A Ukrainian flag flies outside the Ukrainian Cultural Institute in Dickinson, N.D., Monday, July 17, 2023. The institute preserves the areas Ukrainian heritage with its museum, library and meals. (AP Photo/Jack Dura / AP Newsroom)

Ness learned about the Uniting for Ukraine initiative, which was created by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in April 2022 less than two months after Russia invaded, through an immigration lawyer who noted that North Dakota could be a good fit for the program given its Ukrainian roots plus a similar climate and agrarian culture.

Sponsors of the program, including company owners, managers and employees help Ukrainians find work, healthcare and affordable housing, in addition to education for their children.

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Bakken GROW Project Manager Brent Sanford and Vladydlav Veselov converse during a lunch hosted Monday, July 17, 2023, by the Ukrainian Cultural Institute in Dickinson, N.D. The lunch was for several newly arrived Ukrainians recruited to fill jobs in (AP Photo/Jack Dura / AP Newsroom)

About 160 Ukrainians have arrived in North Dakota as part of the Uniting for Ukraine initiative, most of whom went to the Bismarck area according to State Refugee Coordinator Holly Triska-Dally. She told the AP that applications from potential sponsors in the state have “gone up considerably” in recent months as awareness of the program has grown, but also because Ukrainians who are “working and beginning to thrive” are filing applications to support their families.

Maksym Bunchukov was in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine when Russia’s invasion began, telling the AP it was “terrible” to hear explosions in his homeland. He and his wife sent their adult daughter to Lviv for safety and later joined her with their pets in tow. Now, Bunchukov is in North Dakota working for a road contractor, Baranko Bros. Inc., after prior jobs in mechanics and furniture sales.

“I will try to invite my wife, invite my daughter, invite my cat and invite my dog,” he told the AP a week after his arrival.

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Bunchukov and some of the other Ukrainians in the program have worked in Alaska’s seafood industry as well. Due to their past seasonal work in the U.S., many of them already have Social Security numbers and are learning English, according to Brent Sanford, project manager for the Bakken program who is a former lieutenant governor and mayor of oil boomtown Watford City.

A Ukrainian refugee who is working the the oil field in North Dakota

Dmytro Haiman looks out the window from the Ukrainian Cultural Institute in Dickinson, N.D., on Monday, July 17, 2023. Haiman is one of several Ukrainians who are part of a pilot effort of the North Dakota Petroleum Councils Bakken Global Recruitment (AP Photo/Jack Dura / AP Newsroom)

The Bakken program has a goal of recruiting 100 workers by the end of 2023 and 400 after one year – although some of those 400 may not be Ukrainians. Ness said the workers will drive, start in shops, build roads, pads, and fences, adding they’ll do “everything from there up to well site operations.”

Starting jobs for workers in the Bakken program typically pay about $20 an hour for more basic roles, although that can rise quickly. They can also leave existing jobs and travel across state lines to participate while they’re in the Uniting for Ukraine program, which offers “humanitarian parole” lasting two years and a potential path beyond that, depending on federal policy.

North Dakota has a history of welcoming immigrants from Ukraine. The fall 1986 edition of “North Dakota History” from the Journal of the Northern Plains noted that several thousand Ukrainians emigrated to the state in the 1890s and early 1900s.

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Data from the Census Bureau indicates that communities in western North Dakota have some of the highest percentages of residents of Ukrainian descent.

Recently, the Ukrainian Cultural Institute in Dickinson hosted a lunch for some of the workers with dishes like rice rolls, beet bread, deviled eggs and dumplings called perogies. The Ukrainian Cultural Institute is dedicated to preserving the region’s Ukrainian heritage and has raised over $10,000 for humanitarian aid since the war began.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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North Dakota

Tuesday is Military Appreciation Day at the ND State Fair

Published

3 hours ago

July 22, 2024

Press Room

Tuesday is Military Appreciation Day at the ND State Fair

MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) – This is a reminder for servicemembers and their families that the North Dakota State Fair is continuing its long-standing tradition of honoring those who serve with a special Military Appreciation Day on Tuesday.

Military members and their families can enjoy lunch from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the north festival tent.

The event is sponsored by the N.D. Beef Commission, N.D. Stockmen’s Association, and N.D. CattleWomen.

They can also enjoy free carnival rides from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., half-off unlimited ride wristbands, and $2 off go-cart rides.

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North Dakota

Applications now available for 2024 North Dakota swan license

Published

10 hours ago

July 22, 2024

Press Room

Applications now available for 2024 North Dakota swan license

BISMARCK – Hunters can now apply for a 2024 North Dakota swan license

on the Game and Fish Department’s website

at gf.nd.gov, the department said Monday, July 22.

North Dakota residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply. The resident swan license is $10, while the nonresident fee is $30. The application deadline is Aug. 21.

North Dakota’s statewide tundra swan hunting season opens Sept. 28, and 2,200 licenses are available. Successful applicants will receive a tag to take one swan during the season. Since swans are classified as waterfowl, nonresidents may hunt them only during the period their nonresident waterfowl license is valid.

All swan hunters, regardless of age, are required to have a general game and habitat license when applying. In addition, nonresidents must have a waterfowl license, and residents 16 and older need a small game or combination license.

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North Dakota

Zebra Mussels In North Dakota Lakes: Will It Really Be That Bad?

Published

17 hours ago

July 22, 2024

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Zebra Mussels In North Dakota Lakes: Will It Really Be That Bad?

Zebra mussels are going to ruin all of our lakes right?

Okay, I know I’m going to take some heat on this, but here goes. We’ve been hearing about zebra mussels for a long time now. How they will destroy ecosystems, ruin beaches, clog up water intakes, compete with native species, etc.

You’ve seen the commercials and billboards from North Dakota Game and Fish, “Clean, Drain and Inspect.” Zebra mussels are a problem, but is it really all doom and gloom? More on that in a moment.

Zebra mussels are now in several North Dakota lakes and rivers, and you can bet more will be added in the future.

They include the Red River, Lake LaMoure, Lake Ashtabula, Lake Elsie, the James River, and the Sheyenne River all in eastern North Dakota.

So far western North Dakota has been spared, but you can bet zebra mussels are coming. Here’s a map and more on ANS-infested waters in North Dakota.

Humans are considered the primary transporter of zebra mussels, but there are other spreaders. According to Researchgate, waterfowl can transfer zebra mussels at the larvae stage.

What are we going to do about millions of migrating waterfowl each year? Not to mention other shorebirds, reptiles, and even mammals.

I’m very familiar with zebra mussels. I have a cabin on Enemy Swim Lake in northeast South Dakota. We’ve had zebra mussels present in the lake now going on for 3 years.

(A very small zebra mussel that was found on our beach this past weekend.)

Enemy Swim is located about 5 miles south of Pickerel Lake in South Dakota. Pickerel Lake has had zebra mussels for a few years longer than my lake.

Despite joint efforts from Fish and Game, cabin owner volunteers, and interns from Fish and Game with inspection points at the boat ramp, zebra mussels still found their way into my lake. I know we all did our part to prevent it, but I sometimes think that eventually, nature will take its course.

Will zebra mussels really ruin a lake?

There’s a lot of big claims and theories out there. No doubt it will affect your beach life. You will have to wear water shoes because zebra muscles can be sharp and could cut your feet. I know I swim with my water shoes normally anyway, as I don’t like creepy crawlies touching my feet in the water.

Will zebra mussels cause your lake property values to crash?

To be honest, no sign of that anywhere. Much of Minnesota’s lakes are infested with zebra mussels. People are still spending millions of dollars for cabins on Minnetonka, Pelican, or Detroit Lakes area lakes.

Even Pickerel Lake, next to my lake has people snatching up some very expensive million-dollar cabins. You can’t even find a cabin for sale on my lake. According to swnewsmedia, there’s no link between a drop in property values and zebra muscles.

Zebra mussels will actually clear up the water they infest.

This might improve the fishing, depending on the lake. Species like Smallmouth Bass, Perch, Walleyes, and even panfish are known to gorge on zebra mussels. You might catch bigger fish because of this.

With cleaner water means you will have more sunlight and more vegetation in the lake. Again, this is thought to improve the size of the fish. Fish will have more places to hide and grow bigger. It may cause anglers to adapt to new strategies to catch fish. In some cases, it could make fishing more difficult.

As far as whether zebra mussels will destroy the ecosystem of lakes?

I’m going to come right out and say it. I think this is highly exaggerated. I’m not a biologist and don’t claim to be one.

Zebra mussels have been in the Great Lakes since the 1980’s. The Walleyes and Smallmouth Bass have never been bigger. People are still catching fish and lakes are still alive.

Zebra mussels have been in Minnesota lakes now for decades and the cabin owners I know say nothing has changed except a little extra cleaning on the docks when they pull them out each year.

Lakes like Lake of the Woods, Mille Lacs, and all of the lakes around Detroit Lakes are still alive and well.

Let’s face it: Even the highly prized Walleye is an invasive species to lakes in our area.

In conclusion:

When zebra mussels reach your favorite lake it will certainly change the ecosystem. Your “lake life” will likely have to adapt to some necessary changes.

However, will zebra mussels turn your lake into a barren wastewater? I don’t think so. Adapt or die. That’s life in a nutshell.

Do I want zebra mussels in our lakes? No, of course not. However, I’m being realistic. Sometimes you have to look for the good with the bad.

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As we previously told you, mosquitoes are the most dangerous creatures on earth. If you want to keep them away from you’re yard, these plants can help!

Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart

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