Alaska
In first Alaska visit, French ambassador talks climate change, Russia and the case of the missing French sled dog – Alaska Public Media
France’s ambassador to the USA is in Alaska, with a cease in Anchorage earlier than flying to the village of Quinhagak to go to the Nunalleq Tradition and Archaeology Middle, which is led by a French archaeologist.
It’s Ambassador Philippe Etienne’s first journey to the state, and, on his first day in Anchorage, he had not but seen any of the town’s charismatic mega-fauna. However Etienne has been assembly with state and native leaders and the native French neighborhood.
Etienne says he’s been discussing all the pieces from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, his diplomatic publish in Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed and, after all, local weather change.
Pay attention:
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The next transcript has been calmly edited for readability.
Philippe Etienne: Properly, all of us really feel (local weather change) very acutely. I imply, on all continents. We had simply, in Europe, two warmth waves already this summer season. And we’re additionally affected by drought, by fires, wildfires like the USA, however like many, many different components of the world. So it’s actually vital for all of us on the earth, reaching our objectives, limiting the worldwide warming. It’s actually vital to have the U.S. on board. It was good for us to have the U.S. again to the Paris Local weather Accords, and in addition the U.S. as a pacesetter on this world negotiation.
Casey Grove: Sort of altering gears, I had seen in your itinerary that you simply’re heading to the village of Quinhagak. And perhaps you can inform me about that. Why are you heading on the market?
PE: Sure, certainly, after Anchorage, we are going to go to with my colleagues in Quinhagak, as a result of we’ve got there a cooperation between the local people and a French archeologist, which is being supported by our authorities. This cooperation is about excavations of their area, within the previous village of Nunalleq. It’s actually vital, as a result of it’s about discovering objects, artifacts, which might disappear if they don’t seem to be regarded for, due to the worldwide warming, as a result of this, the permafrost, is now unfrozen. And the objects, which have been stored beneath the earlier circumstances, can’t be stored anymore.
CG: The place are you anticipating? I imply, have you ever seen footage? Have you learnt?
PE: Yeah, I’ve seen some footage of the results of the investigations, artifacts, which has been discovered. And I have to say, this morning, we have been additionally very fortunate as a result of we may go to each, right here in Anchorage, the Alaska Native Heritage Middle and the Anchorage Museum. And we, I, discovered quite a bit this morning, visiting these two locations.
CG: Yeah, that’s nice. We have now a pleasant museum right here, don’t we?
PE: Yeah, you may be happy with your museum, definitely an awesome museum.
CG: My spouse drags me there once in a while. She’s additionally the one which helps me with the French phrases within the crossword puzzle.
PE: OK! Properly, I thank her!
CG: I do too, on a regular basis!
I ought to ask you about Russia. And I do know that’s a broad query, however as a diplomat, do you’re feeling like there’s any hope that diplomacy will assist resolve the state of affairs in Ukraine? And I say that sitting right here in Alaska, the place we’re near the opposite aspect of Russia, proper? What do you consider that?
PE: We, particularly our president, we tried very a lot to stop this conflict, this invasion by Russia. Perhaps you keep in mind our President Macron traveled to Moscow some days earlier than, to attempt to persuade the Russian president that there was a negotiation which was attainable, as a result of all of us have to rethink the safety order in Europe, as soon as Russia has began its very brutal invasion of Ukraine. And whereas France had the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, so had the duty for the path of the entire of the European Union. We have been very clear in our decided, you realize, help of Ukraine. However to come back again to your preliminary query, after all we we wish to resolve these points with diplomacy. We have now all the time been saying this can be a cause why, additionally, our president stored in contact with not solely with the Ukrainian president on a regular basis, but in addition with the Russian president. In the meanwhile we see the conflict happening, with many losses, many human losses and even crimes, conflict crimes. So we’ve got to, we can not settle for this. We proceed to help the Ukrainian folks of their brave struggle towards this aggression.
CG: You talked about that you simply had held a publish in Moscow about 30 years in the past. And I used to be making an attempt to do the maths, if that was simply earlier than the collapse of the Soviet Union or simply…
PE: On the time of the top of the Soviet Union.
CG: What was that like? I imply, to have seen that for your self?
PE: Properly, it was historical past within the making, and naturally it was not straightforward for the Russian folks. We should perceive that higher. It was additionally a interval of a freedom, for alternatives, for everyone, together with the Russians, additionally for nations in Central Europe and different nations from the earlier Soviet Union. So a troublesome time, a transition a time of alternatives, but in addition of hope.
CG: Yeah. That’s fascinating. So many people simply watched it on TV, you realize, and I used to be only a boy. So it’s fascinating to satisfy somebody that was there.
PE: It was actually spectacular. Spectacular, sure, to be there at the moment.
CG: Properly, I wished to ask you, and I don’t wish to say that this can be a extra lighthearted query, as a result of there was some seriousness concerned, however there are a pair French canine mushers that compete within the Iditarod. And final 12 months, I feel he was a rookie, one named Sebastien dos Santos Borges, who misplaced a canine on the path, Leon. And there was a seek for Leon, I feel three months glided by. Had you heard about that? And, I imply, do you suppose that that state of affairs may have been helped by some diplomacy?
PE: I heard about that solely as I arrived in Alaska, I’m so completely happy that Sebastien discovered his canine once more. We have now right here (in Anchorage) an honorary consulate. And we’ve got our Normal Consulate in San Francisco, which is competent for the French communities right here in Alaska. (There) are very, very good folks lively in lots of, many fields, together with tourism and sport, but in addition training or enterprise or artwork. So I don’t know whether or not diplomacy would have helped discover the poor canine extra quickly, however after all, we can be found every time crucial if French residents want some assist. Once more, I don’t know the way far we might have been capable of assist however we can be found for any any challenge.
CG: In order that was a superb reply to a foolish query.
PE: No, no, there isn’t any foolish query. And I perceive the emotion attributable to the destiny of this canine. These are stunning and very nice canine, how do you say, who’re drawing these sledges?
CG: Yep.
Alaska
Two rural Alaska towns report Election Day vote results; two remain unreported • Alaska Beacon
The Alaska Division of Elections added 260 ballots from two rural Alaska communities to its Election Day total on Friday.
The results, from Savoonga and Nulato, did not result in any lead changes or significantly change the margins between any candidates.
Two precincts, from Akiachak and Atqasuk, had no Election Day results as of the end of Friday. Those towns, according to figures published online by the Division of Elections, are the last unreported places in Alaska.
Carol Beecher, director of the division, said ballots and materials were mailed from those two communities yesterday and today, respectively, and are expected to arrive in Juneau in a few days.
Thousands of absentee, early and questioned ballots are expected to be counted on Tuesday and could significantly change election results.
Further counts are expected on Nov. 15 and Nov. 20. On the latter date, ranked choice tabulation will be used to determine the winners in races that have at least three candidates and where none of those candidates have at least 50% of the vote.
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Alaska
Golovin awaits arrival of 2 delayed power generators
As average temperatures plunge five degrees each week in Golovin, the western Alaska village is anxiously awaiting the arrival of two new generators.
The generators were made possible by a $218,098 grant from Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation and were expected to be delivered earlier in the fall. Golovin Power Utility’s bookkeeper, Joann Fagerstrom, said that with winter looming workers have had to improvise due to delays.
“They could have came here with a tender boat if they got here a lot sooner. But they were stuck in Bethel for a while, and they got to Nome last week,” Fagerstrom said.
As sea ice begins to appear throughout the Bering Strait region, the utility plans on flying in the generators. But another problem has arisen: the new generators, John Deere 6090 marine-grade engines, are too tall to fit inside the CASA C-212 cargo plane.
First, the generators will need to be disassembled. Fagerstrom said that with some help from Nome-based mechanic Noah Burmeister, workers will be able to break the generators down and fly them to Golovin.
Each generator can output up to 222 kilowatts, enough to power the entire village on its own. This increased capacity will allow Golovin to prolong wear and tear on the new units while providing redundancy.
Fagerstrom said the utility expects the generators to arrive in the coming weeks and be online in time for winter.
Alaska
Scientists discover volcano-like structure in Arctic Ocean off Alaska • Alaska Beacon
Scientists aboard a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker have discovered something unusual in the Arctic Ocean off northern Alaska: a volcano-like structure rising more than 500 meters from the seafloor and possibly emitting gas.
The discovery came as scientists from different organizations were aboard the Healy, one of two polar-class Coast Guard icebreaking cutters, were working on a mission to better understand uncharted waters in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of Alaska.
Although the structure rises well above the seabed, it tops out at about 1,600 meters below the water’s surface, so it is too deep to pose any risks to navigation, the Coast Guard said in a statement. However, there appears to be a plume of gas rising from the structure that nearly reaches the water’s surface, the Coast Guard said.
The discovery is part of a project called the Alaskan Arctic Coast Port Access Route Study. The project is surveying what have been uncharted waters and collecting depth data along a corridor that the Coast Guard has proposed to be a preferred vessel route between Utqiagvik, the nation’s northernmost community, and the U.S.-Canada border. The project is making use of equipment aboard the Healy to gather data and create detailed images of the seafloor and objects along the proposed Utqiagvik-to-Canada corridor.
Multiple organizations are collaborating on the project, which is in its first phase: the U.S. National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the University of New Hampshire, along with the Coast Guard.
Capt. Meghan McGovern, the commanding officer of the NOAA Ship Fairweather, is part of the Healy mapping team and commented on the discovery.
“Although data analysis is ongoing, these findings are exciting and offer insight into what may exist beneath the ocean’s surface, much of which is unknown in this region,” McGovern said in a Coast Guard statement. “The coordination and partnerships during this mission fill critical gaps in the region for all waterway users and provide a foundation for safe navigation in the Arctic.”
The port access route study accomplishments came despite some difficulties endured earlier in the year by the Healy, its crew and its visiting scientists.
The Healy had to cut short one of its Arctic research cruises after a fire broke out in its electrical system in July, when the ship was sailing off the coast of Canada’s Banks Island. The Healy returned to its home port of Seattle for repairs, then sailed back north on Oct. 1 to resume this year’s Arctic mission.
The Healy is the only Coast Guard icebreaker designed to support scientific research. This year, it hosted 20 early career scientists, along with their mentors, to help them gain Arctic research experience and skills.
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