KIVALINA RELOCATION PLANNING COMMITTEE


Chairman
Enoch Adams Jr.

Vice Chairman
Joseph Swan Sr.

Sec/Treas
Betty Swan

Member
Austin Swan Sr.

Member
Joseph Swan Jr.

Member
Ronald (Jerry) Norton Sr.

Member
Marilyn Swan (by appointment)

CONTACT US


Kivalina Relocation Planning Committee

P.O. Box 50070

Kivalina, Alaska 99750

puvsi@yahoo.com

RELOCATION

In 1953, the option to relocate was put to a vote to the residents of Kivalina when moderate erosion problems became an issue, to address over-crowding, providing water and sewer service and economic development opportunities.  The vote was split with half wanting to remain and the other half to move.  Obviously, the people were to remain in Kivalina based on that election.  At that time, the village was 54 acres in size.  In 1963, another vote was done by the people of Kivalina but the vote was again 50/50.  Over time, because of erosion activities, the village shrank to less then 27 acres from erosion activity up to today.  Because of the activity, space became and is still a problem.  (Courtesy of Colleen E Swan's presentation June 28, 2007 to ACIAC)

On November 22, 1991, a meeting was held by the Kivalina City Council and during that meeting, Resolution 91-17 was introduced and adopted to conduct a survey on whether to relocate the village or not.   A special election was held on February 25, 1992 stating a reason of population growth and the majority voted to move.  On the ballot, the question was as follows: "Shall the City of Kivalina begin the process of relocating the village to solve various environmental problems?"  On February 28, 1992, a report of the special election resulted in 79 residents voting with a yea vote of 72 and a nay vote of 7. 

On February 26, 1998, a vote was cast and certified on the site selection of the following places:  Igrugaivik (Wulik River) Site A with 85 votes, Imnaaquq (Kivalina River) Site B with 25 votes, and Current site (Kivalina) Site C with 19 votes.  Resolution 98-02 stated as follows:  A RESOLUTION OF THE JOINT MEETING OF THE KIVALINA IRA AND CITY COUNCIL AND RELOCATION COMMITTEE CERTIFYING THE SPECIAL ELECTION OF FEBRUARY 26, 1998.  The election was certified March 6, 1998 with the following signatures:  Kivalina IRA Council President Jerry R. Norton and Mida Swan, Secretary; Kivalina City Council Oran Knox Sr., President and Marilyn Swan, City Clerk; Relocation Committee Chair Austin Swan Sr. and Joseph Swan Sr., Secretary.

After studies done by the US Army Corp of Engineers, it was discovered that the site Igrugiavik was mostly ice underneath the ground so another vote was done to select another site.  On April 10, 2000, a special election was held.  The list of sites were as follows:  Kiniktuuraq (Across channel) Site A with 53 votes, Imnaaquq (Kivalina River) Site B with 32 votes, Current Site (Kivalina) Site C with 8 votes and Igrugaivik (Wulik River) Site D with 6 votes.  On April 11, 2000, a joint meeting was held between the Kivalina IRA Council, Kivalina City Council and the Relocation Planning Committee in which Resolution 00-01 was adopted certifying the election with the following signatures as follows:  Kivalina IRA Council, David E. Swan, President and Mida Swan, Secretary; Kivalina City Council, Galen H. Swan, Vice Mayor and Marilyn Swan, City Clerk; Kivalina Relocation Planning Committee, Enoch Adams Jr., Chairman and Joseph Swan Sr., Secretary.

On November 6, 2001, a special election was held for the Kivalina Relocation/Layout Selection.  On the ballot were two concepts for the village layout:  Concept #6 (A) with 32 votes and Concept #7 (B) with 47 votes with a total of 79 votes.

By the year 2000, Department of Transportation (DOT) had all their studies done and was ready to move ahead to have the airport built at the new site.  Included in that project was the barge access road and the road leading to the airport.  The village was to begin the move by 2006 according to the Master Plan but delays began piling up. 

There came a comment based on a visual observation of the selected site before 2006 which was inserted in the Final Draft of the Relocation Master Plan.  They opposed Kiniktuuraq site as the new relocation site because it was 'prone to flooding' and began to push Tatchim Isau and Imnaaquq Bluffs.  The relocation project came to a screeching halt.  Many issues began to pile up against the Kiniktuuraq site, including Climate Change and the costs of gravel.  As the fight progressed, there developed a new problem.  Kivalina began to erode at an accelerated rate.

Kivalina has asked for documentation or data (which the federal government used to insist we have when we make claims based on traditional knowledge) from the US Army Corps of Engineers back in October 2009 in support of the claim that Kiniktuuraq is prone to flooding.  So far, to date, we are still waiting for the data and it is now April 2010.  The data we have for Kiniktuuraq can be found at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) but it was on erosion.  To date, all the elders can attest to the 'flooding', or lack thereof, in our area.  I can attest that Kivalina has not flooded in the past 40 years, which is what I can remember from the age of 9. 


OBSERVATIONS MADE BY JANET MITCHELL
Since they seem to matter in some cases.

We have lived in Kivalina all our lives.  We have not had to 'escape to higher ground' for flooding since the late 1800's, the one and only flood based on traditional knowledge.  Based on calculations of my great-grandmother's age at the time of the flood, who was 15 at the time, and her birth year, which was 1870, the flood would have occurred in1885.  Since then, there has not been a flood, again, based on traditional knowledge. 

During a workshop at Kotzebue with Dr. Orson Smith, who is an expert on coastal areas, I asked a question about flooding.  My question was, "In the event of a flood, won't the water recede?  Or will the water remain at the flooded level?"  We all know it will recede.   Then I brought up the flood in 1885.  I told him it had not flooded since then.  Then I asked about the 100 year flood predictions.  The year 1995 came and went without a flood.  He said it was probably just an estimation brought forth by scientists back then.  We do not know Mother Nature and how she works. 


"There is little doubt that Alaskans are feeling the effects of climate change more than anyone else in our nation.  Regardless of whether these changes are caused solely by human activity, we must take steps to protect people in the Arctic!"
~Senator Ted Stevens, July 11, 2007~

"Our people have been talking about relocating the village since 1952. The little island that we live on is becoming narrower, and it’s eroding faster. It’s not only caused by the natural environment—you know, the winds, the waves and—but it’s also being caused by activities of man. We have to move. Our people’s lives are in danger. We are to a point where we have to be prepared to evacuate. It isn’t a question of, you know, if it happens; it’s a question of when, when it happens." 
~Colleen E. Swan, Tribal Administrator~