Kuskokwim River

The hydrokinetic turbine pilot project, scheduled to launch in June, is a partnership between the Native Village of Napaimute, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Oregon-based company BladeRunner Energy.

The wide-open sky and super-flat tundra expanses of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta might not immediately seem connected to elite skiing, but training on the Kuskokwim River led one Bethel man to a podium finish in a unique world championship event.

While the ice road is established from the tundra villages all the way to Akiak, a massive hole in front of Akiak that has been an issue all winter long stands in the way of upriver vehicle travel.

According to the Alaska Earthquake Center, the quake was roughly 5 miles deep and centered directly on a section of a fault line called the Iditarod-Nixon fault that hasn’t seen significant seismic activity in nearly a century.

The boy, 15-year-old Cole Gilila, was riding with another boy on a snowmachine on the Kuskokwim River around 8 miles above Kalskag when it went through the ice on Jan. 4, according to Alaska State Troopers. The other boy got out of the river and was taken to Kalskag.

With a patchwork of reliable trails, plenty of danger zones, and establishment of an official Kuskokwim Ice Road still pending, choosing to travel comes down to experience.

The early truck trails are not part of the Kuskokwim ice road, which will be built later in the season. The trails are open between Bethel downriver to Napaskiak, Napakiak, and upriver to Kwethluk.

The body of 32-year-old Adrian “Aya” Andrew, who was originally from Kwigillingok, was discovered by a small group of searchers on Nov. 24 under the ice in the area where travelers frequently cross the river between Napaskiak and Oscarville.

The significant hazards posed by the river condition led Bethel Search and Rescue (BSAR) to make their 2024 Kuskokwim River Aerial Survey theme “Danger Close.”

On Sept. 13, troopers say 35-year-old Alex Chaney used his own boat to sink another boat a short distance from Bethel, sending two passengers into the water without life preservers.