Navy, Marines Set Stage for Alaskan Village Move
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS090828-19
Release Date: 8/28/2009 2:58:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Matt Grills, Navy Public Affairs Support Element-East
MERTARVIK, Alaska (NNS) -- A joint military team has established a base camp on Western Alaska's Nelson Island, the first step in a five-year project to relocate the eroding Yup'ik village of Newtok.
An advance echelon of six Sailors and five Marines arrived July 24 via Alaska National Guard Black Hawk helicopters and immediately began clearing the area and erecting tents. A few days later, a Marine construction crew landed and laid approximately 150 sheets of Dura-Base, a polyethylene interlocking mat system, for a temporary roadway and camp site.
"Our attempt this year was just to get a foothold," said Marine Master Sgt. Graham Hilson of Huntington Beach, Calif., mission commander and operations chief for Alpha Company, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group.
In 2010, military personnel, mostly Reservists, will return to begin building a road from the island's barge landing to the new village site. They'll also construct an evacuation shelter and, eventually, an airfield.
Severe flooding has left the 350 residents of Newtok little choice but to settle elsewhere. A state-funded assessment revealed that the north bank of the Ninglick River is eroding at an average annual rate of up to 88 feet, endangering the village. The same study noted that relocating the community would almost certainly be less expensive than trying to contain the river.
Enter the Pentagon's Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program. Sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, IRT provides military personnel with real-world training opportunities on civilian projects; in this case, Newtok's move.
"To do something so far away from home, up in an Alaskan tundra that's difficult to get to by boat or by air – this is exactly the type of challenge that will enhance our ability to go to war in the future, to do other engineering projects in remote locations," said Lt. Col. William Morgan, IRT program manager.
"It just so happens the needs of the Newtok Planning Group, the needs of the state and the needs of the military all came together in this very specific project."
Nine miles from Newtok, the relocation site is called Mertarvik, which is native for "getting water from a spring."
Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Adrian Diaz of Delhi, Calif., assigned to Navy Cargo Handling Battalion (NCHB) 3, was one of the first on the ground.
"We landed in pouring rain," Diaz said. "There was just a little bit of Dura-Base and one tent that was flapping like a flag in the wind. We threw our stuff down and put up more tents. I think we all went to bed that night at 11:45 p.m.
"It was an experiment every day after that. If something didn't work, we'd have to improvise and make it happen."
When an Army landing craft unit (LCU) ferrying heavy equipment and supplies couldn't dock at the Mertarvik barge landing – when the tide goes out, approximately 60 feet of mud is exposed – Diaz and his shipmates had to make a functional pier.
Using a Bobcat tractor, indigenous rock and a few dozen timbers, they fashioned an alternate barge site where the LCU could go ashore and drop its ramp.
"The Marines requested mechanics, boatswain's mates and corpsmen, and that's what we supplied them," said Senior Chief Equipment Operator Tom Tringham of Paso Robles, Calif., IRT's Navy liaison for the Mertarvik project.
"They've had nothing to say but outstanding things about the Navy folks. Our guys have pitched in and done more than their share."
Hull Technician 1st Class Randy Sands of Charleston, S.C., volunteered to operate boats for supply runs and any necessary medical evacuations. He and his crew also winterized them for next year's group.
Sands said the mission was a rugged one, as the advance team labored to set up tents in high winds and get a tactical water purification system operational.
"The Black Hawk lifted off, and we were like, 'It's just us now. We've got to come together real quick and get this done.' It was really fun and kind of scary," said Sands. "This is the best annual training I've ever been on."
When next summer's IRT team arrives, it'll find what Morgan describes as "base camp in a box." In other words, what took nearly a month to set up this year will need only a few days to get going from now on.
"The camp is designed to hold between 150 and 200 soldiers, Sailors, airmen and Marines at a time," Morgan said. "The idea is that Reservists will come out and work for two weeks on a piece of the project, leave, and another group comes in right behind them. All the heavy equipment's in place, supplies are in place, the plans are there and approved, and we go to work."
Mike Black, Alaska's deputy commissioner for the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, said the state is pleased that Newtok's relocation, which was talked about for 25 years, is finally under way.
"The real push comes with the military's involvement through IRT," Black said. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be anywhere close to where we are today."
What convinced Alaskan officials to get involved is Newtok's inadequate sanitation conditions and high rate of respiratory disease among school-age children, he said. Also, in 10 years, villagers will have no fresh water source.
"There is no way they can remain at that site in any high numbers," Black said. "We've never done this before. Having the military's five-year commitment to helping this community prepare to move will make it a lot quicker."
For more news from Commander, Navy Reserve Force, visit www.navy.mil/local/nrf/.
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