Senator Murkowski’s Seldovia Visit

by Jenny Chissus

On the 4th of July, we had the pleasure to honor Senator Lisa Murkowski as Seldovia’s Old Crab – which is a coveted position held by many influential leaders in our state, including: Senator Ted Stevens, Jay Hammond, Clem Tillion, Maria Downey among many other Alaskans who have made an impact on our state and communities.

As I was taking photos throughout the day, I appreciated the Senator’s authentic love for small communities, her friendly and very personable way with each person she met.  From visiting with the crafters, calling the start of the Salmon Shuffle 5K race, speaking at the ground breaking ceremony for Seldovia Wild Seafood to visiting and posing with children preparing for the parade and speaking with elders – the Senator made herself available to all, and was gracious and genuinely interested in the activities of the day and the people of Seldovia.

It was nice to have an opportunity to meet the Senator, and take a few minutes to chat about her experience on the 4th in Seldovia as our Old Crab and her thoughts on the future of small communities like Seldovia.

Gazette:  Senator Murkowski, welcome to Seldovia!  We are honored to have you visit us for the 4th of July this year!  I’m sure you received many invitations for the Independence Day celebrations throughout the state, what made you decide to accept our invitation to Seldovia above all others?

Senator Murkowski: Yes, I am asked to visit a lot of communities, and I do try to get out and visit the many places especially those that are off the beaten path.  I received an invitation some months ago to come to Seldovia and be recognized as Seldovia’s Old Crab, and that really caught my attention!   This was not just the standard “Come to our city, be the grand marshal of a parade.”  I have a soft spot in my heart for small town 4th of July celebrations.  I love to celebrate our nation’s independence with people from all over Alaska, but small towns really know how to put on a good event, the parade, activities involving the kids and the seniors, the Volunteer Fire Department, the Seldovia Chamber, I love seeing the whole community gettinginvolved.   Lots of local folks doing fun things, making Seldovia a true destination – attracting people who enjoy the spirit and fun of a small town celebration.   I have to admit that the invite to be the honorary “Old Crab” is what did it for me!

Gazette: You are wearing the “Crab” Hat with such style!

Senator Murkowski:  Some would suggest that there are some photos of elected officials you would never want to see on YouTube, but if you can’t make fun of yourself a little bit, then you are definitely taking yourself too seriously!

Gazette:  Have you been to Seldovia before?

Senator Murkowski:  Yes, the last time I was here on official business was in 2005 and since then I have had opportunities to visit on my own.  I have relatives in Halibut Cove and a sister in Bear Cove, so I do get to this area from time to time, though I don’t take advantage of those connections near often enough!  Coming back here, I remember why it is so great to be a part of these small towns.  I grew up in Wrangell, there is a lot to be said for these small coastal communities – they truly are the heart of Alaska.  The families that are making things happen in each community bring strength to our state.

Gazette:  In small communities the individual or small business create a lot of the success or failure for the rural cities and towns.  We can’t put all our eggs in one basket, but we rely on each other to create opportunities by following our passions and interests.  One person can make a big difference in a small community, don’t you think?

Senator Murkowski:  That is why it is so exciting to see Seldovia Wild Seafood getting started here!  This new facility is quite exciting as an opportunity with the possibility of bringing a dozen or so full-time jobs to Seldovia.  The tourism opportunities are great, however, we must recognize how seasonal tourism can be.

Gazette: One of the great appeals of a small community like Seldovia is the chance to know your neighbors, have a positive impact on the community through volunteer efforts, organizations, local government and the school.  The success or failure of a small community rests in the hands of its citizens in a very up-close and personal way.  We are a tight community, but Alaska – as a state is that way too!  For as big as we are as a state, we are small in that we truly do feel interconnected, don’t you agree?

Senator Murkowski:  In Alaska, we still know what it means to be “neighbor”.  Maybe it is because you need to be pretty independent in Alaska – but when you need help – everyone comes and everyone pulls together.

Gazette:  So, now that you have enjoyed the day in Seldovia, is it what you expected?  Any surprises?

Senator Murkowski:  The only thing that I missed – but I understand it is coming up later, is the canoe jousting.  I’m told that we might not be around for that, which would be disappointing.  I always like it when the kids get involved in the events – its great to see everyone participating in the celebrations!   I’m pretty good at the egg toss – and I took 2nd place in the three-legged race in Wrangell last year.  I am a contender!

Gazette:  Looking at small communities and your position in creating policies, what do you see as the greatest challenge to these communities, and what do you feel you can do to support and encourage our small Alaskan communities in their quest to not only survive , but to thrive?

Senator Murkowski:  Regardless of where your community is, whether here in Kachemak Bay or in the interior of Alaska, Southeast, or out on the chain – it doesn’t matter where, quite honestly – if you can’t afford to live in your community, it can make life darn hard.  The biggest cost driver in our state for businesses and families is energy costs.  What we are paying at the pump, what we are paying to power our boats to go out fishing, what we pay to heat our homes.  I feel that the most helpful thing I can do in the Senate is to focus on those initiatives that help us reduce our energy costs. This is not about getting more oil, but about using all our resources,  and recognizing that in different places we have different opportunities.

I look at what we have here in the bay, and I’m excited about what Homer is doing with their tidal project.  If we can find a way to harness the ocean energy, this would not just benefit those people on Kachemak Bay, but we have over 33,000 miles of coastline, and our small communities just can’t be sustainable if we don’t get a grip on our energy costs.  Think about the opportunities that are out there, I was out in Bristol Bay this week, and they have geo thermal opportunities, and I was in the Kuskokwim where they have hydrokinetic energy that they can tap into.  We have enormous potential here, obviously, we have Bradley Lake for hydro power.  It is how we bring it home, in the small-scale communities like Seldovia.  The cost analysis doesn’t always work out, but I believe that Alaskans are creative people and that here, ingenuity is the norm.  We have to be creative and often fashion our own “tools”, we are challenged in this regard.  One of the things that I look  to do is to figure out a way to use federal dollars to push out the research and development side, grant opportunities to encourage start-ups and get the smaller projects going, and let the communities run with them.  We can be doing a lot with private, public partnerships – we can do a lot more –  it is all about leveraging dollars, and how we do that, by working together – will be a determinant in our success.

The University of Alaska is partnering with the tidal project in Homer and it is one of the most exciting things in Alaska right now!  This was a group of students who, with only $2000 got a project to design!  You don’t have to have millions of dollars to find solutions, lets tap into the ingenuity of the people of Alaska to solve these big issues with passion and persistence.  You can’t be afraid to fail, and though it can be costly, you learn from those experiences.

Here, we have economies that are dependent on the fisheries. However, if you can’t afford to make the ice to keep the fish cold, or the fishermen can’t afford to put fuel in the tanks of their boats, nothing will happen, this is a huge issue to the success of the lifestyle for many in Alaska. I am the most senior republican on the energy committee, and I’m in a good spot to help direct some of these initiatives that will help us – regardless of the size of the communities or how remote they are.

Gazette:  How do we balance the gathering of the many resources for the benefit of our people without exploiting our land, fisheries, people and resources?

Senator Murkowski:  I had an opportunity yesterday to visit with the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve group in Homer, and today, we are going to meet with the NOAA lab, so we are working with the Federal and State organizations to better understand our oceans and fisheries research and opportunities.  I believe so strongly that the dollars we direct towards research and development, making sure we have strong science and data helping to guide us in our policies that will allow for a more sustainable economy for everyone.

Gazette:  We appreciate you coming, and know that after this fun day here, you will have an “eye” on Seldovia, so that when issues come up that directly impact our community, or those like ours, you will say to yourself  “I know those people!” and you will have a personal connection to our city, our economy and our future!  Thanks for being a part of our Independence Day Celebration!

Senator Murkowski: There is never a substitute for being on the ground, and visiting with the people, we have totally loved Seldovia’s hospitality!  Thank you!

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