BETHEL, Alaska (AP) - An Alaska tribe on Nelson Island has received more than $10 million in federal funds to construct trails.
The Toksook Bay Tribe will build trails that run to the community of Nightmute, and along the coast to the fishing grounds at Umkumiut, an important subsistence location, KYUK-AM reported Tuesday.
“We were overwhelmed and happy and so proud for our community,” Toksook Bay Tribal Transportation Manager Harry Tulik said.
The 21 miles (34 kilometers) of synthetic geo-cell mats laid across the tundra will replace the current trails carved by four-wheelers and snowmobiles.
The mats will stabilize the trails while providing temporary, local jobs.
The trails will also connect residents of Nightmute to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation’s subregional clinic in Toksook Bay.
The funding comes from a $500 million grant program to improve transportation projects throughout the country.
This year more than half of that funding went to rural areas and to only one project in Alaska.
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Information from: KYUK-AM, http://www.kyuk.org
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