Berry Harvest Failure

Observation: This has been a terrible year for berry harvest in the Upper Nushagak River. Reports from Ekwok as well as upriver communities including New Stuyahok and Koliganek residents are having a very hard time finding any berries as all. There is an absence of salmon (cloud) berries, blue berries, cranberries and black (crow) berries. Residents report that unusual weather conditions over the past few months have contributed to the poor harvest, including very little snow, a very warm May followed by a cold snap in June and then a dry summer. Currently the tundra is very dry and crunchy under foot, rather than wet and springy like normal. Residents are spending many hours to harvest small amounts of berries. Because of variable harvest conditions in recent years, some people are stockpiling berries in good years and keeping them in the freezer in case of harvest years like this. This berry harvest failure amounts to a regional food security crisis and is thought to extend to other communities beyond the Upper Nushagak. Mike Brubaker, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Center for Climate and Health with Sylvia Kazimirowicz, Environmental Coordinator Ekwok Tribal Council

LEO says: This post has been shared with the Bristol Bay Native Association and Bristol Bay Health Corporation. It has also been forwarded to the Alaska Wild Berry Project researcher, Jerry Hupp, USGS.

Video:

Sylvia Kazimirowicz on Ekwok Berries – Filmed in September of 2014, S. Kazimierowicz talks a bit about the berry harvest in their area of Alaska.