Old Alatna Village Site

Site Narrative

• Requested by the Alatna Tribal Council

After a devastating flood of the Alatna and Koyukuk Rivers in 1994, the entire community of Alatna was relocated one mile down river. The Old Alatna site was the first traditional Inupiaq Village of Alatna; it is situated on the Arctic Circle, across from the Athabaskan community of Allakaket. The community requested an environmental audit of the site to determine if specific environmental conditions would preclude use by future generations. No environmental assessment had been completed since the flood, which left behind several cabins, miscellaneous debris, and some potentially hazardous materials, such as fuel drums and transformers.

The community would like to reuse the traditional village site for community gatherings, subsistence activities, and for a cultural historic monument to preserve community memories.

This project included an evaluation of potential environmental conditions resulting from historical uses, and as affected by the flood.