Golovin/Chinik

Golovin (Cingik in Central Yup’ik, Siŋik in Iñupiaq), is home to the Chinik Eskimo Community, a federally recognized Tribe. The village is situated on the Seward Peninsula along the north coast of Norton Sound, and consists of a Lower Townsite and an Upper Townsite. The village’s approximately 163 residents rely on subsistence fishing, hunting, and gathering for both food security and for their cultural practices and identity.

The village is facing threats to life and property from flooding, permafrost thaw, and erosion. The Lower Townsite is located on a spit of land at or near sea level that protrudes into Golovnin Bay and is prone to severe flooding. Homes and public infrastructure, including the school, the main power generator, the bulk fuel system, and portions of the sewage system, are located in the Lower Townsite. In 2011, during an extreme storm event, the Lower Town Site was completely submerged. This happened again in September 2022, when Typhoon Merbok caused extensive damage.

Due to the high risk of future catastrophic damage from extreme flooding events, erosion, and permafrost degradation, the community has started a managed retreat of the Lower Townsite to the Upper Townsite. Unfortunately, a portion of the Upper Townsite is also facing environmental risk as a result of permafrost thaw.