Nunapitchuk
Nunapitchuk (Nunapicuaq), located on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta along the Johnson River, is home to the Native Village of Nunapitchuk, a federally recognized Tribe. The village’s approximately 680 residents live a subsistence lifestyle, relying on subsistence activities for food security and as part of their cultural and traditional practices.
Nunapitchuk is facing imminent threat from the impacts of the climate crisis and those threats are accelerating at an alarming rate. Permafrost thaw is causing the land in the village to sink and is accelerating the rate of erosion. The sinking of the land and accelerating erosion is, in turn, resulting in increasingly frequent flooding. As a result, Nunapitchuk’s critical infrastructure is suffering, with much of the infrastructure sinking into the ground and collapsing or at risk of collapsing in the near future. The accelerating impacts of the climate crisis have forced the community to make the difficult decision to relocate in order to protect the health and safety of community members.
Managed Retreat/Protect-in-Place
