A Taste of the Bearing Sea

Subsistence is alive and well in Nome. We were offered a chance to go out on the ice to check crab pots by two Nome residents. As always, we enjoyed both the learning experience and having someone with ice safety knowledge take us out on the Norton Sound.

Pulling up a pot set a few days earlier.

Drilling a hole with another crabber
to set a pot for the first time.

Chipping away the collected ice
from an existing pot.

After showing us how to set/ check the traps, we were given a few of the smaller crabs to try for ourselves. Even with the small ones, I had a hard time fitting them in a 12qt pot! These Red King Crabs are huge and they are definitely not the largest in the region.

Kimberly, showing off the catch. 

We learned a few fun pieces of information about crabbing:

1). To have a legal trap, you need to have a flap on the side tied shut with cotton string.

This is so that if the pot gets lost or the rope gets cut the string will rot and the crabs can escape.

2). If you cover the hole with foam insulation board,  the hole won't freeze shut nearly as fast.

Saves you some work.

3). It's common to have a lot of snow fall on top of the ice, if you shovel this off, throw it down wind so snow won't drift even higher on top of your work area the next day.

4). Keep the crabs in a cooler. You want them cool, not freezing or they'll die. Crab is far better if cooked when it's fresh.

5). When using your ice pick (pictured above behind Kimberly), put a string on the end and tie it to your person.

If not, when it breaks through the ice it may fall 35' or more to the ocean floor and there's no getting that back...

6). Scoop as much of the ice slush out of the hole right away, otherwise the hole disappears and can't be seen. 

Zoey didn't realized this and almost fell in. 

Zoey checking out the strange hole
we were creating after she dried off.

What hole in the ice?

The kids at the Boys & Girls Club
enjoying the live catch.

7). Lastly, share your catch.
It's tradition here to provide for others in your family and community when you have a successful hunt. Since we were given the crab to eat ourselves, I decided to share the experience with the kids that Kimberly works with every day. Before they were cooked, the four king crabs made an appearance at Boys & Girls Club.

Kimberly's Work Life

Working at the Nome Community Center has given me the opportunity to work in a variety of ways, including event planning, Food Bank support, leading group activities, and working with people of all ages.
The majority of my time is spent at the Boys and Girls Club assisting the director.  The Boys and Girls Club is open after school every day for children 1st grade and up.  We lead activities and games, provide homework support, offer snacks, and provide a safe and healthy environment.  We have weekly activities, including game night, bowling, and movie night.  Occasionally we offer field trips to different events, such as, family fun day and ice fishing.  Some other activities I have lead include teen yoga, crafts, and holiday parties.  In addition, we have a monthly theme to promote different topics, such as healthy relationships and career opportunities.
 
With the remainder of my time, I assist Nome Community Center as a whole.  The first activity I planned was the team building portion of our staff retreat in August.  I also organized the Halloween Carnival for the NCC's portion of the event.  We provided free activities for children of all ages on Halloween night.  Then, I planned and coordinated the Community Thanksgiving Meal.  This included requesting and gathering donations, organizing volunteers, promoting the event, and orchestrating everything on the day of the event.  I enjoy organizing events despite the challenge of not knowing many people or the businesses in town.  I learned a lot about where businesses and organizations are in town and met many new people!  I also had the opportunity to chaperon two wonderful high school students to a convention called "Lead On!," which empowers youth to be leaders for their peers.  This year the focus was on healthy relationships and community projects.  The two girls I chaperoned planned a program that would promote students to be proactive in engaging and learning about their culture.

 
Some of the miscellaneous jobs I do are supporting Greg with the Food Bank, helping at the Children's Home as needed, visiting the XYZ Senior Center, and assisting in the office.  In addition, every Monday and Friday, Greg and I lead games at the elementary school before classes begin.  This gives the children an opportunity to expel some of their energy before school begins and encourages exercise.  On Wednesdays, I attend lunch at the High School as a way to engage in conversation with teens.  This has been a challenge for me because I'm not always sure what to talk about, but I think some of them appreciate my efforts.  I also oversee the donor database, which keeps track of donations NCC receives and makes sure that individuals receive thank you notes and receipts. At the end of this month, I will also be leading a cooking class for a tobacco prevention group.  Along with all of that, I've had the opportunity to receive a variety of training and have been able to attend several conferences.  I am continuing to learn and grow as I share my gifts and passions.
I'm sure there will be many other opportunities and projects that I'll get to be a part of in the future, too!