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Our population growth is huge, and I don’t think people think about it anymore, because we love babies around here. But it’s having an e ect on our natural resources. There’s no economic development, so we’re producing a bunch of young people with nothing to do.
There used to be a lot of opportunities for employment, most of it centered around the shing industry. It’s all gone away. There were four, ve, six sh processing plants in Bethel, and we started working when we were 10 years old. There were no child labor laws, and we got paid minimum wage. But we learned the value of work and the independence it gives you.
That’s probably one of the bigger changes I’ve seen in the region: the growing dependence on government programs. It’s become a way of life for a lot of people; a part of the culture. And it’s because there’s no economic opportunity.
Leary
Too many of our young guys are in jail. Too many are in the graveyard. All they need is an opportunity and they would shine. But there’s nothing there for them. Nothing but public assistance. What would change that? Some kind of major economic development project in our region. And the only thing that’s on the table right now is Donlin Gold.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & OPERATIONS NAPAIMUTE TRADITIONAL COUNCIL NAPAIMUTE, ALASKA
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