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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Inside remote US island with just 77 residents where you can WALK to Russia
A small island community in Alaska with just 77 residents is closer to Russia than the US mainland and when temperatures plunge the ice is so thick you can walk to Russia. Little Diomede, a territory that the US bought in 1867, lies just 2.4 miles from Big Diomede, their Russian neighbors, in the Bering Strait. While Big Diomede is a Russian military outpost, Little Diomede is home to 77 local Alaskans, known as Inupiat natives. Dividing them is the International Date Line, meaning if you left Little Diomede at 9am on a Monday and crossed to its neighbor, you would arrive on Sunday. The Diomedes were both inhabited by Indigenous peoples, and previously described themselves as one community across two islands. But at the start of the Cold War in 1948, Big Diomede's residents were scattered across Siberia and both nations sealed the border, now known as the Ice Curtain. 'Families were suddenly divided across the Bering Strait,' author Charles Wohlforth told the BBC. 'These connections were broken and not reconnected for 40 years,' he added, referring to the 1988 Friendship Flight which reunited families in Russia and Alaska. After a brief 25 year window of friendliness, however, the two islands now keep a watchful eye on each other after Putin came to power in the early 2000s and discouraged Russian interaction with the West. The Diomedes are positioned so close together that when the water freezes in the winter they are only a short 30 minute walk away, but no one does, as it is illegal to travel between the islands. Threats of flares, rifles and attack dogs sit waiting for anyone who tries to cross onto Big Diomede without the correct documentation. 'We watch them, they watch us,' Edward Soolook, a 58-year-old local, told The Economist. Through his binoculars looking across, Soolook can see the Russian soldiers, ships and helicopters as well as an observation hut. 'Keep watch, that's the mission. We're the eyes and ears for the nation,' Soolook, a veteran from the war in Iraq, added. But life for Soolook and the locals is a bleak reality. In the depths of winter, the islanders only see four hours of daylight and sub-zero temperatures. Access to the internet or phone signal only lasts a few hours a day. And the small island, with around 30 buildings in total, is struggling to survive as climate change takes its toll on their way of life. For generations, the island has hunted seals or walruses to eat. Just 20 years ago, a five-man hunting crew would have secured hundreds of each before winter struck. Local Otto Soolook, 53, told the outlet: 'Something's wrong with this place. It is possessed. We don't get walrus and seals like we used to. That is climate change. It all starts right here, it feel like.' He said this year they managed to hunt just five seals and two walruses. 'That's nothing. That is just a snack,' Otto added. To survive, the islanders rely on a weekly delivery of food from the mainland which arrives by helicopter, if the weather allows. Yet the pickings are limited, as the shipment only brings in canned goods or overly-processed foods to survive the test of time from Alaska's largest western town, Nome. A plane previously delivered the islanders food and supplies by landing on the thick frozen ice during winter, but it no longer arrives following the effects of climate change. 'The ice can't stay frozen, the current moves it, the wind blows it,' Kevin Ozenna, a father of two, told the outlet. 'I used to walk miles to the open ocean to hunt, but now I can't. The ice is just too thin.' Little Diomede is struggling to survive as their isolation from the outside world means that their culture is ever more important, but fears are growing that too is being lost. Local Frances Ozenna told the BBC: 'We know we have relatives over there. The older generations are dying out, and the thing is, we know nothing about each other. 'We are losing our language. We speak English now, and they speak Russian. It's not our fault. It's not their fault. But it's just terrible.' Josef Burwell, a pharmacist from the mainland, told the Economist: 'Diomede is unsustainable. 'It is not only climate change, but also because so many of these 'hunters' are not hunting because they are ordering on Amazon or they are playing video games on their computer. 'The water is undrinkable. The kids, when they turn 18 and graduate, most of them leave.' But the bleak lifestyle and isolation, as well as leadership issues on the self-governed island, have caused whispers of rising cases of alcoholism and domestic abuse. The island has been officially dry since 1974, but booze is often found to be smuggled onto Little Diomede and some locals even moved from the island in search of closer alcohol. Edward Soolook told The Economist that he drank every time he went to Nome, and said: 'My grandpa, my dad, my brother, my sister, my uncle, they are all alcoholics. 'It is scary. I don't get help. I'll seek it, but what good is it going to do? I am just going to go right back to doing it again, because my faith is not strong. You to have to have strong faith to stop.' Residents feel their faith slipping evermore as their elders, who often took on leadership roles, are dying. The elders, for generations, bestowed advice onto the community and reminded them of their culture and traditions but, as they die, many feel that the island is lacking in social harmony. Some locals also told the outlet that newer leaders were less trust-worthy and governing less effectively. Its school equally plays a large role in the unease that the locals feel regarding the lifespan of their community. Run by two young teachers, one from the Midwest and the other from the Philippines, the only school on the island is host to 21 students. Should it have less than 12 students enrolled, the school would close, and fears loom that its closure would be the death of the island.
Metro
6 days ago
- Politics
- Metro
The islands where America and Russia are 2 miles and 21 hours apart
On two small islands in the middle of the Bering Strait, it's possible to walk from the United States to Russia in midwinter. Just two miles apart, Big Diomede and Little Diomede sit between two nations – a short distance away, but one day apart. Big Diomede is in Russia, and Little Diomede is in the US state of Alaska. It's easy to forget that the two countries, which have often been at each other's throats, are next-door neighbours. The Diomede Islands have come into focus again recently, ahead of President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's meeting in Alaska on Friday to chat about ending the war in Ukraine. It's not just different countries and ways of life which separate these two islands – it's an entire time zone. Between Big and Little Diomede lies the International Date Line, an imaginary line literally separates time zones and different dates on the calendar. If you were to leave Little Diomede in the US and walk to (in winter only) or boat over to Big Diomede at 9 am on a Monday, when you reach Russia, it would be Sunday. Unfortunately, it's illegal to travel between the islands, but the allure remains. Though local time adjustments mean that the time difference between the islands is 21 hours, not 24, the ability to 'time travel' between islands is a unique feature not found in many places on earth. Though Big Diomede is a Russian military outpost, Little Diomede is home to a small population of Inupiat natives who call the island home. The locals on Little Diomede have been separated from their Russian relatives since the Cold War began. Local Frances Ozenna told the BBC: 'We know we have relatives over there. The older generations are dying out, and the thing is, we know nothing about each other. 'We are losing our language. We speak English now, and they speak Russian. It's not our fault. It's not their fault. But it's just terrible.' Now, the only connection Ozenna has with Russia is the passing military helicopters and fishing boats floating by. On Friday, Putin and Trump will sit down at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage for talks about Ukraine. For Putin, the trip to Alaska has a unique history, given that the territory was bought from Russia in 1867. Before then, it was an extension of Russia's freezing cold, rural territory of Siberia. After the land was sold, almost all native Russians left for their mainland, leaving Alaska widely unpopulated, except for native Inuits. Some experts have speculated that Putin could use the region's history to his advantage in talks about Ukraine. Nigel Gould-Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus, told Sky: 'It's easy to imagine Putin making the argument during his meetings with Trump that, 'Well, look, territories can change hands,'' More Trending 'We gave you Alaska, why can't Ukraine give us part of its territory?' Trump on Monday said he will try to help Ukraine recover some of its land from Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion on the sovereign country in 2022. 'Russia's occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They occupied prime territory,' he said. 'We're going to try to get some of that territory back for Ukraine.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Russia 'responsible for hacking highly sensitive US court records' MORE: White House reveals why Zelensky won't be at Trump's one-on-one with Putin MORE: JD Vance invites Apprentice star Thomas Skinner for beer-fuelled BBQ
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US transfers acreage near proposed mining road to Alaska native group
July 16 (Reuters) - The Trump administration transferred 28,000 acres (11,331 hectares) in a remote part of Northwest Alaska to a native corporation, putting more land near a proposed mining road under local control. The move is aligned with President Donald Trump's pledge to remove barriers to energy and resource development in the state. "By putting land into Alaska Native hands, we are advancing opportunity in Alaska, while reducing federal barriers to resource development," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. The acreage was conveyed to NANA Regional Corporation, which is based in Kotzebue, Alaska. The corporation is controlled by the Inupiat tribe. NANA was not immediately available for comment. NANA supports construction of a road to the Ambler mining district, an area with copper, zinc and lead deposits, but severed ties last year to a project proposed by an Alaska state agency. The Biden administration later rejected that road, citing risks to caribou and fish populations and native communities.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Alaska's Mother's Day tradition with Musk Oxen and Ice Age connection
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In Palmer, Alaska which is just an hour north of Anchorage, Mother's Day isn't marked by brunch reservations or department store deals. Instead, it comes with daisies, baby musk oxen , and a brush with the Ice year, the Musk Ox Farm opens its gates to moms for free, offering flowers and front-row access to a herd of 75 musk oxen, including newly born calves wobbling on fresh legs. The star of the show this year is Trebek, an old bull named after the late 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek, one of the farm's generous supporters.'Who wouldn't want to spend Mother's Day with a musk ox mom and a calf that could melt your heart?' said Mark Austin, executive director of the nonprofit farm to ABC Day has long been the symbolic start of the summer season for the farm, whose history goes back to 1964. The current location in Palmer, where the Chugach and Talkeetna mountain ranges loom like gentle giants, became home in 1986, offering better grazing grounds and easier access via Alaska's sparse road network. It also allowed the team to expand into educational programs for settling here, the farm has treated every Mother's Day like a grand opening. 'It made perfect sense—mothers, newborn oxen, spring. The story tells itself,' Austin year, three calves have already arrived, and more are expected. The event now draws crowds of over 1,500 people and has become a generational tradition. 'It's a rite of passage,' Austin added. 'We joke that if we ever canceled it, we'd probably have a riot on our hands.'Musk oxen are no ordinary animals. These shaggy, stocky mammals date back to prehistoric times, having survived while saber-toothed tigers and mastodons faded into extinction. Today's musk oxen, relatives of Arctic goats, are smart, curious, and tough. Bulls can reach five feet tall and weigh up to 800 pounds; females top out around four feet and 500 to Alaska's Inupiat people as itomingmak—"the animal with skin like a beard"—their long hair drapes nearly to the ground, giving them a mythical widespread across northern Europe, Asia, Greenland, and North America, musk oxen nearly vanished by the 1920s. Only Greenland and parts of Canada held on to their dwindling populations. A recovery effort began in 1934, when 34 musk oxen were shipped from Greenland to Fairbanks. Since then, their numbers have rebounded, with around 5,000 now living in the wild across Alaska.
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
An Alaska Mother's Day tradition: Mingling with ice age survivors on a farm
PALMER, Alaska -- It is one of Alaska's favorite Mother's Day traditions, getting up close and personal with animals that have survived the ice age. All moms get a daisy and free admission Sunday at the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, about an hour's drive north of Anchorage. Once inside they will have the chance to view 75 members of the musk ox herd, including three young calves just getting their feet under them. Also a draw is an old bull named Trebek, named after the late 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek, a benefactor of the facility. 'Who doesn't want to celebrate Mother's Day with a musk ox mom and the most adorable calf you're ever going to find in your life?' said Mark Austin, the farm's executive director. Mother's Day is the traditional start of the summer season for the farm, which traces its roots back to 1964 and at several locations before moving in 1986 to Palmer. That move put it on Alaska's limited road system, provided easier access to grazing land than in tundra communities and it to incorporate educational opportunities at the farm facility, which is dwarfed by the the Talkeetna and Chugach mountain ranges. 'When we opened the doors here, we started doing Mother's Day as a grand opening every year,' Austin said. He called it a natural decision, celebrating mothers with cute, newborn baby musk oxen on the grounds. So far this year, three baby musk oxen have been born and are on display, and more could be on the way. Mother's Day is the busiest day of the year, attracting more than 1,500 visitors. It is a tradition that now stretches over three generations. 'It's a huge, just kind of rite of passage for a lot of people,' Austin said. 'If we ever talked about not doing it, there'd be a riot.' Musk oxen are ice age survivors. 'They were running around with saber-toothed tigers and mastodons, and they're the ones that lived,' Austin said. The herd members all have diverse personalities, he added, and they are crafty, smart and inquisitive. Their closest relatives to animals of today would be Arctic goats. Mature musk ox bulls can stand 5 feet (about 1.5 meters) tall and weigh as much as 800 pounds (about 360 kilograms), while female cows are smaller at about 4 feet (about 1.2 meters) and up to 500 pounds (about 230 kilograms), according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's website. They are stocky, long-haired animals with a slight hump in their shoulder, a short tail and horns, the website says. The Inupiat call musk ox 'itomingmak,' which means 'the animal with skin like a beard,' for its long hair hanging nearly to the ground. The mammals once roamed across northern Europe, Asia, Greenland and North America before they began to die off. By the 1920s the last remaining ones were in Greenland and Canada. Efforts to reintroduce the musk ox to Alaska started in 1934, when 34 were delivered to Fairbanks from Greenland. Since then, the wild population has grown to about 5,000, located throughout the nation's largest state, Austin said. The nonprofit farm welcomes donations from visitors on Sunday. Some people will make a beeline for the baby musk oxen, while others will throw a $100 bill on the counter first. 'We do like to see the donation, but we truly offer this as an event to the community, as a thank you,' Austin said. 'It really gives us a chance to give something back.'
