Krysti Shallenberger, Alaska's Energy Desk - Bethel

Even though temperatures may fluctuate month-to-month, Alaska climate scientist Rick Thoman says that for Bethel and many other Alaska communities, this trend of warmer winters is not going away.

The company is trying to develop one of the biggest gold mines in the world in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The mine, if built, would disturb 2,800 acres of wetlands. Because Donlin can’t restore all of those wetlands, it is required to protect wetlands somewhere else.

Some outages still remain, but those are few and far between. The area’s three power providers are still assessing damage from the quake, which triggered outages for most of Anchorage on Friday.

Friday’s earthquakes knocked out power to tens of thousands of people in Anchorage. The city’s two major utilities dispatched crews to repair tripped transformers and other possible damage to substations and power lines.

Rural and Alaska Native communities are the first to feel the impacts of climate change. For the Y-K Delta, the stakes are especially high because the region is home to the most tribes in the state.

Some residents of Crooked Creek see the potential for much needed economic development while others see the possible disruption of their subsistence lifestyle.