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St. Lawrence Island, Alaska is home to two Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) under remediation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since 1985. After more than two decades the local residents continue to be concerned about inadequate site characterization and cleanup. During the summer of 2005, I collected ethnographic and geographic data in two Native Villages, Gambell and Savoonga, about local people’s perceptions of the contaminated sites and the remediation efforts by federal agencies. The historical context of the DOD occupation, site closure and remediation has impacted both the local natural resources and the people of St. Lawrence Island. This thesis will present these findings and a how global political and strategic interest in the Bering Strait has created a human environmental crises. |
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