Theo Greenly

A photo essay following Bishop Alexei of the Orthodox Church of Alaska on his first visit to Atka, one of the westernmost communities in the United States. St. Nicholas Church is one of the oldest Orthodox parishes in Alaska, founded in 1825. There, Bishop Alexei performed the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, which is only served when the bishop is present, as well as St. Nicholas service for the church's patron saint.

Leaders from the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, the Ounalashka Corp., and the City of Unalaska met last week to renew their pledge to work together. The organizations formally joined forces in 2020 when they signed a trilateral agreement to secure a contract with the military to evaluate the city’s infrastructure needs.

Unalaska is over a week into its annual community cleanup event, and dozens of volunteers have already removed over 400 bags of trash from local beaches and roads. Harmony Wayner grew up between Unalaska and the Bristol Bay region, and now works with Alaska Sea Grant, a conservation and research organization focused on protecting Alaska oceans. She traveled to Unalaska to participate in the cleanup as part of her work addressing ocean pollution.

The Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to clean up Fort Learnard, a former World War II military outpost in Unalaska Bay. The fort housed anti-aircraft and anti-ship artillery at Eider Point, on the western side of the bay.

Western Alaska chum versus Eastern Aleutian sockeye: that’s how many people are framing an Alaska Senate bill that aims to temporarily close Area M, a fishery off the Alaska Peninsula and eastern Aleutian Islands.

A proposed marine sanctuary in the Pribilof Islands has drawn major pushback from the commercial fishing industry, ever since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration accepted the sanctuary nomination last June. The Aleut Community of St. Paul says the sanctuary designation would give the tribe greater authority to protect the region’s vast ecosystems and resources, including rich fishing grounds and habitat for the federally protected northern fur seal.

About a year ago, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation tested Cold Bay’s water wells for PFAS, and the results came back well above the levels recommended for human consumption. Cold Bay closed the wells for drinking when the test results came back, and the Eastern Aleutian community has relied on state-provided bottled water ever since.

A delegation of Alaska energy officials on Tuesday visited Unalaska, where representatives from the Makushin Geothermal Project made their case for what could prove one of the biggest geothermal projects in Alaska history.

Interim City Manager Hladick ends his tenure Friday, 10 months after stepping in as Unalaska’s chief administrator. Assistant City Manager Bil Homka will serve as acting city manager while the City Council continues looking for a permanent hire.

The Alaska Marine Highway System released its summer sailing schedule Tuesday, and Unalaska will receive similar service as last year. The M/V Tustumena is the only state ferry serving the Aleutian chain, and it will make six calls in Unalaska this summer — roughly once per month from May through September.