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George Wilson, Jr.

George Wilson, Jr. was interviewed on September 12, 2002 by Don Callaway and Bill Schneider in Igiugig, Alaska. In this interview, George talks about the use of All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV's) and snowmachines for hunting in the Igiugig and Kukaklek Lake area. He discusses the seasonal uses of these types of transportation, the benefits and impacts from them, and the regulations and management applied to their use. George also talks about changes in resource availability and changes in the climate, and the trail system used in the area.

Digital Asset Information

Archive #: Oral History 2002-26-07

Project: Katmai National Park
Date of Interview: Sep 12, 2002
Narrator(s): George Wilson, Jr.
Interviewer(s): Bill Schneider, Don Callaway
Location of Interview:
Funding Partners:
National Park Service
Alternate Transcripts
There is no alternate transcript for this interview.
Slideshow
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Sections

1) His childhood and when All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) first came to the area

2) Hunting and transportation

3) Changes experienced in snow conditions and transportation

4) Experiences using 4-wheelers to travel to Kukaklek Lake after the ground freezes

5) Hunting and traveling around the Kukaklek Lake area

6) Comparing fuel consumption between a snowmachine and a 4-wheeler

7) First trips into the Kukaklek Lake area

8) A 4-wheeler's impact on the ground

9) Winter and summer trails

10) Hunting competition on the rivers

11) Hunting in the Kukaklek Lake area in the summer

12) Estimates of how much hunting he does in winter and in summer

13) Berry picking

14) Community use of the trail from Igiugig to Kukaklek Lake

15) Changes in resource availability in and around Igiugig

16) Bringing resources from Igiugig to his family in Anchorage

17) Sharing his harvest with the Igiugig community

18) Transporting his harvest back to Anchorage

19) Food preferences

20) The timing of freeze-up in recent years

21) Travel in summer and winter being dependent upon conditions

22) Using wheeled trailers, and trying to explain climate changes

23) Marking trails on a map of the Igiugig area

24) Continuing to look at a map and discuss trails in the Igiugig area

25) Continuing to look at a map and discuss hunting in the Igiugig area

26) Continuing to look at a map and discuss hunting in the Igiugig area

27) Continuing to look at a map and discuss hunting in the Igiugig area

28) Management of ATV's

Click play, then use Sections or Transcript to navigate the interview.

After clicking play, click a section of the transcript to navigate the audio or video clip.

Transcript

Section 1: Igiugig -- arrival\ boat\ fishing -- commercial\ Bristol Bay\ household goods\ ATV -- first\ Honda\ 3-wheeler\ travel\ vehicle -- use\ boat -- skiff\ license|

Section 2: hunt -- first\ father\ hunting -- learning\ hunting -- muskrat\ lakes\ trapping -- muskrat\ trapping -- mink\ hunting -- solo\ Kukaklek Lake\ snowmachine\ winter\ summer\ travel -- difficulty\ creeks\ bridges\ fall\ rainy season\ wash out|

Section 3: change -- weather\ winter\ change -- temperature\ change -- snow\ snow -- lack of\ snow -- type of\ transportation -- effect on\ snowmachine\ 4-wheeler\ tundra\ lakes\ travel time|

Section 4: Pecks Creek\ trail -- condition\ terrain\ freeze-up\ travel time\ Park\ Kukaklek Lake\ Gabby's Cabin\ ridge\ cabin\ hunting -- ptarmigan\ hunting -- rabbit\ hunting -- moose\ wolf|

Section 5: hunting -- caribou\ game -- availability\ game -- location\ Gabby's Cabin\ Nonvianuk Lake\ cabin\ Battle Lake|

Section 6: fuel\ snowmachine\ snowmachine -- benefit of\ 4-wheeler\ Nonvianuk Lake\ fuel -- amount of\ travel\ fuel -- extra\ tank size -- 4-wheeler\ tank size -- miles per gallon|

Section 7: 3-wheeler\ travel\ 4-wheeler\ Preserve\ Pecks Creek\ father\ snowmachine\ winter\ trapline\ Gabby's Cabin\ Kukaklek Lake\ summer\ 4-wheeler\ trail -- condition\ swamp\ ridges|

Section 8: ATV -- impact of\ impact -- seasonal\ summer\ tundra\ damage\ limitations\ winter\ access -- summer\ Pecks Creek\ creek -- cross\ bridge\ trees -- use of\ handsaw\ hatchet\ rope|

Section 9: trail -- winter\ trail -- dog team \ Kukaklek Lake\ trail -- summer\ lakes\ swamp\ Pecks Creek\ trail -- old\ ground -- hardness\ tundra\ terrain\ ridges\ travel\ freeze-up\ hunting -- caribou\ people -- number of|

Section 10: hunting -- competition\ access -- river\ Naknek\ fishing -- commercial\ corporation -- land use policies\ hunting\ people -- number of\ hunting -- location\ subsistence\ hunting -- sport|

Section 11: Kukaklek Lake\ hunting -- location\ travel time\ bridge\ creek -- cross\ trees -- use of\ Pecks Creek|

Section 12: hunting -- amount of\ hunting -- season\ winter\ temperature -- effect of\ hunting -- success\ hunting -- location\ ATV -- impact of\ summer\ tundra|

Section 13: berry picking -- location\ Park\ season\ berries -- salmonberries\ berries -- blackberries\ berries -- blueberries\ lake|

Section 14: trail -- use of\ hunting\ 4-wheeler\ boat -- skiff\ bluffs\ trail -- lake\ caribou\ berries\ bear\ Alagnak River\ Kukaklek Lake\ Nonvianuk Lake\ boat -- jet boat\ father\ cabins|

Section 15: animal -- population\ change -- animals\ hunting -- caribou\ caribou -- number of\ caribou -- location\ hunting -- moose\ winter\ snowmachine\ 4-wheeler|

Section 16: fish\ fish -- smoked\ fish -- frozen\ hunting -- moose\ hunting -- caribou\ hunting -- duck\ berries\ marriage\ job\ Anchorage\ wife\ Park Service\ King Salmon\ Lake Clark National Park\ Katmai National Park|

Section 17: harvest -- share\ elderly\ widows\ meat -- share\ harvest -- first\ hunting -- duck\ duck hunting -- location\ bird -- mallard\ bird -- pin tail\ bird -- geese\ bird -- crane\ berries -- blueberries\ bird -- tundra swan\ bird -- trumpter swan\ swan -- behavior|

Section 18: harvest -- transport\airlines\ freeze\ dry lockers\ harvest -- amount\ transport -- price\ meat\ fish\ berries\ Anchorage\ subsistence\ preference|

Section 19: food\ season\ summer\ ducks\ hunting -- moose\ fall\ animals -- availability|

Section 20: freeze-up -- timing\ predict\ travel\ lake\ wind\ travel -- boat\ travel -- snowmachine\ ice -- conditions\ snow -- conditions\ winter\ wind -- effect of\ temperature\ travel -- difficulty\ wind -- types of\ winter -- access|

Section 21: travel -- winter\ snowmachine\ travel -- distance\ travel time\ freeze-up\ ATV\ temperature\ transportation -- types\ snowmachine -- benefits\ travel -- getting stuck\ snow -- condition\ ATV -- limitations\ snow -- depth\ ground -- hardness\ trailers\ wood -- collecting\ ATV\ hauling\ sled|

Section 22: trailer\ trailer -- wheeled\ travel -- getting stuck\ tundra -- impact\ change -- climate\ El Nina\ global warming\ variation|

Section 23: trail\ Kukaklek Lake\ trail -- winter\ access\ Gabby's Cabin\ trail -- ridge\ Reindeer Lake\ trail -- dog team\ Rocky Point\ trail -- summer\ Pecks Creek\ swamp\ trail -- condition|

Section 24: Pecks Creek\ Park -- boundary\ Corporation land\ Gabby's Cabin\ trail -- winter\ Morraine Creek\ wolverine\ wolf\ moose\ hunting -- fur bearers\ trapping\ mother -- sewing|

Section 25: caribou -- location\ Reindeer Lake\ moose -- location\ Nonvianuk Lake\ cabin\ Wilson, Richard\ Naknek\ Nonvianuk Lake -- access\ trail -- summer\ ridge\ bluff\ father\ hunting -- moose\ Kaskanak Creek\ hunting -- caribou|

Section 26: lagoon\ moose -- location\ winter\ Kaskanak Creek\ hunting -- moose\ tobaggan\ Newhalen\ Newhalen -- access\ boat\ Ten Mile Island\ Eagle Bluff\ travel -- condition\ travel time\ Big Mountain\ father\ trapline\ trail -- traditional\ lynx\ rabbit\ caribou -- location\ brush|

Section 27: Reindeer Bay\ Gabby's Cabin\ cabins\ Nonvianuk Lake\ Project Jukebox\ Internet\ maps\ access\ public|

Section 28: ATV -- use\ winter\ snowmachine\ 4-wheeler\ impact\ Bureau of Land Management (BLM)\ summer\ access -- level of\ ATV -- introduction of\ Suzuki\ 4-wheeler -- first\ 3-wheeler\ Honda\ 4-wheeler -- life of\ 4-wheeler -- maintenance\ parts\ 4-wheeler -- cost of\ money\ fishing -- commercial\ Permanent Fund Dividend\ job\ ATV -- ownership\ snowmachine -- cost of\ snowmachine -- life of|