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Oil Drilling
Residents of Kaktovik find it difficult to get employment so far from large centres of commerce - one of the only industries which can provide jobs in such environments is oil drilling. However, drilling can lead to oil spills either from pipelines or from ships, like the Exxon Valdez disaster, and, in an ecosystem with such low primary productivity, such disasters can have impacts lasting hundreds or even thousands of years.

Oil pipelines require service roads, which lead to pollution of the local environment as well as the blocking of crucial caribou migration routes. Without access along these routes, caribou predators and the ecosystem in which they live may collapse.

Ecotourism is the only truly viable alternative to drilling jobs in a place like Kaktovik, and, by bringing money into the local economy, you actually increase the economic value of animals and natural resources to the point where conservation becomes an economic necessity. Your presence will not only contribute to your knowledge of the issues of oil drilling, but will provide residents of Kaktovik with a real alternative.


Carbon Footprint
Although your flight to Kaktovik will contribute to global warming, simple measures like carbon offsetting can reduce your impact. Offsetting the carbon produced in a flight to Kaktovik will usually cost less than £10 and will make you feel at ease.

However, this isn't the only way you can reduce your carbon footprint; many travel companies hire guides from elsewhere in Alaska and fly them out to destinations like Kaktovik. By choosing a local guide you may actually halve your impact on the environment you are visiting.


Sustainable Living
Bruce Inglangasuk lives in an incredibly sustainable way; in a one room house, eating mainly locally sourced food and travelling as little as necessary. As he puts it; "we don’t boat around  much- only from point a to point b and back – we know where our animals are when we want to do subsistence hunting and try to avoid using too much petrol".

Bruce uses a fuel efficient and quiet motor for his motorboat, to reduce his impact on the environment. He is looking into more environmentally friendly motors and hopes soon to purchase one.

By using the services of Bruce, you not only choose a guide whose lifestyle is sustainable, you also enable him to afford more environmentally friendly ways of travelling around.

Local Economy
Bruce is seeking employment in non-tourism related sectors, but finds it difficult to break into the job market. He and his daughter are currently provided for by the state, although he has occasional work from wildlife photographers and filmmakers. By choosing Bruce as your guide, you not only help provide a better life for him and his daughter, you also improve the strength of the local economy.




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