Alaska Village Electric Cooperative

Scammon Bay Facts

Community Profile

• Current Population: 520
• # of Consumers:  143
• Incorporation Type: 2nd Class City
• Total Generating Capacity (kw): 1,212

Community Facilities

• Water derived from an infiltration gallery; treated and stored in a tank. Nearly all homes and the school are connected to the piped water and sewer system and are plumbed. Only a few residents use honeybuckets, typically due to frozen pipe damage.
• Landfill
• Gravel airstrip and seaplane base
• Barge service in summer
• One school
• Local health clinic
• Sub-regional clinic in Emmonak. 
• Emergency Services have coastal, floatplane and air access.

Economy

Employment is focused on commercial fishing. Firefighting for BLM, construction and handicrafts also provide seasonal income. 49 residents hold commercial fishing permits. Subsistence activities provide fish, beluga whale, walrus, seal, birds and berries.

Culture and Activities

A federally-recognized tribe is located in the community -- the Scammon Bay Traditional Council. Scammon Bay is a Yup'ik Eskimo community that relies on fishing and subsistence activities. Most residents travel to the Black River each summer for fish camp, 50 miles to the north. The sale, importation or possession of alcohol is banned in the village. Winter trails exist to Hooper Bay (32 mi.) and Chevak (25 mi.). Snowmachines and skiffs are the primary means of local transportation.

Climate

• Maritime climate
• Temperatures range between -25 and 79
• Precipitation averages 14 in/yr
• Snowfall averages 65 in/yr
• Severe easterly winds during the fall and winter limit accessibility
• The Bering Sea is ice-free from mid-June through October.

Community Weather

   Overcast, 48°F