Alaska Village Electric Cooperative

Stebbins Facts

Community Profile

• Current Population: 612 
• # of Consumers: 170
• Incorporation Type: 2nd Class City
• Total Generating Capacity (kw): 871

Community Facilities

• Residents currently haul water and deposit honeybuckets in bunkers
• Water is derived during the summer from a creek, treated and stored in a large, steel water tank. In the summer there are several watering points in the village
• A reservoir at Clear Lake and a new water storage tank are under construction to alleviate winter water shortages
• Gravel runway
• Barge service in the summer. There is no dock; lighterage of goods to shore is provided out of Nome
• One school
• Local qualified Emergency Care Center health clinic
• Emergency Services have coastal and air access.

Economy

The Stebbins economy is based on subsistence harvests supplemented by part-time wage earnings. The City and schools provide the only full-time positions. The commercial herring fishery has become increasingly important, including fishing on the lower Yukon. 18 residents hold commercial fishing permits. Residents subsist upon fish, seal, walrus, reindeer and beluga whale. Gardens provide vegetables during the summer months. The Stebbins/St. Michael Reindeer Corral Project was completed in 1993 for a herd on Stuart Island. The reindeer are essentially unmanaged.

Culture and Activities

A federally-recognized tribe is located in the community -- the Stebbins Community Association. It is a Yup'ik Eskimo village with a commercial fishing and subsistence lifestyle. The sale or importation of alcohol is banned in the village.

Climate

• Subarctic climate with a maritime influence during the summer
• Norton Sound is ice-free from June to November, but clouds and fog are common
• Average summer temperatures are 40 to 60
• Winter temperatures range from -4 to 16
• Temperature extremes have been measured from -55 to 77
• Precipitation averages 12 in/yr
• Snowfall averages 38 in/yr. 

Community Weather

   Overcast, 50°F