Monthly Archives: December 2014

No new developments today……

About forty SAR members from different communities again converged upon the search site working 8-10 hours every day. Most members are volunteering their effort, transportation and taking personal time away from their jobs and families.

The weather has been in the mid 20’s with partly cloudy skies, making conditions perfect at the site. Although the lake has been freezing and slowly getting smaller. The lake has gained about 20 feet along the edge since the beginning of the search, creating dangerous thin ice conditions. The boat brought from Bethel by BSAR was used minimally as problems with the outboard hampered efforts. Hopefully the motor will be running tomorrow after it is thawed and serviced. The boat when up and running will be used to pull a drag bar with attached treble hooks along the river bottom near the edge of the open water. Meanwhile a crew on the ice will be pulling on a rope attached to the same drag bar from a trench cut into the ice.

Today searchers were getting wet having to use waterproof foot gear including bunny boots and rubber gloves when dragging and poling.

Underwater camera used by BSAR. As the camera is lowered into the hole in the ice, searchers view the screen and watch as layers of ice and slush slip past. After checking immediately under the ice, the camera is lowered about 26 feet to the bottom where a view of the riverbed is checked.

The 7 inch LCD displays in black and white and is split into four separate views as the camera has four separate lenses. The camera apparatus has small LED lights illuminating an area about 3-4 feet in diameter immediately above the lens.

The views are dependent upon lighting and the amount of debris in the water. We are hoping for brighter underwater lighting in the future along with color displays.

For 12-18-14, the search will continue with volunteers coming from nearby communities. As previously requested, VPSO Sgt. Max Olick with Kwethluk SAR is asking for donations, including food to assist in the search.

While the focus of the last 5 days has been the recovery effort going in Kuskokuak Slough, a lot of other good work by SAR groups up and down the River has been going on. Here are a few of the reports coming in the last few days.

Napaskiak Junior Search & Rescue Members help mark the trail from their village to Bethel

Akiak Search & Rescue has been working to mark the truck trail between their village and Akiachak.

Tuluksak Search & Rescue has marked the open holes between their village and Akiak. They will also be working to mark a truck trail between the two communities in the near future.

Further up the River:

Due to the ice jam below Kalskag there is no established trail between Tuluksak and Kalskag. An alternate overland route is being marked to connect the Lower River to Aniak. Due to the lack of snow this overland route is very rough (except on the lakes) but better than traveling through miles of broken, jumbled up ice chunks. This overland route is 60 miles long and takes about 5 hours to go across from end to end.

Marking a trail on Whitefish Lake as part of the overland route between Aniak and the Lower Kuskokwim

A trail on the River between Kalskag and Aniak has just recently been established. The few travelers that have used it report that it is very rough and that it takes 2-3 hours to get between the two communities. As this trail improves it will get marked by Kalskag Search & Rescue.

Above Aniak: there is no river trail above Aniak at this time. The 10 mile stretch between Aniak and Chuathbaluk is too rough for travel. Instead travel between the two communities is a combination of a short section of beach travel and then through the cat trail along the south bank that comes out right across from Chuathbaluk. The side-hilling beach trail can be avoided by using the Aniak River portage which is smoother but longer. These trails have been marked by Chuathbaluk Search & Rescue

Short section of beach trail between Aniak & Chuathbaluk – River too rough for travel

Nice ride through the woods – the cat trail between Aniak and Chuathbaluk

The rough River crossing at Chuathbaluk marked with drums, stakes, and reflectors

There is no trail above Chuathbaluk at this time. These pictures show the reason why:

Huge mounds of ice from the November break up – this picture was taken 6 miles above Chuathbaluk

Beaches all along the Middle Kuskokwim are piled with ice chunks and riddled with shell ice

A very big thank you and good job to all the search and rescue groups along the Kuskokwim that have been working hard to keep our People safe in their winter travels.

12/15/14 A total of about 60 searchers from Atmautluak, Akiak, Napaskiak and BSAR again assisted Kwethluk SAR with their efforts to recover two people determined to have fallen into the Kuskokwak River.

Today was spent cutting trenches in the nearly two feet of ice using chain saws and using drag bars with treble hooks to search underwater near the location where a third person was recovered. An underwater camera was also utilized to assist in the effort.

BSAR assisted Kwethluk SAR by setting up two tents to be used as food service areas and rest shelters.

An area less than a mile downriver from the search area was discovered today where the ice in some areas was less than an inch thick. That area was surrounded with tall cut willows  and blue reflecting tape. Search volunteers responding to assist in the recovery effort are asked to remain cautious when traveling in the immediate area.

Search efforts will resume tomorrow 12/16/14. 

Donations to Kwtheluk SAR, care of VPSO SGT. Max Olick, are again encouraged to assist in the recovery effort.

12/14/14 Bethel Search and Rescue (BSAR) today assisted Kwethluk Search and Rescue with recovery efforts of three people who were reported to have fallen into a hole in the Kuskokwak River near Kwethluk. About 60 volunteer SAR members from Bethel, Akiachak, Akiak, Tuluksak and Kwethluk cut holes in the ice with chain saws, augers and used drag bars with hooks attached to search the area around a 50 by 250 foot hole. About six feet of fresh ice had formed on the edge of the hole since the three people were determined to have fallen in Thursday night. An ATV was found under the ice on Saturday.

Late this afternoon, the remains of one male was discovered under the ice and recovered. The Alaska State Troopers on scene took custody of the remains and made notifications to the family.

The search for the two other missing persons will continue on Monday (12/15/2014) by volunteers from Kwethluk, Akiachak, Akiak, Tuluksak and Bethel.

VPSO Sgt. Max Olick with Kwethluk Search and Rescue is coordinating the search and can be reached at 757-6629. Donations to Kwethluk SAR are encouraged.

Here is a link to an article in the Alaska Dispatch about today’s recovery efforts written by Lisa Demer who accompanied BSAR to the site:  http://www.adn.com/article/20141214/searchers-recover-body-beneath-river-ice-near-bethel

As a reminder… there are still dangerous holes in the ice in rivers and sloughs in the area. Please file a trip plan and be careful. Tell a friend or family member when and where you are traveling.

Panoramic view of the recovery area in Kuskokuak Slough above Kwethluk. In the foreground BSAR members install additional open water markers around this dangerous area. In the background dozens of SAR volunteers from Akiachak, Akiak, Bethel, Kwethluk & Tuluksak work at the under-ice recovery efforts

The worst fears of Kuskokwim Search and Rescue Groups may have been realized today.

This morning, Akiak, Bethel, and Kwethluk SARs were notified of three overdue travelers between Bethel and Akiak. The people were all traveling on one four wheeler at night, in snowy weather. They were last seen late at night when they stopped at a permanently occupied camp above Kwethluk.

With air support from the Alaska State Troopers a set of ATV tracks were seen going into the lower end of an open hole in Kuskoquak Slough above the cutoff to the Little Kasigluk and Kiseralik Rivers.

This hole was marked but travel conditions were marginal at the time of the incident: dark & snowy, with flat smooth ice – a bad combination in an area that has open water. Earlier BSAR reports had recommended no general travel through this area.

Ground teams were able to confirm the tracks leading into the open water and a short time later recovered the four wheeler from beneath the newly formed ice. The four wheeler matched the description of the machine the missing travelers were using.

The area was carefully examined for signs that the driver and any potential passengers made it out of the water. No evidence was found.

It is believed that the person or persons are in the water. No names are being released at this time pending additional confirmation.

Recovery efforts will get underway tomorrow.

All area SAR groups are encouraged to contact the Kwethluk Public Safety Office for more information or to offer assistance.

This is the location of today’s ATV recovery from an open hole. Additional recovery efforts will begin on 12/14

In Another Incident:

A person on a snowmachine traveling off-trail down the middle of the River below Napakiak drove into an open hole. We are thankful that the driver was able to make it out of the water, but the snowmachine was lost.

Search and Rescue teams are doing the best they can to mark open holes and warn people of the dangers that still exist out there. But the word is not getting out to everyone and there are others out there that think they know too much to listen to advice.

We are respectfully asking the People along the River to help get the word out so there are no further tragedies along the Kuskokwim this winter.

Thank you.

Open hole below Napakiak where snowmachine was lost. Driver is OK. This hole just froze over last night.