Chartering a Boat on the Kuskokwim River to Reach Peltola's Alaska

Chartering a boat on the Kuskokwim River has become part of the effort to understand Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola, who is running for Senate. The reporting trip, set in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of southwestern Alaska, centered on Peltola’s deep ties to the river and the Yup’ik communities along it, including Bethel and small villages such as Kwethluk, Tuntutuliak, and Platinum. Her campaign slogan “Fish, family, freedom” reflects that grounding, as her appeal is linked to the decline of cyclical salmon runs tied to climate change and corporate impacts. Earlier this month, Pete Kaiser—an Iditarod-winning dog musher who runs a charter boat company—guided a skiff to Kwethluk for an on-the-ground conversation.