Obama visits Arctic community to discuss Native issues [View all]
Source: Reuters
Obama visits Arctic community to discuss Native issues
Source: Reuters - Wed, 2 Sep 2015 09:52 GMT
ANCHORAGE/JUNEAU Alaska, Sept 2 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday will become the first sitting U.S. president to visit a community north of the Arctic Circle, a trek the White House hopes will bring into focus how climate change is affecting Americans.
After meeting tribal leaders and fishermen in Dillingham, home to the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery, Obama will fly into Kotzebue, an Arctic town of about 3,000 that is battling coastal erosion caused by rising seas.
The stops, at the end of a three-day tour of Alaska, are also aimed at cementing Obama's legacy on improving ties with Native Americans. He has also traveled by foot and boat to see glaciers that are receding quickly due to climate change.
Obama will say in Kotzebue that his administration has found dozens of new ways to work better with Native Americans - program fixes with small price tags but rich potential, a White House official told reporters.
Read more: http://www.trust.org/item/20150902095340-9v7b9/