Selawik Airport (WLK)

Selawik Airport serves an Iñupiat Eskimo village of 828 residents located at the mouth of the Selawik River, 70 miles southeast of Kotzebue in Alaska's Northwest Arctic Borough. The state-owned facility operates two gravel runways (3,002-foot and 2,659-foot) at just 17 feet elevation, with Bering Air providing essential passenger and cargo service connecting this remote community to the regional hub at Kotzebue. The airport plays a crucial role in supporting subsistence activities that define village life, including caribou and moose hunting, whitefish and sheefish fishing, and seasonal berry gathering that sustain the traditional Iñupiat way of life.

Winter operations are particularly challenging, with extreme cold, limited daylight, and potential whiteout conditions requiring flexible scheduling and robust aircraft winterization. The community relies heavily on the airport for medical evacuations, supply deliveries, and connecting to winter snowmachine trail networks that link surrounding villages. Ground transportation in the village typically involves ATVs in summer and snowmachines in winter, as there are no road connections to the outside world.

The airport serves the broader Selawik National Wildlife Refuge region, where residents continue traditional hunting and fishing practices protected under federal subsistence laws. Fuel supplies and basic maintenance services are available, though logistics become more complicated during winter months when river and maritime transport routes freeze. The facility operates under challenging Arctic conditions that require specialized equipment and procedures to ensure safe operations throughout the year-round service that keeps this isolated community connected to essential services and the broader regional network.

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