Air Force engineers and archaeologists in Alaska have discovered a food cache on the Upper Cook Inlet southwest of Anchorage used 1,000 years ago to store salmon “This is the oldest known site on the east side of Upper Cook Inlet,” said Margan Grover an archaeologist and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s cultural resource manager “JBER and the surrounding area have been used for a very long time.” The Air Force announced the find in December and it was spotlighted in the January issue of Archaeology magazine The site was discovered last June during a routine surveying training exercise by the 673rd Civil Engineer Squadron in a remote The squadron’s training is used to hone its skills to carry out “agile arctic combat support,” the Air Force said The site was slowly excavated over the last year by a team of civilian Air Force archaeologists tribal experts and the Northern Land Use Research Alaska group They found a largely intact cache — about three feet wide by three feet long and three feet deep — lined with birch tree bark to keep out excessive moisture and invasive bugs or animals “They established a cyclical system of movement that allowed them to be in the right place at the right time for hunting Radiocarbon dating that measures deterioration of organic substances over time pegged the cache at about 10 centuries old a civilian Air Force archaeologist at Elmendorf-Richardson She likened the cache to a latter-day root cellar used by farmers The cache dates to the time of the Dene people ancestors of the Navajo and Apache in present-day New Mexico and Arizona The find is seven centuries older than the 1778 visit of British explorer Captain James Cook for whom the nearby inlet where the base is located is named Researchers using scientific finds and oral traditions handed down over the centuries say native people would gather where the base is now located in the spring and stay through the summer to catch and preserve salmon and smokehouses lined the bluff and beach along Upper Cook Inlet “The Dene had a sophisticated understanding of their environment that allowed them to thrive for generations,” Grover said Smaller finds of Dene artifacts have turned up at Elmendorf-Richardson in the past but researchers believe that many caches were buried or destroyed when the military used heavy machinery to rapidly build the base during World War II Elmendorf-Richardson has had an Army and Air Force presence on Upper Cook Inlet dating back to 1940 Today it is a joint Air Force and Army installation with 32,000 service members Commands include the 11th Air Force and the Army’s 11th Airborne Division reserve or National Guard troops were involved in the excavation though volunteers on their own time have helped out the National Historic Preservation Act ensures sites considered for development are first surveyed for possible historic significance before any work begins “JBER cultural resources include historic buildings and districts “Site types span pre-colonial periods through the Cold War.” “Archaeological research supports current and future mission readiness by locating land use constraints early to allow time to avoid where possible or mitigate when necessary,” she said Archeologists found a cache near Cook Inlet this summer that dates back almost a thousand years The discovery is another testament that the Dene people have been the stewards of the lands in Southcentral Alaska for at least a millennia “It's further confirmation of Denaʼina oral tradition,” said Aaron Leggett the president of the Native Village of Eklutna “It also shows that there's still a lot more work to be done on Denaʼina archeology the Dene include Dena’ina and Ahtna people as well as other cultural groups of the Interior and Southcentral regions Leggett said that the Denaʼina people often followed the coast through the corridor of what is now JBER to get to fish camps in Anchorage Archeologists expected the cache to be a couple hundred years old but radiocarbon dating of the soil samples proved otherwise an archaeologist and cultural resources program manager with JBER “When we got the results back that said it was 960 years “(We) were jumping up and down in our cube in tears While some archeological sites in Alaska date up to 14,000 years back development and less stable ground conditions in Southcentral often facilitate degradation said another JBER archeologist and cultural resources program manager “In the scale of Alaska archeology and history But there's no sites that are that old on this side of the Inlet,” she said about the discovery “It's just like a little time capsule up there.” and there's giant spruce trees and birch trees and Knik Arm is just right there in front of you,” she said The cache – which is about three-and-a-half feet deep – was lined with birch bark to keep dirt Because the location is so close to the water researchers expected to see traces of marine animals and fish inside the cellar but the soil samples showed terrestrial animals such as moose or caribou archeologists plan to revisit the site and evaluate the soil around the pit to learn if those initial samples showed what kinds of meat were stored inside the cache or if they just reflect which mammals lived in the area the researchers collaborated with elders and knowledge holders from Denaʼina and Ahtna tribes This is how they learned about one physical landmark at the site – an old birch tree that has a letter T carved into it Eklutna elders remember a fish camp in the area that belonged to the Theodore family with ties to Eklutna and Knik tribes and some of them believe that the carving was an identifier for the camp Such discoveries are important to discuss to highlight the long-standing Indigenous history of Anchorage’s urban landscape 1914 is when it's first established,” she said “But there are people who were here much longer than that and they were amazing stewards of this land and so we have to make sure we acknowledge that.” Oral history and archeological analysis often go hand in hand who is a Chickaloon village tribal citizen and its tribal historic preservation officer “There are things that we know inherently from what was passed down about living in a place but there are other things that these archeological sites tell us about the past … and about hardship,” Wade said “And how our people really persevered through things like volcanic winter or time when the fish didn't show up.” half of Alaska’s population lives within the Dene lands and a lot of those areas have been disturbed tribal leaders said that a careful analysis of the remaining sites – in consultation with the tribes – is crucial “I feel like every site that we learn about every site that we can further investigate is a piece of our history that was potentially lost,” Wade said “So this is kind of regaining some of the history that we were separated from.” This work, U.S. Air Force sergeant makes leap to officer, by SrA Johnny Diaz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright Bear sightings at Alaska’s largest military installation are nearing a battalion-sized count for 2024 About 600 reports of black and grizzly bears in and around Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage this year have been filed with the Wildlife Conservation Law Enforcement Office and bears are very common,” said Erin Eaton “The majority of these calls require little to no intervention and are just bears passing through the area.” airmen and civilians at the base have learned to share the natural space surrounding the nearly 65,000-acre base with moose But the interlopers who get the most attention at Elmendorf-Richardson are the bears The base is the headquarters of several commands including the 11th Air Force and the Army’s 11th Airborne Division Bears have been photographed rummaging through soldiers’ curbside belongings diving into dumpster trash and clawing at discarded home furnishings in the base’s suburban-like neighborhoods the base’s Wildlife Conservation Law Enforcement Office received reports of bears getting into a food storage area leaving just the cardboard and wrapper carnage of emptied field rations called MREs Base officials couldn’t ascertain which of the approximately two dozen MRE combinations the bears gorged on Among MRE offerings listed on an Army website are Jalapeno Pepper Jack Beef Patty Spinach Mushrooms & Cream Sauce Fettuccine the most recognizable element in the photos supplied by the Army of the bear feast were empty bags of M&M chocolate candy a report came in “a little after midnight” of bears sighted inside a motor pool building The wildlife agents arrived to find what they say was a 1-year-old bear behind the driver’s wheel of a Humvee Army personnel took photos of the intruder then opened exterior doors and distracted the bear allowing it to amble off undisturbed away from the compound The base encourages a “live and let live” approach to the bears with specially trained wildlife officers responding to reports of sightings around populated areas “We strongly encouraged to report all bear sitings near parks the Elmendorf-Richardson wildlife biologist with the 673rd Civil Engineer Squadron briefs newcomers on how to keep wildlife away as a bear-related best practices for base residents Wildlife safety messages are also put up each spring when bears emerge from their dens Residents are also reminded to remove outdoor bird feeders before bears begin actively seeking food Summer’s exceptionally long warm days — with sometimes about 20 hours of sunshine — are a favorite for humans to go hiking and bears to go strolling a wide berth for the furry travelers is suggested the Elmendorf-Richardson wildlife conservation law enforcement officer with the 673d Civil Engineer Squadron said bear interactions at the end of autumn are common as their usual sources of nourishment diminish with the onset of the prolonged Alaskan winter “When more natural food for bears like berries “Bears are opportunistic and will follow their noses looking for food even if that’s in open buildings or unlocked vehicles.” Recommendations to Elmendorf-Richardson residents include limiting the Halloween display of pumpkins or jack-o-lanterns The 1,200 service members who enjoyed an early Thanksgiving feast at the base commissary on Nov 26 reported no bears sniffing around for festive foods It helped that the thermometer showed temperatures in the teens and below on a day when the sun was up for less than seven hours “It’s turned sharply colder lately,” Eaton said the bear reports at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson have steadily declined to zero.” The grizzly and black bears that live in the forests around the base are likely snug in their dens Eaton said everyone knows it’s a relatively short break and bears will return with the longer days of spring This work, New senior leader takes over Alaska’s top command, by Alaskan Command Public Affairs, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright a fifth-generation fighter jet from Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks performed during the Arctic Thunder Open House at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Sunday (Bill Roth / ADN) An F-35 fighter jet that experienced an in-flight malfunction crashed early Tuesday afternoon at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks The pilot declared an emergency and ejected prior to the crash just before 1 p.m Eielson officials said at a media briefing Tuesday The pilot was “safe” in stable condition and undergoing a medical evaluation Tuesday afternoon The pilot was transported to Bassett Army Hospital in Fairbanks for further evaluation and had been released as of Wednesday Asked about earlier reports that described the pilot as unhurt Townsend said he wasn’t ready to comment on any specific injuries A pilot in the area described a black column of smoke following the fiery crash Video circulating online shows the moment an F-35 fighter jet crashed Tuesday during a training exercise at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.The pilot experienced an “inflight malfunction” but was able to safely eject from the aircraft, officials said. https://t.co/dsv7KRNNJN pic.twitter.com/YaTfonFS7S “We are thankful that the pilot and those responding to the incident are safe,” Townsend said An investigation is underway into the cause of the malfunction The pilot was participating in a training in local airspace when the crash occurred The F-35s are long-range supersonic fighter jets with stealth capability that can reach anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere in one mission There are 54 of the fighter jets stationed at Eielson, which is located about 25 miles southeast of Fairbanks. The last two arrived at the base in 2022 Two squadrons of F-22 Raptor fighter jets are also stationed with the 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage The F-35A is the U.S. Air Force’s “latest fifth-generation fighter” that replaced an aging fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt II’s, according to an Eielson fact sheet The average price of one new F-35 was set at roughly $81 million in a preliminary deal for a large order of new aircraft between the U.S. Department of Defense and manufacturer Lockheed Martin as reported in December by Air & Space Forces Magazine Officials on Tuesday asked the public not to stop on the Richardson Highway adjacent to the base because it “poses a safety risk and impedes recovery efforts” and noted that federal law prohibits photography along that section of highway Townsend said an accident investigation board will convene to look into cause of the crash and a safety investigation will also be conducted “that looks at it from a safety perspective to see what we can do to prevent further incidents or mishaps.” There have been a number of crashes involving the stealth fighter jets in recent years, including one in 2023 in South Carolina that sparked a search after the plane proved hard to find A U.S. Marine Corps investigation found the jet that had an electrical malfunction and the pilot became disoriented, according to reporting in Military.com A test pilot was seriously injured by another F-35 crash near Albuquerque’s airport in May 2024 after taking off from Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. Asked if Tuesday’s crash affected Eielson’s faith in the F-35, Townsend said the base “will continue to look at the investigation and do our best to uncover any of the things that might have contributed to the incident. But right now, I can stand and say that I have full faith in the capabilities of the F-35A.” Zaz Hollander is a veteran journalist based in the Mat-Su and is currently an ADN local news editor and reporter. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com. Opens in new windowADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTMost read by subscribers1 Get your daily fix of Air & Space Force news delivered right to your inbox every day There's no more reliable source for news about your Air & Space Forces Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association Air Force airman new to Alaska died in a “workplace incident” Friday while performing maintenance on a fighter jet at Anchorage’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was working on an F-22 Raptor when he died Lexi Buckley declined to release additional information about what happened saying Crumlett's death remains under investigation No one else was injured during the incident where he was assigned to the base’s 90th Fighter Generation Squadron he worked on F-15 Strike Eagles and A-10 Warthogs as well as F-22 Raptors carries missiles and bombs in internal storage bays The bays are covered by doors designed to protect the Raptor from being detected on radar by quickly opening and closing in combat Base officers remembered Crumlett in an Air Force statement on Monday noting both his passion and his dedication to his comrades the Dicemen mourn the loss of one of our own,” said Lt Crumlett’s drive and willingness to help his fellow maintainers is a loss for the entire maintenance community We send our thoughts and prayers to his family JBER’s 3rd Wing paused operations on Friday after Crumlett’s death The base’s 90th and 525th Fighter Squadrons and their support units