Beginning January 1, 2014, every American must demonstrate health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This means if you do not already have coverage (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare, Denali KidCare or private insurance) you will be required to purchase health insurance or face a penalty when filing your taxes. The tax penalty could be as much as $695 per adult and $347.50 per child.

Alaska Native and American Indian people are exempt from the requirement to purchase insurance if they can show evidence of:

a)     Enrollment in a federally recognized tribe, or

b)     Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) shareholder status

Even with this exemption, Alaska Native and American Indian people may choose to purchase insurance. Alaskans will have a new option of purchasing health insurance through the federal marketplace as early as October 2013 for plan coverage effective January 1, 2014.

Some Alaskans will qualify for premium subsidies based on income. For instance, an individual earning up to $57,400, or a family of four earning up to $117,760, may receive financial assistance when purchasing insurance.

Frequently asked questions:

Q: How do I enroll in a Tribe?

A: Tribal enrollment rules are different for every Tribe. You are most likely to qualify for Tribal enrollment in the village where your family comes from. Contact your family’s Tribe(s) to learn about what is required for enrollment. Tribal addresses can be found at www.ncai.org/tribaldirectory. You may also contact the Alaska Regional Office Bureau of Indian Affairs at (800) 645-8465, option 1.

Q: Does my Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB), issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), count?

A: While the CIB is an important document, you will still need to show proof of tribal enrollment to qualify for the exemption from the tax penalty.

Q: Does it have to be a card or can it be a letter?

A: The Tribe may choose to issue an enrollment card or provide a letter that verifies Tribal status.

Q: Do I have to establish blood quantum?

A:  Some Tribes may require a minimum blood quantum, so it’s important to contact the Tribe.

For more information on the ACA, please visit www.healthcare.gov

The deadline to send change of address information and direct deposit information updates is

June 17, 2013. To request a direct deposit form or change of address form, or for any questions regarding this distribution, please contact LaToya Lukin at shareholderrecords@koniag.com or by phone (907) 481-4124 or Toll Free: (800) 658-3818.  You may also find those forms on the Koniag Website at:  http://www.koniag.com/our-shareholders/records/,  and fax or scan and e-mail them to Shareholder Records.

Koniag, Inc. President Will Anderson steps down, Board appoints interim President

(Anchorage, Alaska) – Koniag, Inc., the regional Native corporation for the Kodiak Island region, announced today that Will Anderson has agreed to step down as President and Chief Executive Officer effective immediately.  Tom Panamaroff will serve as interim President with Ron Unger, Koniag’s Chairman serving as Interim CEO.   Mr. Panamaroff has been with Koniag for several years, most recently as President and CEO of Koniag Development Corporation.  Mr. Unger has served on Koniag’s Board for the past nine years and as its Chairman since October 2012.

“Mr. Anderson has made a substantial contribution to Koniag during his seven years as President, growing and diversifying the company’s business operations,” stated Mr. Unger.   “He also made significant strides in promoting regional unity and preserving cultural programs.  The Board of Directors thanks Mr. Anderson for his long-term commitment to Koniag, our region and our shareholders.”

About Koniag, Inc.
Koniag, Inc. is one of the 13 Alaska Native regional corporations established in 1971 by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). Koniag represents the Alutiiq people from Alaska’s Kodiak Island region. Koniag manages a diverse portfolio of real estate holdings and operating companies.  For more information, visit www.Koniag.com.

Koniag has been making a concerted effort to diversify businesses as part of our new business model. One of the most exciting developments was the 2012 purchase of a heavy-construction company based in Kodiak. For the past 32 years, Anderson Construction has worked on a diverse range of local projects, mostly on the road system, but also including work on the Pillar Mountain wind turbines, Terror Lake hydroelectric and underground utilities.

Teaming up with Anderson helps Koniag’s family of companies offer a broader range of services that enables our corporation to pursue more contracts. The advantage to Anderson is that the company now has access to Koniag’s strong capabilities.

“Physically, we’re still doing business as usual,” says company founder Mike Anderson (no relation to Will Anderson), “with the exception of we have access to bigger projects. One of the main things we’re doing right now is opening up the Shakmanof Cove granite quarry. That’s a major project.”

Anderson has eight full-time employees and brings on additional, temporary employees during seasonal workload increases.

“Some of the other projects we’re looking at for Koniag,” Anderson says, “like the Port Lions ferry dock, we’re going to be adding additional employees.”

The projects Anderson Construction manages, benefits the entire community of Kodiak by creating infrastructure – such as the boat launch, parking lots, road maintenance and repairing the leak to the tunnel at Terror Lake, utilized by all Kodiak residents.

“And we sell gravel and topsoil and all types of rock products to any users and other contractors,” Anderson says. “At the quarry, we’ll be producing armor rock for marine projects. The rock is of extremely high quality and we hope to be able to use it for aggregate for paving roads in the future. It’s a huge resource and we hope to be able to export it. Anything from there has to come by barge, anyhow, and Kodiak is centrally located to the road system of Alaska.”

Anderson states that the rock mined at the Shakmanof Cove quarry is very hard and, when used in asphalt, it better resists the wear and tear caused by studded tires over other rock products. Because of this, Koniag’s quarry will be a benefit to Alaskans far beyond Kodiak Island, helping local governments save money on frequent road re-paving.

Anderson Construction is well-positioned for growth and, as Mike Anderson gets closer to retirement age, he wanted a partner who was based in Kodiak and would take good care of the company he worked so hard to build.

“We have plenty of equipment to do most any and all projects,” he says. “Koniag offers a lot of opportunities, particularly in the rock quarry and other projects moving forward. They give us a lot of capabilities to do more work and explore new horizons.”

MacDonald is a project manager for KTS who provides technical programmatic support to the Presidential Communications Modernization Program Management Office, White House Communications Agency (WHCA).  The challenges were many, as the project had to incorporate the latest communications technology into the facility and the team had to operate under pressing deadlines, with an impending conference scheduled to take place at the new facility.

The KTS team, led by MacDonald, didn’t flinch at the challenge. MacDonald combined his skills of managing resources, coordinating extensively with stakeholders, providing technical oversight and keeping his team motivated to complete the project prior to the conference. In a testament to KTS, the project was not only completed on time and on budget, it has become a beacon of innovation for others to emulate.

In advance of the conference, the senior national security staff arrived to set up their command post. They immediately commented on the capabilities of the new technologically advanced and highly capable facility. The most significant compliment to MacDonald came from President Obama himself. After entering the new conference facility, the President said, “This is a nicer conference room than the one I have. How come I don’t have one like this?”

The president’s comments are significant and stand as a demonstration of the superb quality of work provided by MacDonald and the KTS Team. WHCA and Koniag leadership held a ceremony July 18, 2012 at the new facility and expressed their gratitude to MacDonald for a job well done.

Kayla Christiansen holds up an Alutiiq headdress she beaded. Photo by Nicole Klauss.

Kayla Christiansen has been sewing with sealskin and beading since she was seven years old.

Now, 12 years later, she is still sewing and has turned her talent into a part-time business.

Christiansen, 19, first learned how to sew with sealskin during an Alutiiq week in Old Harbor, where she grew up.

“We had an Alutiiq week where we do all traditional stuff like sewing, traditional cooking, and carving masks,” Christiansen said. “I was taught by elders how to bead. I just kept doing it as a hobby.”

With practice she developed her skill. At first, she away her pieces for free, but people told her it was so good she could make money from it.

Christiansen started selling her pieces at age 12, after only five years of working with the material. She is one of the youngest people in her village who knows how to do traditional sealskin sewing.

“Not very many people do the traditional sewing,” Christiansen said. “The whole village loves all my work and everyone is really encouraging.”
She makes earrings, barrettes, checkbook covers, necklaces, bracelets and custom pieces.

Christiansen usually gets her sealskin from other people, although she did shoot one seal on her own.

“I’ve shot one of my own,” Christiansen said. “Usually other people go out and shoot them. When they don’t need the skin, they give it to me, and in return I make something for them or their wives or their daughters.”

Her creative process starts by picking beads. She matches them to different leathers and pelts and comes up with an idea for what she wants to make.

A small pair of beaded sealskin earrings takes around 45 minutes to make, while more elaborate projects, like her prized Alutiiq-style headdress, can take more than a week to finish.

Kayla Christiansen's pieces feature beading and sealskin. Photo by Nicole Klauss.

Christiansen is living in Kodiak and attending classes at Kodiak College, where she is working to earn her associate of arts degree. Balancing the two work loads isn’t difficult for her.

“I make sure to get my homework done before I start a project,” Christiansen said. “It’s a reward if I finish my homework.”

To find out more information about purchasing some of Christiansen’s pieces, contact her at 907-539-2434. Her items can also be purchased or viewed at the Alutiiq Museum.

Contact Mirror writer Nicole Klauss at nklauss@kodiakdailymirror.com.

This is a temporary/seasonal position during the winter months.  The winter watchperson would be expected to work alongside the facility operator during repairs and facilities upkeep.  The incumbent should expect to work 40-60 hours per week.

The position will start by early Feburary and last until April.   Work rotation schedule will be 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off.  

BASED ON THE ROTATION SCHEDULE AND TRANSPORTATION LOGISTICS, KONIAG SHAREHOLDERS & CANDIDATES FROM THE COMMUNITIES OF LARSEN BAY AND KODIAK ARE STRONGLY PREFERRED.  

For more information and to apply, go to https://www.appone.com/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=669014   

CLOSING DATE:  1/29/13