Mount McKinley’s roots restored
Obama renames peak as Denali, its original name
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will change the name of North America’s tallest mountain peak from Mount McKinley to Denali, the White House said Sunday, a major symbolic gesture to Alaska Natives on the eve of President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Alaska.
By renaming the peak Denali, an Athabascan word meaning “the high one,” Mr. Obama waded into a sensitive and decades-old conflict between residents of Alaska and Ohio. Alaskans have informally called the mountain Denali for years, but the federal government recognizes its name invoking the 25th president, William McKinley, who was born in Ohio, served as its governor and was assassinated early in his second term.
“With our own sense of reverence for this place, we are officially renaming the mountain Denali in recognition of the traditions of Alaska Natives and the strong support of the people of Alaska,” said Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.
The announcement came as Mr. Obama prepared to open a three-day visit to Alaska aimed at infusing fresh urgency into his call to action on climate change. To the dismay of some Alaska Republicans, the White House has choreographed the trip to showcase melting glaciers and other cherished natural wonders in Alaska that Mr. Obama says are threatened by warmer temperatures.
More than 3.5 trillion tons of water have melted off Alaska’s glaciers since 1959, when Alaska first became a state, studies show — enough to fill more than 1 billion Olympic-sized pools.
The crucial, coast-hugging sea ice that protects villages from storms and makes hunting easier is dwindling in summer and is now absent each year a month longer than it was in the 1970s, other studies find. The Army Corps of Engineers identified 26 villages where erosion linked to sea ice loss threatens the communities’ very existence.
So far this year, more than 5.1 million acres in Alaska — an area the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined — have burned in wildfires. In the first 10 years of
statehood, Alaska averaged barely a quarter million acres of wildfires yearly. The last 10 years have averaged 1.2 million acres.
And scientists say those things are happening — at least partly and probably mostly — because of another thing they can measure: Alaska’s temperature. Alaska’s yearly average temperature has jumped 3.3 degrees since 1959 and the winter average has spiked 5 degrees since statehood, according to federal records. Last year was the hottest on record and so far this year Alaska is a full degree warmer than last year.
But Mr. Obama’s visit is also geared toward displaying solidarity with Alaska Natives, who face immense economic challenges and have warned of insufficient help from the federal government.
For the local population, White House advisers say, climate change is a “present-tense issue.” Rising sea levels and coastal erosion claim a football field-sized parcel of land each day, requiring citizens to consider extreme steps such as the relocation of entire communities to survive, they say.
As his first stop after arriving in Anchorage today, Mr. Obama planned to hold a listening session with Alaska Natives.
The president was also expected to announce new steps to help Alaska Native communities on Wednesday when he becomes the first sitting president to visit the Alaska Arctic.
It was unclear whether Ohio would mount an effort to block the name change. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said he was disappointed in what he called “yet another example of the president going around Congress.”
At 20,320 feet, the mountain stands as the continent’s tallest, and is still growing at a rate of about 1 millimeter per year, according to the National Park Service. Known for its majestic views, the mountain is dotted with glaciers and covered at the top with snow year-round, with powerful winds that make it difficult for the adventurous few who seek to climb it.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who had pushed legislation for years to change the name, said Alaskans were “honored” to recognize the mountain as Denali — a change in tone for the Alaska Republican, who had spoken out against Mr. Obama’s energy policies in anticipation of his visit to her state.
Gov. Bill Walker joined Ms. Murkowski and other Alaskans in praising Mr. Obama for the change. The state of Alaska has had a standing request to change the name dating back to 1975, when the Legislature passed a resolution and then-Gov. Jay Hammond appealed to the federal government.
The White House cited Ms. Jewell’s authority to change the name, and Ms. Jewell issued a secretarial order officially changing it to Denali. The Interior Department said the U.S. Board on Geographic Names had been deferring to Congress since 1977, and cited a 1947 law that allows the Interior Department to change names unilaterally when the board fails to act “within a reasonable time.” The board shares responsibility with the Interior Department for naming such landmarks.
The peak got its officially recognized name in 1896, when a prospector was exploring mountains in central Alaska, the White House said. Upon hearing the news that McKinley, a Republican, had received his party’s nomination to be president, the prospector named it after him and the name was formally recognized.
In an attempt to show Mr. Obama wasn’t coming to Alaska empty-handed, the White House on Sunday also announced plans to create a “young engagement program” to help rural and Alaska Native youth in the Arctic.
The administration said it would also provide nearly $400,000 for a pair of commissions that govern local fishing, along with more than $1 million in funding from the federal government and Alaska groups to fund U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service advisers.