Donlin Gold and Desert Air Send Water and Other Resources to Tuluksak
Donlin Gold and Desert Air are partnering to send water and other resources to the community of Tuluksak after a fire destroyed the village’s only source of clean water.
A Desert Air DC-3 delivered multiple 200-gallon water tanks, pumps, hoses, garbage cans, totes, baby wipes, and other paper products, along with a supply of drinking water to the village.
“We made a commitment to the people of the Yukon-Kuskokwim region to support communities with resources in their time of need, particularly when it comes to health and safety,” says Kristina Woolston, Donlin Gold’s external affairs manager.
“We will continue working with Tuluksak’s Tribal Administrator and forming partnerships to provide aid for as long as it takes for a permanent solution to materialize.”
Donlin Gold previously sent fifty cases of water and other basic items to Tuluksak and shortly afterward developed a partnership for another shipment of supplies with Desert Air.
“The villages make up the entirety of our business, so when we recognized there was a need in the region, we reached out to Donlin Gold to combine our efforts to help out,” says Joey Benetka, president of Desert Air.
“Freight is expensive to send to rural Alaska, so we wanted to offer a flight we know would be well utilized and full to maximum capacity.”
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May 2026
“We, the community of Tuluksak, are very grateful for the enormous support that Donlin Gold and Desert Air have provided,” says Middy Peter, Chair of Native Village of Tuluksak.
In collaboration with Tuluksak’s Tribal Administrator, Donlin Gold will send the following items to Tuluksak as part of its efforts to assist in the water crisis:
- Four to six 200-gallon Greer water tanks that can be filled at the river and transported in a truck bed or behind a four-wheeler or snowmachine to each home to fill the large containers we are providing
- Pumps, hoses and small generators to pump the water from the 200-gallon container to the in-home containers
- Ninety-five 32-gallon garbage cans (larger in-home water containers)
- 50 Rubbermaid totes (for bathing and clothes washing containers)
- 50 Floor brushes (also for clothes washing)
- Baby wipes and paper towels
Due to the amount and weight of the items, multiple trips are planned to complete the delivery.
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