Naukati Bay, Alaska
on Prince of Wales Island
| Naukati Bay, Alaska is a Community of
150 people located 35 miles North of Craig/Klawock, Alaska, 50 miles by
road. Naukati Bay was once a Logging Camp owned by Louisiana Pacific and
later turned over to the State of Alaska from the United States Forest
Service at which time the State of Alaska sold lots to residents to
form the community. Naukati Bay is now a Home Owners Association and is
a 501 C4 Corporation. In 2006 the community voted to become a 2nd Class
City but the vote was rejected and Naukati Bay remains a Home Owners
Association. In 2002 Naukati Bay needed funds to assist in the community financial needs and obtained a grant from the State of Alaska and also with financial help from the United States Forest Service built a "Oyster Nursery". The Oyster Nursery raises oyster spat (seed) from as small as 3mm to a marketable 18mm-25mm (1") and sells the larger healthy oysters to the grow out farms in the area and across Alaska. Naukati Bay's Oyster Nursery has been the only successful nursery in Alaska and provides the oyster farmers with a premium product that gives the farmers a one year head start to bring their product to market as well as having a dramatically reduced mortality rate. The Naukati Oyster Nursery provides our community over $20,000 a year in revenue to be used for everything from supporting our youth to repairing our roads. Community meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Naukati School. Each property owner and resident has a vote on current issues affecting our community. |
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 Eugene Gallous (right), Naukati, AK 74-1/2" Owen Parsley (middle), Ramona, CA 70-1/2" Nathan Wilson (left), Craig, AK 66" |
 Steve McCord (right), Naukati Bay, AK 77" Julie James (middle), Naukati Bay, AK 75" Deano Blake (left) Craig, AK 75" Steve's leaf was the largest ever entered in the Naukati Bay Skunk Cabbage Festival!!! WAY TO GO STEVE! leaves are measured by the length plus the width of the leaf not including the stem |
 2009 Axe Throwing CHAMPS! 1st Julie James(right), Naukati Bay, AK 2nd Cathryn Bower(left), Olympia, WA 1st John Garea(right), Naukati Bay, AK 2nd Hal Rhodes(left), Naukati Bay, AK |
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The photo to the left are the youth winners of the 2007 "Skunk Cabbage Festival" held every year at our Naukati Bay 4th of July Calibration. Naukati Bay pulls together each year with proceeds from fund raisers and donation's from businesses and residents for a simply awesome festival including a Pot Luck, Axe throwing contest, Chinese auction, Races and "aaaaaa well"....don't forget the "Chicken Poop Contest". PLUS! we have a "Fire Works Display" that's absolutely First Class. |
Axe Throwing
Chinese auction
2007 Adult Champs
4th of July Parade
Naukati's Very Own Mrs. Alaska
Naukati Community Church
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Naukati Bay "The Oyster Capital Of Alaska" |
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| Sea Otter Sound is rich with plankton and prefect currents to
sustain rapid growth to our shellfish and the local oyster farming
industry. The waters are cold, crystal clear
and pollution free
which makes for a firm perfect quality oyster and rapid growth
rates. Oysters do not molt (go in to a reproductive
cycle) in cold waters, therefore oyster spat or seed is purchased from
specialty hatcheries and raised in our area. The molt cycle in other
areas causes softening of the oyster flesh and an undesirable texture
and taste to oyster connoisseur's, that is why Alaska coastal grown oysters, especially ones
grown on the outside coastal waters, are the oyster of choice. Naukati
and the outside coastal archipelago of Southeast Alaska is rapidly
becoming known as: "The Oyster Capital of Alaska" Shipments of oysters from our area are expanding nation wide. Naukati Bay's "Flupsy" or oyster nursery has become famous not to mention an industry model for raising oyster spat from as small as 3 millimeters to 18 millimeters (1") to help supply this rapidly growing industry. Between the Naukati Oyster nursery and local oyster farmers there are literally MILLIONS of oysters being raised at the present time and that number is expected to increase with the addition of new grow out farms in our area. |
Naukati
HarborNaukati Bay is the access point for the entire Sea Otter Sound archipelago including the community of Edna Bay, several lodges, multiple private properties and homes, logging, fisheries and wildlife management, sportfishing, commercial fishing, oyster farming operations, mining operations, US Forest Service management and a multitude of other recreational activities.
Unfortunately, when the State of Alaska was building marinas in most of its coastal communities during the 1980's the Naukati Bay Waterfront was encumbered by Louisiana Pacific Logging Company for a log sort yard, dump and storage facility. Louisiana Pacific management refused to give up a portion of the waterfront for a marina therefore denying Naukati Bay a well deserved facility. In 2007 the community of Naukati Bay using proceeds from the oyster nursery and fund raisers had three piling driven at the cost of $16,357 and docks will be installed in the spring of 2008. The new facility will be a long awaited addition to the community. Donations from mariners using the facility or other interested parties will be greatly appreciated to assist in further expansion.
Naukati Bay moves forward with its new Marina and Load/Launch Ramp thanks to the
State of Alaska DOT and the Denali Commission. Construction is expected to be complete by September 2013
Click here to view current plans (864kb pdf)
Plans include a drive down ramp which will be a long overdue asset to the community, local industry including our rapidly expanding oyster industry, residents and businesses of the greater Sea Otter Sound area
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Road Maintenance Naukati Bay received its first new piece of construction equipment in 2012 with the addition of a Volvo Road Grader shown in the photo with community grader operator Bob Prefontain grading one of our many roads. (Bob is driving, that is Snooks supervising). Naukati Bay is a very mild climate, slightly cooler then Seattle. However, we can get some good snow falls and icing conditions that can stay with us for several weeks. Keeping the roads open for both transportation and public safety is vey important and a community priority. |
Naukati Bay receives a relic from the past.
The "Steam Donkey" was used in logging operations throughout Southeast Alaska to "yard" or pull logs from the woods.
This particular Steam Donkey was used in the Sea Otter Sound area in the 1940's-1950's. It was recently restored in
a joint effort by the United States Forest Service and Channel Construction of Juneau, Alaska and placed on the
Naukati Bay waterfront as a museum piece.
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