The text describes the delayed winter river travel in Venetie, Alaska, United States. The author notes that it is unusual for the river to still have open water in January, preventing travel down to Fort Yukon. As an alternative, travelers must use the trail, which is rough due to little snow and obstacles such as tree stumps and overflows. The author notes that this is a hard winter for travel. The text is signed by M. Brubaker on behalf of the Venetie Tribal Council.

Observation: We still cannot travel on the river. There is still open water. We are usually traveling on the river, down to Fort Yukon, by November. Here it is January and no one has traveled the river yet. That is unheard of. The alternative is to go by trail. With little snow this year the travel is very rough. You have to watch out for bumps and tree stumps which are usually covered with snow. There is also a lot of over flow in some places, where you can get stuck. It is a hard winter for travel. M. Brubaker (ANTHC) for, Jerry Frank, First Chief, Venetie Tribal Council