Eugene Asicksik, the mayor at the time, had watched Shaktoolik’s shoreline erode for years. After the September 2013 storm threw tree-sized driftwood dangerously close to the homes, Eugene knew something had to be done to protect the community. He turned to beavers for inspiration, designing Shaktoolik’s first storm surge berm based on the impressive beaver dams upriver.

"We were lucky to have the berm in place. The next day, the water levels went down and the erosion was noticeable."

Early fall weather conditions brought on an extreme storm surge in a Norton Sound community.