INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

‘Yukon Men’ Returns As Tanana Residents Struggle To Protect Their Way Of Life

By Charlinda Robinson
Published on: 03:07 PST, Mar 23, 2017

Tanana is a small town located deep in the remote interior of Alaska, and for years they enjoyed a sense of isolation since the only way to get there was by boat or plane. Wildfires, predator threats, changing climate, and other dangers all contribute toward making surviving in and around Tanana a challenge, but a new road connecting Tanana to Fairbanks will bring a whole new set of challenges to the inhabitants.

Broadway World shared that when the outside world comes to Tanana, residents are afraid that their way of life will disappear. Wildfires have already disrupted their ability to hunt, leaving over half a million acres of their prized hunting and trapping lands totally incinerated. They are doing what they can to recover from the devastation, but when outsiders find their way into the area to hunt, it will deplete the scarce natural resources even more.

The road began to impact the residents of Tanana before it was even completed, but on the previous season of Yukon Men, they proved that they could adapt to the changes. For the most part, Yukon Men features a particular group of residents that fans of the popular series are now very familiar with. James Roberts has provided firewood to friends and neighbors for several years, but when thousands of trees were cut down to make way for the road, it left his business high and dry. James didn’t let that deter him for long, and on the previous season of Yukon Men, he purchased a portable sawmill. Now he can produce lumber that residents can use to help rebuild after the fires decimated so many structures in the surrounding area.

Last season on Yukon Men, Stan Zuray helped to fight the fires and then worked to replace a cabin that was burned in the woods. Hunters, trappers, or those just seeking refuge from the brutal winters the region experiences rely on the cabins, and Stan wanted to make sure the structure was rebuilt as quickly as possible. Everyone in Tanana who hunts or traps is aware of the cabin, and it undoubtedly has saved many lives over the years.

Pat Moore owns the top kennel in Tanana and his fiercely independent daughter, Courtney Agnes, has been a major asset on Yukon Men when it comes to training and caring for his prized sled dogs. Yukon Men fans know that Pat has his hands full since his wife, Lorraine, suffered a life-threatening brain aneurysm, and over the last few years she has been slowly recovering but still needs a lot of assistance. He also accepted a job working on the road to Tanana, which surprised some of his friends. Most residents are worried how the road will affect their way of life, but they seem to have accepted the fact that it was inevitable. Now on this season of Yukon Men, they will need to focus on how not just to survive, but to thrive despite the influx of people they are expecting now that the road project is completed.

Charlie Wright, another one of the hard working residents on Yukon Men, is the town’s water plant operator and mechanic. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and trapping, and usually goes out with friends or with his son, Bob. He would like for his son to stay in Tanana, but Bob has other plans. Bob left once before, but as fans of Yukon Men know, a serious snow machine accident left him no other option but to return home to heal and recover. On the last season of Yukon Men, once he was back on his feet Bob had to decide whether he would head back to Fairbanks or stay in Tanana to help his father.

The residents on Yukon Men are now at a crossroads as each one must decide whether they can adapt and embrace the changes that are coming their way. The Futon Critic shared that if the residents of Tanana aren’t proactive and ready for what’s coming, outside forces control could end a way of life they and their ancestors before them have enjoyed for hundreds of years.

Are you a fan of Yukon Men? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions concerning Yukon Men below. Yukon Men returns for a sixth season on Friday, April 21 at 9 p.m. ET on the Discovery Channel.

[Featured Image by Discovery Channel, used with permission]

Share this article: ‘Yukon Men’ Returns As Tanana Residents Struggle To Protect Their Way Of Life
More from Inquisitr