Orientation guide for new members of the Heceta Island Settlement. Read this in its entirety before asking questions. Most of your questions are answered below. The rest are answered by experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people live here?
As of last count, 43 adults and 4 children. The number changes. Sometimes it goes up (you’re here). Occasionally it goes down (people leave, usually for Craig or Klawock on Prince of Wales Island; one person left for Kosciusko Island to the north and we haven’t heard from her since, which either means she’s doing great or she isn’t).
Is there electricity?
Limited. Greg maintains a solar array salvaged from a defunct fish processing facility and a small wind turbine. Combined output is enough to power the mesh network hub, the medical station’s essential equipment, and one shared charging station. If you brought a device, you may charge it on Tuesdays and Fridays. There is nothing to connect it to. Some people charge them anyway. We don’t judge. Okay, we judge a little.
Is there internet?
No. There is a local mesh network that hosts this site, a shared document archive, and an increasingly competitive chess tournament. The mesh covers the main settlement area and Shelter Four. Beyond that, you are offline in every sense of the word. Most people find this distressing for approximately two weeks, then liberating, then they stop thinking about it entirely.
What about medical care?
Dr. Tanaka is a marine biologist, not a medical doctor, but she is the closest thing we have and she has kept all of us alive so far through a combination of the salvaged antibiotics, a comprehensive first aid reference, traditional herbal knowledge she has researched extensively, and what she describes as “aggressive common sense.” For serious medical issues, we are establishing a trade relationship with the clinic in Craig. Don’t get seriously ill if you can avoid it.
What do I eat?
Salmon. Deer. Shellfish. Berries. Edible plants. Occasionally goose or duck. See The Larder for comprehensive information. Meals are communal and served twice daily at Shelter One. If you miss meal time, you eat what’s left. There are no snacks. There is no menu. There is food, and it is the food that is available, and you will eat it and be grateful because six months ago you were eating cold canned beans in the dark on a boat.
Where do I sleep?
New arrivals are assigned to Shelter Four for the duration of orientation (minimum 14 days). After orientation, the Council assigns permanent quarters based on availability and household composition. Singles share. Families get partitioned spaces. Nobody gets a private room except Dale, and that’s because Dale built his own shelter with his own hands and dared anyone to say something about it.
What is orientation?
A 14-day (minimum) introduction to settlement life. You will learn: basic safety protocols, bear awareness, foraging fundamentals, fish processing basics, water purification, shelter maintenance, and community expectations. You will be assessed on aptitude and attitude. The aptitude part is flexible — we’ll teach you what you don’t know. The attitude part is not.
What’s expected of me?
Work. Every able-bodied adult contributes to the settlement’s survival. Tasks are assigned by the Council based on skill, need, and season. Common assignments include: fishing, hunting support, food processing, shelter construction and repair, water management, firewood, child supervision, teaching, and latrine maintenance. Yes, latrine maintenance. No, you cannot opt out.
What skills are valuable?
In approximate order of current need: fishing/hunting experience, carpentry, medical knowledge (any level), mechanical repair, food preservation, plant identification, sewing/textile work, teaching, and small boat handling. Also valuable: the ability to remain calm, work in the rain, and tolerate other people’s company in close quarters for extended periods.
Skills that are not currently valuable but that we maintain out of principle: music (Sarah has a guitar), storytelling, mathematics, and whatever Monk does when he stares at trees.
What if I don’t want to follow the rules?
Then you are welcome to leave. Heceta Island is large. The rest of it is uninhabited. You may establish yourself anywhere outside the settlement boundary (marked with orange flagging tape). You will not receive community food, shelter, medical care, or protection. The bears will not check your membership status.
This is not a threat. It is a description of the alternative. Most people choose to stay.
Are there children?
Four, ages 6 through 14. They are educated communally. The curriculum covers reading, mathematics, natural science (emphasis on ecology and marine biology), history, and practical skills. They are also, without exception, better at identifying edible plants than any adult who arrived after Year One. This is both humbling and encouraging.
Can I leave?
Anytime. Greg’s skiff makes supply runs to Craig approximately monthly, weather permitting. You can arrange passage. We will not stop you. We will, however, ask that you don’t tell people exactly where we are unless you trust them completely. This is not paranoia. It’s caution. There’s a difference, though the line gets thinner every year.
Is this permanent?
We don’t know. Nobody knows. The Radio Log picks up fragments from settlements all over the coast — some thriving, some struggling, some gone silent. Somewhere, presumably, people are rebuilding something larger. Governments. Infrastructure. Supply chains. Maybe someday we’ll rejoin whatever that becomes. Maybe we won’t. Maybe this is what comes next — small communities, close to the land, doing the work with their hands.
It’s not the worst thing. It’s not the best thing. It’s the thing that’s happening.
“You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be cold and tired and your hands are going to hurt and you’re going to eat more fish than you ever thought possible. But you’re going to be okay.”
— Sarah Peterson, standard greeting to new arrivals