The Bering Strait Region Cooperative Extension serves the residents of Nome and 15 Alaska Native villages in the surrounding 36,000 square miles in western Alaska. The majority of the region's population is Inuit (Yupik, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, and Inupiaq) and resides in villages across the Seward Peninsula. Villages are entirely off the road system requiring commercial airline or private charter for the majority of travel, even between villages.
Cooperative Extension rents office space from UAF Northwest Campus in Nome. Outreach
includes reindeer husbandry education, animal health and disease, summer camps for
youth and adults in natural resources, and workshops in food preservation and traditional
Native crafts (introduction to tanning skins into leather, leather stitching, and
carving with antler, hoofs and bones).
Intro to Industrial Sewing 1
Wednesday, March 11, 6-9 p.m., UAF Northwest Campus, 400 East Front St., Seppälä Building sewing studio in Nome
Join this three-hour workshop offered by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service Nome District Office. Learn hands-on about the JUKI 1541 industrial sewing machine. Register by 5 p.m. Monday, March 9 at https://forms.gle/nk9tM6DxN98hkdUR8. Cost $30.
Intro to Industrial Sewing 2
Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., UAF Northwest Campus, 400 East Front St., Seppälä Building sewing studio in Nome
A refresher on the skills learned in Level 1, such as sewing machine safety, maintenance, threading the machine, spooling a bobbin, stitch width and how to adjust the servo motor speed. During level 2, students will independently set up their machine, trace and cut leather using a given pattern of a luggage tag or mini wallet, and sew the project to completion.
Register by 5 p.m. on March 10 using this link: https://forms.gle/fYokJHuk5zPaWMFK7. Cost is $30.
Upcoming events
Events
Mar 10
UAF online/virtual event, Contact organizer
Monday, March 9, 2026, 5:30 – 7pm
Preserve last year's berry and fruit harvests for the pantry shelf, and free up some freezer space for this year! In this class, UAF Extension Professor Sarah Lewis will teach water bath canning skills for people of all experience levels, with a focus on frozen berries and fruits, offering creative canning recipes. The cost is $12.
For more information and to register, visit https://bit.ly/SpringKitchenSeries. The Zoom link will be emailed upon successful registration.
Upcoming classes:
March 16: Make Room in the Freezer, Part 2: Pressure Canning Frozen Fish and Game 5:30-7 p.m.
Contact Sarah Lewis at 907-455-2010 or email sarah.lewis@alaska.edu.
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Categories: Public events calendar - Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension calendar, Anchorage CES calendar, Bethel CES calendar, Bristol Bay/Dillingham CES calendar, Delta Junction CES calendar, Southeast CES calendar, Kenai/Soldotna CES calendar, Kodiak CES calendar, Mat-Su/Copper River CES calendar, Northwest/Nome CES calendar, Sitka CES calendar, Fairbanks/Tanana CES calendar, Tribes CES calendar
Could this event have 200 or more attendees? There are campus considerations for large events.: FALSE
Mar 12
Contact organizer
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 6 – 9pm
Join this three-hour workshop offered by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service Nome District Office. Learn hands-on about the JUKI 1541 industrial sewing machine. The workshop is limited to five adult students, ages 18 and up. Topics of study include: sewing machine safety, maintenance, threading the machine, spool a bobbin, stitch width, and how to adjust the servo motor speed.
Students are encouraged to bring a smartphone to scan the QR code tutorials during class, allowing each participant to learn at their own speed. Materials and equipment provided. The fee is $30 payable in cash on the day of the workshop to the instructor.
Location: UAF Northwest Campus, 400 East Front St., Seppälä Building sewing studio in Nome.
This workshop, Level 1, is a prerequisite for a separate Workshop Level 2, to be held on your choice of March 12 or 14, 2026, and potentially again in May 2026.
Deadline to register online for Level 1 is 5 p.m. on March 9. Use the online form or visit https://forms.gle/nk9tM6DxN98hkdUR8. Register online early for best availability.
Students will be emailed with confirmation.
For more information, contact Jackie Hrabok at jhrabok@alaska.edu or 907-443-8412.
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Categories: Public events calendar - Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension calendar, Northwest/Nome CES calendar
Could this event have 200 or more attendees? There are campus considerations for large events.: FALSE
Mar 13
Contact organizer
Friday, March 13, 2026, 9am – 4:30pm
Students will learn about the traditional methods of tanning leather using vegetable tannins harvest from the tundra within the Bering Strait Region. An introduction to the reindeer industry and value-added crafting using antlers, bones, hoofs, leathers, and fur will be had. Students will scratch, sniff, and handle an assortment of leathers and furs. Each student will learn the art of leather tooling and leather stamping, including painting on leather. Individual projects may include making a custom leather key fob, luggage tag, mini wallet, or other small hand crafted leather item.
Students will participate in a demonstration of the use of a JUKI 1541 industrial leather sewing machine.
Private event, not open to the public
For more information, contact Jackie Hrabok, jhrabok@alaska.edu or 907-443-8412.
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Categories: Cooperative Extension calendar, Northwest/Nome CES calendar
Could this event have 200 or more attendees? There are campus considerations for large events.: FALSE
Events
To make an appointment, contact Jacqueline Hrabok.
Email: jhrabok@alaska.edu
Phone: 907-443-8412
Email preferred.
We are located at Northwest Campus in the main building. Our physical address is 400 East Front Street, Nome, Alaska 99762-0400
Nome District Office
@UAF Northwest Campus
P.O. Box 400
Nome, AK 99762-0400