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When it comes to herding sheep in Alaska, Art Christenson is building a legacy. Art has been herding sheep on Chernofski Ranch on Unalaska Island for the last 53 years. 

He started out as a ranch hand and sheep shearer when he was 21 years old.  He purchased the sheep and the grazing lease in 1997 and has managed it since. 

The Chernofski Ranch has been in production for 107 years. Records go as far back as 1919, when sheep were brought to the southwestern part of Unalaska Island. The ranch is named after the harbor on the grazing lease. 

“The ranch has been there for over 100 years and the local people appreciate its value,” Art said. “It’s a legacy that people support and want to see continue. The ranch has a long-standing relationship with the local community. People pitch in to maintain the operation because of the quality it adds to the community.”

Perfect for Growing Animals

Unalaska is one of many islands on the Aleutian Island chain, which spans more than 1,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Bering Sea. The rugged, mountainous, and treeless landscape often gets rain, fog and high winds. Summers are cool and wet, and winters are mild compared to most of Alaska. These conditions make for excellent year-round forage for sheep.

Art describes the Aleutian Islands as “perfect for growing animals.” 

“It’s cold for people, but the animals have very few needs and they thrive out here,” he said. 

Art spends six months of every year at Chernofski Ranch, from about April through October, depending on when he can find a boat ride from Dutch Harbor. Just getting to the ranch is a logistical feat, requiring a flight to Anchorage, then a small plane to Dutch Harbor, then a nine-hour boat ride to the ranch. The maritime climate often causes weather delays. The other six months of the year he spends shearing sheep in Nevada and California.

Art’s family is from California, where he started working with sheep and orphaned lambs when he was four years old. His grandfather had sheep and his father had orchards, so agriculture was always a part of his life. Add to that a degree in animal science, and Art was primed at an early age for herd ownership.

A Starkly Aleutian Herd

Art describes his herd as “Starkly Aleutian” as they have been a closed herd for many decades, with Unalaska Island being their only home. They are all white-faced sheep originally from Montana. They are a mix of Merino and Rambouillet, premier fine-wool sheep known for high-quality, soft fleeces; and Lincoln, a larger, long-wool breed that produces heavy, lustrous fleeces similar in quality to New Zealand wool.  

Each spring, Art brings the sheep in from the rangeland and sorts them, shears them, and identifies some for slaughter. He sells sheep directly to consumers on the island, typically 30 to 40 lambs each year. The meat feeds more than 30 families on Unalaska and contributes to food security in a very remote part of Alaska that is vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.

“People who are sick with health problems especially want the meat,” Art said. “They feel it is like medicine for them, being raised freely on the rangeland of the island.” 

Art sends the fleece to Fairbanks where it’s cleaned and spun, and the spun wool is returned to Unalaska Island to be sold locally. He also sends about 20 hides to the East Coast every year for tanning and resale. 

Conserving Rangeland with Grazing Management

Art has worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to protect the health and vigor of the rangelands and improve grazing management of his herd. He worked with Craig Sanders, NRCS Resource Conservationist, to replace five miles of damaged fenceline, which allows him to manage his sheep. The sheep graze over 5,000 acres, about half of which are fenced. Art used the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to accomplish the project. 

“The fencing through EQIP helped keep the ranch moving forward, because it kept production coming out of the ranch, in the way of keeping people working, and helping with the cost of sheep production,” he said. 

A Life Woven with Perseverance

After coming and going through Unalaska for so many years, Art looks forward to catching up with many friends when he arrives in town each spring. They look out for each other. If someone is going by Chernofski Harbor, they check in and see if there’s anything he might need, which could include parts for a four-wheeler or supplies for living. 

He relies on ranch help from young men who live on nearby islands. They come work on the ranch every summer and enjoy learning. Art thinks one of them may be interested in taking operations when he is no longer able. 

Art said that life is not easy on the island. The climate is foggy, wet and cold, and repairs are always needed to infrastructure. The nearest grocery store is in Dutch Harbor, a nine-hour boat ride away from the ranch.  But it’s the life that Art knows and loves. 

“The Aleutian Islands are so incredibly beautiful and unique,” Art said. “The emerald islands are something to be experienced and hard to adequately describe in words that give them justice. I can’t imagine not coming out here.”

When asked about his philosophy and what keeps him ranching, he gives all credit to his Lord.

“I am a Christian, and everything comes from the Lord,” Art said. “He gives me the strength to acknowledge that I need to be a responsible shepherd and work with the system he has in place, and not against it. Sheep graze the grass and turn it into high quality protein and wool all on their own. It is a supreme concept, and if you can learn to fit into the natural rhythms and harvest it, and manage it, He will provide.”