FAA officials hope naming the buildings after respected Natives will cause village residents to respect the structures to "minimize vandalism,'' said Joette Storm, community relations manager for the FAA in Anchorage.

Vandalism at unmanned buildings and equipment is something the FAA has dealt with in villages and in urban areas, including Anchorage, Storm said.

"It's a reoccurring problem,'' Storm said.

"Rather than have a worker come in and install the equipment and leave, this makes a link to the village and the people we are serving,'' Storm said.

The 100-square-foot metal buildings house the FAA's new automated weather observation systems, part of a national experimental project for aircraft safety known as Capstone.

Storm said naming the buildings, complete with a plaque and dedication ceremony, is key to the success of Capstone, a program designed to provide pilots with information on a cockpit video display screen including weather, terrain and air traffic using satellite communications.

About 100 commercial aircraft are testing the system in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

"It helps people understand this is for them,'' Storm said of the building dedication. "The aircraft they are dependent on are dependent on this equipment.''

Mountain Village was the first village to receive a dedication Aug. 3, in the name of Chekohak, founder of the Yup'ik community and its first chief.

Chekohak, who had no English name, died in 1933.

Each of the 10 communities receiving the new weather equipment have been asked to submit a name of an elder or leader for the building dedication.

Platinum has submitted the name of elder Margaret Kasayulie; St. Michaels has selected Martin Andrews Sr.; and Scammon Bay has chosen Francis Aguchak.

No nominations have been received yet from Upper Kalskag, Kipnuk, Holy Cross, Kwigillingok, Russian Mission or Koliganek, Storm said.

Capstone equipment has been installed in Juneau and may extend to other villages in Southeast, Storm said.

A similar dedication program may be done there, too, she said.