How does the value of some resources in Alaska help people overcome the challenges presented?

By generating jobs and money for local people. With this steady income they also pay taxes which help the government provide better infrastructure, schisms health care.

As in all environments where living beings exist, surviving and thriving is a question of the costs and benefits of living in a particular place. In Alaska's case, the ongoing calculation is whether the valuable natural resources are worth the difficulties presented by the state's mountainous terrain, cold temperatures, seasonally disrupted transport networks, remoteness from the contiguous United States, and potentially dangerous wildlife.

Although Alaska does possess significant oil reserves, playing an important role in the US' position as one of both the largest producers and consumers of oil globally, its precious metal reserves form the backbone of its exports to both the wider US and global market, with zinc, gold, and lead accounting for around 40% of its export value annually. These resources are primarily found in the country's interior, and facilitating their extraction and transport to the coast and across Canada to the contiguous US finances the development and maintenance of its road and rail networks. Additionally, the employment opportunities created by these industries provide the impetus for the development of communities across the Alaskan interior, in turn creating demand for consumer industries, schools, hospitals, and other services, allowing the development and wealth of towns and cities.

Along the coasts, fishing accounts for around a further 25% of Alaska's exports, along with providing food for both communities and the wider state. This makes braving the, at times dangerous, seas around Alaska, which are prone to storms, freezing, and icebergs drifting from the Arctic, economically worthwhile. Likewise, the shipping industry, through which much of Alaska's resources are exported, provides another source of employment to those in coastal communities.