Title 43—Public Lands: Interior--Volume 1
PART 2560—ALASKA OCCUPANCY AND USE
§ 2561.0-2   Objectives.
It is the program of the Secretary of the Interior to enable individual natives of Alaska to acquire title to the lands they use and occupy and to protect the lands from the encroachment of others.
§ 2561.0-3   Authority.
The Act of May 17, 1906 (34 Stat. 197), as amended August 2, 1956 (70 Stat. 954; 43 U.S.C. 270-1 to 270-3), authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to allot not to exceed 160 acres of vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved nonmineral land in Alaska or, subject to the provisions of the Act of March 8, 1922 (42 Stat. 415; 48 U.S.C. 376-377), of vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved public land in Alaska that may be valuable for coal, oil, or gas deposits, or, under certain conditions, of national forest lands in Alaska, to any Indian, Aleut or Eskimo of full or mixed blood who resides in and is a native of Alaska, and who is the head of a family, or is twenty-one years of age.
§ 2561.0-5   Definitions.
As used in the regulations in this section.
(a) The term substantially continuous use and occupancy contemplates the customary seasonality of use and occupancy by the applicant of any land used by him for his livelihood and well-being and that of his family. Such use and occupancy must be substantial actual possession and use of the land, at least potentially exclusive of others, and not merely intermittent use.
(b) Allotment is an allocation to a Native of land of which he has made substantially continuous use and occupancy for a period of five years and which shall be deemed the homestead of the allottee and his heirs in perpetuity, and shall be inalienable and nontaxable except as otherwise provided by the Congress.
(c) Allotment Act means the Act of May 17, 1906 (34 Stat. 197), as amended (48 U.S.C. 357, 357a, 357b).
§ 2561.0-8   Lands subject to allotment.
(a) A Native may be granted a single allotment of not to exceed 160 acres of land. All the lands in an allotment need not be contiguous but each separate tract of the allotment should be in reasonably compact form.
(b) In areas where the rectangular survey pattern is appropriate, an allotment may be in terms of 40-acre legal subdivisions and survey lots on the basis that substantially continuous use and occupancy of a significant portion of such smallest legal subdivision shall normally entitle the applicant to the full subdivision, absent conflicting claims.
(c) Allotments may be made in national forests if founded on occupancy of the land prior to the establishment of the particular forest or if an authorized officer of the Department of Agriculture certifies that the land in the application for allotment is chiefly valuable for agricultural or grazing purposes.
(d) Lands in applications for allotment and allotments that may be valuable for coal, oil, or gas deposits are subject to the regulations of § 2093.4 of this chapter.
§ 2561.1   Applications.
(a) Applications for allotment properly and completely executed on a form approved by the Director, Bureau of Land Management, must be filed in the proper office which has jurisdiction over the lands.
(b) Any application for allotment of lands which extend more than 160 rods along the shore of any navigable waters shall be considered a request for waiver of the 160-rod limitation (see part 2094 of this chapter).
(c) If surveyed, the land must be described in the application according to legal subdivisions and must conform to the plat of survey when possible. If unsurveyed, it must be described as accurately as possible by metes and bounds and tied to natural objects. On unsurveyed lands, the application should be accompanied by a map or approved protracted survey diagram showing approximately the lands included in the application.
(d) An application for allotment shall be rejected unless the authorized officer of the Bureau of Indian Affairs certifies that the applicant is a native qualified to make application under the Allotment Act, that the applicant has occupied and posted the lands as stated in the application, and that the claim of the applicant does not infringe on other native claims or area of native community use.
(e) The filing of an acceptable application for a Native allotment will segregate the lands. Thereafter, subsequent conflicting applications for such lands shall be rejected, except when the conflicting application is made for the conveyance of lands pursuant to any provision of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq. ).
(f) By the filing of an application for allotment the applicant acquires no rights except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section. If the applicant does not submit the required proof within six years of the filing of his application in the proper office, his application for allotment will terminate without affecting the rights he gained by virtue of his occupancy of the land or his right to make another application.
§ 2561.2   Proof of use and occupancy.
(a) An allotment will not be made until the lands are surveyed by the Bureau of Land Management, and until the applicant or the authorized officer of the Bureau of Indian Affairs has made satisfactory proof of substantially continuous use and occupancy of the land for a period of five years by the applicant. Such proof shall be made on a form approved by the Director, Bureau of Land Management, and filed in the proper land office. If made by the applicant, it must be signed by him, but if he is unable to write his name, his mark or thumb print shall be impressed on the statement and witnessed by two persons. This proof may be submitted with the application for allotment if the applicant has then used and occupied the land for five years, or may be made at any time within six years after the filing of the application when the requirements have been met.
(b) [Reserved]
§ 2561.3   Effect of allotment.
(a) Land allotted under the Act is the property of the allottee and his heirs in perpetuity, and is inalienable and nontaxable. However, a native of Alaska who received an allotment under the Act, or his heirs, may with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior or his authorized representative, convey the complete title to the allotted land by deed. The allotment shall thereafter be free of any restrictions against alienation and taxation unless the purchaser is a native of Alaska who the Secretary determines is unable to manage the land without the protection of the United States and the conveyance provides for a continuance of such restrictions.
(b) Application by an allottee or his heirs for approval to convey title to land allotted under the Allotment Act shall be filed with the appropriate officer of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
§ 2562.0-3   Authority.
Section 10 of the Act of May 14, 1898 (30 Stat. 413, as amended August 23, 1958 (72 Stat. 730; 43 U.S.C. 687a), authorizes the sale at the rate of $2.50 per acre of not exceeding 80 acres of land in Alaska possessed and occupied in good faith as a trade and manufacturing site. The lands must be nonmineral in character, except that lands that may be valuable for coal, oil, or gas deposits are subject to disposition under the Act of March 8, 1922 (42 Stat. 415; 48 U.S.C. 376-377), as amended, and the regulations of § 2093.4 of this chapter.
§ 2562.1   Initiation of claim.
(a) Notice. Any qualified person, association, or corporation initiating a claim on or after April 29, 1950, under section 10 of the Act of May 14, 1898, by the occupation of vacant and unreserved public land in Alaska for the purposes of trade, manufacture, or other productive industry, must file notice of the claim for recordation in the proper office for the district in which the land is situated, within 90 days after such initiation. Where on April 29, 1950, such a claim was held by a qualified person, association, or corporation, the claimant must file notice of the claim in the proper office, within 90 days from that date.
(b) Form of notice. The notice must be filed on a form approved by the Director in triplicate if the land is unsurveyed, or in duplicate if surveyed, and shall contain:
(1) The name and address of the claimant, (2) age and citizenship, (3) date of occupancy, and (4) the description of the land by legal subdivisions, section, township and range, if surveyed, or, if unsurveyed, by metes and bounds with reference to some natural object or permanent monument, giving, if desired, the approximate latitude and longitude. The notice must designate the kind of trade, manufacture, or other productive industry in connection with which the site is maintained or desired.
(c) Failure to file notice. Unless a notice of the claim is filed within the time prescribed in paragraph (a) of this section no credit shall be given for occupancy of the site prior to filing of notice in the proper office, or application to purchase, whichever is earlier.
(d) Recording fee. The notice of the claim must be accompanied by a remittance of $10.00, which will be earned and applied as a service charge for recording the notice, and will not be returnable, except in cases where the notice is not acceptable to the proper office for recording, because the land is not subject to the form of disposition specified in the notice.
§ 2562.2   Qualifications of applicant.
An application must show that the applicant is a citizen of the United States and 21 years of age, and that he has not theretofore applied for land as a trade and manufacturing site. If such site has been applied for and the application not completed, the facts must be shown. If the application is made for an association of citizens or a corporation, the qualifications of each member of the organization must be shown. In the case of a corporation, proof of incorporation must be established by the certificate of the officer having custody of the records of incorporation at the place of its formation and it must be shown that the corporation is authorized to hold land in Alaska.
§ 2562.3   Applications.
(a) Execution. Application for a trade and manufacturing site should be executed in duplicate and should be filed in the proper office. It need not be sworn to, but it must be signed by the applicant and must be corroborated by the statements of two persons.
(b) Fees. All applications must be accompanied by an application service fee of $10 which will not be returnable.
(c) Time for filing. Application to purchase a claim, along with the required proof or showing, must be filed within 5 years after the filing of notice of the claim.
(d) Contents. The application to enter must show:
(1) That the land is actually used and occupied for the purpose of trade, manufacture or other productive industry when it was first so occupied, the character and value of the improvements thereon and the nature of the trade, business or productive industry conducted thereon and that it embraces the applicant's improvements and is needed in the prosecution of the enterprise. A site for a prospective business cannot be acquired under section 10 of the Act of May 14, 1898 (30 Stat. 413; 43 U.S.C. 687a).
(2) That no portion of the land is occupied or reserved for any purpose by the United States or occupied or claimed by natives of Alaska; that the land is unoccupied, unimproved, and unappropriated by any person claiming the same other than the applicant.
(3) That the land does not abut more than 80 rods of navigable water.
(4) That the land is not included within an area which is reserved because of springs thereon. All facts relative to medicinal or other springs must be stated, in accordance with § 2311.2(a) of this chapter.
(5) That no part of the land is valuable for mineral deposits other than coal, oil, or gas, and that at the date of location no part of the land was claimed under the mining laws.
(e) Description of land. If the land be surveyed, it must be described in the application according to legal subdivisions of the public-land surveys. If it be unsurveyed, the application must describe it by approximate latitude and longitude and otherwise with as much certainty as possible without survey.
§ 2562.4   Survey.
(a) If the land applied for be unsurveyed and no objection to its survey is known to the authorizing officer, he will furnish the applicant with a certificate stating the facts, and, after receiving such certificate, the applicant may make application to the State Director for the survey of the land. Upon receipt of an application, the State Director will, if conditions make such procedure practicable and no objection is shown by his records, furnish the applicant with an estimate of the cost of field and office work, and upon receipt of the deposit required will issue appropriate instructions for the survey of the claim, such survey to be made not later than the next surveying season. The sum so deposited by the applicant for survey will be deemed an appropriation thereof and will be held to be expended in the payment of the cost of the survey, including field and office work, and upon the acceptance of the survey any excess over the cost shall be repaid to the depositor or his legal representative.
(b) In case it is decided that by reason of the inaccessibility of the locality embraced in an application for the survey, or by reason of other conditions, it will result to the advantage of the Government or claimant to have the survey executed by a deputy surveyor, the State Director will deliver an order to the applicant for such survey, which will be sufficient authority for any deputy surveyor to make a survey of the claim.
(c) In the latter contingency the survey must be made at the expense of the applicant, and no right will be recognized as initiated by such application unless actual work on the survey is begun and carried to completion without unnecessary delay.
§ 2562.5   Publication and posting.
The instructions given in subpart 1824 of this chapter, relative to publication and posting.
§ 2562.6   Form of entry.
Claims initiated by occupancy after survey must conform thereto in occupation and application, but if the public surveys are extended over the lands after occupancy and prior to application, the claim may be presented in conformity with such surveys, or, at the election of the applicant, a special survey may be had.
§ 2562.7   Patent.
The application and proofs filed therewith will be carefully examined and, if all be found regular, the application will be allowed and patent issued upon payment for the land at the rate of $2.50 per acre, and in the absence of objections shown by his records.
§ 2563.0-2   Purpose.
(a) Act of March 3, 1927. The purpose of this statute is to enable fishermen, trappers, traders, manufacturers, or others engaged in productive industry in Alaska to purchase small tracts of unreserved land in the State, not exceeding 5 acres, as homesteads or headquarters.
(b) [Reserved]
§ 2563.0-3   Authority.
(a) The Act of March 3, 1927 (44 Stat. 1364; 43 U.S.C. 687a), as amended, authorizes the sale as a homestead or headquarters of not to exceed five acres of unreserved public lands in Alaska at the rate of $2.50 per acre, to any citizen of the United States 21 years of age employed by citizens of the United States, association of such citizens, or by corporations organized under the laws of the United States, or of any State or Territory, whose employer is engaged in trade, manufacture, or other productive industry in Alaska, and to any such person who is himself engaged in trade, manufacture or other productive industry in Alaska. The lands must be nonmineral in character except that lands that may be valuable for coal, oil, or gas deposits are subject to disposition under the provisions of the Act of March 8, 1922 (42 Stat. 415, 43 U.S.C. 270-11, 270-12), as amended.
(b) The Act of May 26, 1934 (48 Stat. 809; 43 U.S.C. 687a) amended section 10 of the Act of May 14, 1898 (30 Stat. 413), as amended by the Act of March 3, 1927 (44 Stat. 1364), so as to provide that any citizen, after occupying land of the character described in said section of a homestead or headquarters, in a habitable house not less than 5 months each year for 3 years, may purchase such tract, not exceeding 5 acres, in a reasonably compact form, without a showing as to his employment or business, upon the payment of $2.50 per acre, the minimum payment for any one tract to be $10.
§ 2563.0-7   Cross references.
See the following parts in this subchapter: for Indian and Eskimo allotments, part 2530; for mining claims, subpart 3826; for school indemnity selections, subpart 2627; for shore space, subpart 2094 for trade and manufacturing sites, subpart 2562.
§ 2563.1   Purchase of tracts not exceeding 5 acres, on showing as to employment or business (Act of March 3, 1927).
(a) Notice of initiation of claim. A notice of the initiation of a claim under the Act of March 3, 1927, must designate the kind of trade, manufacture, or other productive industry in connection with which the claim is maintained or desired, and identify its ownership. The procedure as to notices will be governed in other respects by the provisions of § 2563.2-1(a) to (d).
(b) [Reserved]
§ 2563.1-1   Application.
(a) Form and contents of applications. Applications under the Act of March 3, 1927, must be filed in duplicate in the proper office for the district in which the land is situated, and the claim must be in reasonably compact form. An application need not be under oath but must be signed by the applicant and corroborated by the statements of two persons and must show the following facts:
(1) The age and citizenship of applicant.
(2) The actual use and occupancy of the land for which application is made for a homestead or headquarters.
(3) The date when the land was first occupied as a homestead or headquarters.
(4) The nature of the trade, business, or productive industry in which applicant or his employer, whether a citizen, an association of citizens, or a corporation is engaged.
(5) The location of the tract applied for with respect to the place of business and other facts demonstrating its adaptability to the purpose of a homestead or headquarters.
(6) That no portion of the tract applied for is occupied or reserved for any purpose by the United States, or occupied or claimed by any natives of Alaska, or occupied as a town site or missionary station or reserved from sale, and that the tract does not include improvements made by or in possession of another person, association, or corporation.
(7) That the land is not included within an area which is reserved because of springs thereon. All facts as to medicinal or other springs must be stated, in accordance with § 2311.2(a).
(8) That no part of the land is valuable for mineral deposits other than coal, oil or gas, and that at the date of location no part of the land was claimed under the mining laws.
(9) If the land desired for purchase is surveyed, the application must include a description of the tract by aliquot parts of legal subdivisions, not exceeding 5 acres. If the tract is situated in the fractional portion of a sectional lotting, the lot may be subdivided; where such subdivision, however, would result in narrow strips or other areas containing less than 2 1/2 acres, not suitable for disposal as separate units, such adjoining excess areas, in the discretion of the authorized officer and with the consent of the applicant, may be included with the tract applied for, without subdividing and the application will be amended accordingly. Where a supplemental plat is required, to provide a proper description, it will be prepared at the time of approval of the application.
(10) If the land is unsurveyed, the application must be accompanied by a petition for survey, describing the tract applied for with as much certainty as possible, without actual survey, not exceeding 5 acres, and giving the approximate latitude and longitude of one corner of the claim.
(b) Filing fee. All applications must be accompanied by an application service fee of $10 which will not be returnable.
(c) Time for filing application. Application to purchase a claim, along with the required proof or showing, must be filed within 5 years after the filing of notice of the claim.
§ 2563.1-2   Approval.
Care will be taken in all cases before patent issues to see that the lands applied for are used for the purposes contemplated by the said Act of March 3, 1927, and that they are not used for any purpose inconsistent therewith.
§ 2563.2   Purchase of tracts not exceeding 5 acres, without showing as to employment or business (Act of May 26, 1934).
§ 2563.2-1   Procedures for initiating claim.
(a) Who must file. Any qualified person initiating a claim under the Act of May 26, 1934, must file notice of the claim for recordation in the proper office for the district in which the land is situated, within 90 days after such initiation.
(b) Form of notice. The notice must be filed on a form approved by the Director in triplicate if the land is unsurveyed, or in duplicate if surveyed, and shall contain: (1) The name and address of the claimant, (2) age and citizenship, (3) date of settlement and occupancy, and (4) the description of the land by legal subdivisions, section, township and range, if surveyed, or, if unsurveyed, by metes and bounds with reference to some natural object or permanent monument, giving, if desired, the approximate latitude and longitude.
(c) Failure to file notice. Unless a notice of the claim is filed within the time prescribed in paragraph (a) of this section no credit shall be given for occupancy of the site prior to filing of notice in the proper office, or application to purchase, whichever is earlier.
(d) Recording fee. The notice of the claim must be accompanied by a remittance of $10.00, which will be applied as a service charge for recording the notice, and will not be returnable, except in cases where the notice is not acceptable to the proper office for recording because the land is not subject to the form of disposition specified in the notice.
(e) Form and contents of application. Applications under the Act of May 26, 1934, must be filed in duplicate, if for surveyed land, and in triplicate, if for unsurveyed land, in the proper office for the district within which the land is situated.
(1) Full name, post office address and age of applicant.
(2) Whether the applicant is a native-born or naturalized citizen of the United States, and if naturalized, evidence of such naturalization must be furnished.
(3) A description of the habitable house on the land, the date when it was placed on the land, and the dates each year from which and to which the applicant has resided in such house.
(4) That no portion of the tract applied for is occupied or reserved for any purpose by the United States, or occupied or claimed by any native of Alaska, or occupied as a townsite, or missionary station, or reserved from sale, and that the tract does not include improvements made by or in the possession of any other person, association, or corporation.
(5) That the land is not included within an area which is reserved because of hot, medicinal or other springs, as explained in § 2311.2(a) of this chapter. If there be any such springs upon or adjacent to the land, on account of which the land is reserved, the facts relative thereto must be set forth in full.
(6) That no part of the land is valuable for mineral deposits other than coal, oil or gas, and that at the date of location no part of the land was claimed under the mining laws.
(7) That the applicant has not theretofore applied for land under said act, or if he has previously purchased a tract he should make a full showing as to the former purchase and the necessity for the second application.
(8) An application for surveyed land must describe the land by aliquot parts of legal subdivisions, not exceeding 5 acres. If the tract is situated in the fractional portion of a sectional lotting, the lot may be subdivided; where such subdivision, however, would result in narrow strips or other areas containing less than 2 1/2 acres, not suitable for disposal as separate units, such adjoining excess areas, in the discretion of the authorized officer and with the consent of the applicant, may be included with the tract applied for, without subdividing, and the application will be amended accordingly. Where a supplemental plat is required to provide a proper description, it will be prepared at the time of approval of the application.
(9) All applications for unsurveyed land must be accompanied by a petition for survey, describing the land applied for with as much certainty as possible, without actual survey, not exceeding 5 acres, and giving the approximate latitude and longitude of one corner of the claim.
(f) Filing fee. All applications must be accompanied by an application service fee of $10 which will not be returnable.
§ 2564.0-3   Authority.
The Act of May 25, 1926, (44 Stat. 629; 43 U.S.C. 733-736) provides for the townsite survey and disposition of public lands set apart or reserved for the benefit of Indian or Eskimo occupants in trustee townsites in Alaska and for the survey and disposal of the lands occupied as native towns or villages. The Act of February 26, 1948 (62 Stat. 35; 43 U.S.C. 737), provides for the issuance of an unrestricted deed to any competent native for a tract of land claimed and occupied by him within any such trustee townsite.
§ 2564.0-4   Responsibility.
(a) Administration of Indian possessions in trustee towns. As to Indian possessions in trustee townsites in Alaska established under authority of section 11 of the Act of March 3, 1891 (26 Stat. 1009; 43 U.S.C. 732), and for which the townsite trustee has closed his accounts and been discharged as trustee, and as to such possessions in other trustee townsites in Alaska, such person as may be designated by the Secretary of the Interior will perform all necessary acts and administer the necessary trusts in connection with the Act of May 25, 1926.
(b) Administration of native towns. The trustee for any and all native towns in Alaska which may be established and surveyed under authority of section 3 of the said Act of May 25, 1926 (44 Stat. 630; 43 U.S.C. 735), will take such action as may be necessary to accomplish the objects sought to be accomplished by that section.
§ 2564.1   Application for restricted deed.
A native Indian or Eskimo of Alaska who occupies and claims a tract of land in a trustee townsite and who desires to obtain a restricted deed for such tract should file application therefor on a form approved by the Director, with the townsite trustee.
§ 2564.2   No payment, publication or proof required on entry for native towns.
In connection with the entry of lands as a native town or village under section 3 of the said Act of May 25, 1926, no payment need be made as purchase money or as fees, and the publication and proof which are ordinarily required in connection with trustee townsites will not be required.
§ 2564.3   Native towns occupied partly by white occupants.
Native towns which are occupied partly by white lot occupants will be surveyed and disposed of under the provisions of both the Act of March 3, 1891 (26 Stat. 1095, 1099), and the Act of May 25, 1926 (44 Stat. 629).
§ 2564.4   Provisions to be inserted in restricted deeds.
The townsite trustee will note a proper reference to the Act of May 25, 1926, on each deed which is issued under authority of that act and each such deed shall provide that the title conveyed is inalienable except upon approval of the Secretary of the Interior or his authorized representative, and that the issuance of the restricted deed does not subject the tract to taxation, to levy and sale in satisfaction of the debts, contracts or liabilities of the transferee, or to any claims of adverse occupancy or law of prescription; also, if the established streets and alleys of the townsite have been extended upon and across the tract, that there is reserved to the townsite the area covered by such streets and alleys as extended. The deed shall further provide that the approval by the Secretary of the Interior or his authorized representative of a sale by the Indian or Eskimo transferee shall vest in the purchaser a complete and unrestricted title from the date of such approval.
§ 2564.5   Sale of land for which restricted deed was issued.
When a native possessing a restricted deed for land in a trustee townsite issued under authority of the Act of May 25, 1926 (44 Stat. 629; 43 U.S.C. 733-736), desires to sell the land, he should execute a deed on a form approved by the Director, prepared for the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, or his authorized representative, and send it to the townsite trustee in Alaska. The townsite trustee will forward the deed to the Area Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs who will determine whether it should be approved. Where the deed is approved it shall be returned by the Area Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, through the townsite trustee to the vendor. In the event the Area Director determines that the deed shall not be approved, he shall so inform the native possessing the restricted deed, who shall have a right of appeal from such finding or decision to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs within sixty days from the date of notification of such finding or decision. The appeal shall be filed with the Area Director. Should the Commissioner uphold the decision of the Area Director, he shall notify the applicant of such action, informing him of his right of appeal to the Secretary of the Interior.
§ 2564.6   Application for unrestricted deed.
Any Alaska native who claims and occupies a tract of land in a trustee townsite and is the owner of land under a restricted deed issued under the Act of May 25, 1926 (44 Stat. 629; 43 U.S.C. 732-737) may file an application for an unrestricted deed pursuant to the Act of February 26, 1948 (62 Stat. 35; 43 U.S.C. 732-737), with the townsite trustee. The application must be in writing and must contain a description of the land claimed and information regarding the competency of the applicant. It must also contain evidence substantiating the claim and occupancy of the applicant, except when the applicant has been issued a restricted deed for the land. A duplicate copy of the application must be submitted by the applicant to the Area Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
§ 2564.7   Determination of competency or noncompetency; issuance of unrestricted deed.
(a) Upon a determination by the Bureau of Indian Affairs that the applicant is competent to manage his own affairs, and in the absence of any conflict or other valid objection, the townsite trustee will issue an unrestricted deed to the applicant. Thereafter all restrictions as to sale, encumbrance, or taxation of the land applied for shall be removed, but the said land shall not be liable to the satisfaction of any debt, except obligations owed to the Federal Government, contracted prior to the issuance of such deed. Any adverse action under this section by the townsite trustee shall be subject to appeal to the Board of Land Appeals, Office of the Secretary, in accordance with part 4 of 43 CFR Subtitle A.
(b) In the event the Area Director determines that the applicant is not competent to manage his own affairs, he shall so inform the applicant, and such applicant shall have a right of appeal from such finding or decision to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, within 60 days from the date of notification of such finding or decision. The appeal shall be filed with the Area Director. Should the Commissioner uphold the decision of the Area Director, he shall notify the applicant of such action, informing him of his right of appeal to the Secretary of the Interior.
(c) Except as provided in this section, the townsite trustee shall not issue other than restricted deeds to Indian or other Alaska natives.
§ 2565.0-3   Authority.
The entry of public lands in Alaska for townsite purposes, by such trustee or trustees as may be named by the Secretary of the Interior for that purpose, is authorized by section 11 of the Act of March 3, 1891 (sec. 11, 26 Stat. 1099; 43 U.S.C. 732).
§ 2565.0-7   Cross reference.
Townsites in Alaska may be reserved by the President and sold as provided for in sections 2380 and 2381 of the Revised Statutes; 43 U.S.C. 711, 712. The regulations governing these townsites are contained in §§ 2760.0-3 and 2761.3.
§ 2565.1   General requirements.
(a) Survey of exterior lines; exclusions from townsite survey. If the land is unsurveyed the occupants must by application to the State Director, obtain a survey of the exterior lines of the townsite which will be made at Government expense. There must be excluded from the tract to be surveyed and entered for the townsite any lands set aside by the district court under section 31 of the Act of June 6, 1900 (31 Stat. 332; 48 U.S.C. 40), for use as jail and courthouse sites, also all lands needed for Government purposes or use, together with any existing valid claim initiated under Russian rule.
(b) Petition for trustee and for survey of lands into lots, blocks, etc. When the survey of the exterior lines has been approved, or if the townsite is on surveyed land, a petition, signed by a majority of occupants of the land, will be filed in the proper office requesting the appointment of trustee and the survey of the townsite into lots, blocks, and municipal reservations for public use, the expense thereof to be paid from assessments upon the lots, as provided in § 2565.3(b) of this part.
(c) Designation of trustee; payment required: area enterable. If the petition be found sufficient, the Secretary of the Interior will designate a trustee to make entry of the townsite, payment for which must be made at the rate of $1.25 per acre. If there are less than 100 inhabitants the area of the townsite is limited to 160 acres; if 100 and less than 200, to 320 acres; if more than 200, to 640 acres, this being the maximum area allowed by the statute.
§ 2565.2   Application; fees; contests and protests.
(a) Filing of application; publication and posting; submission of proof. The trustee will file his application and notice of intention to make proof, and thereupon the authorizing officer will issue the usual notice of making proof, to be posted and published at the trustee's expense, for the time and in the manner as in other cases provided, and proof must be made showing occupancy of the tract, number of inhabitants thereon, character of the land, extent, value, and character of improvements, and that the townsite does not contain any land occupied by the United States for school or other purposes or land occupied under any existing valid claim initiated under Russian rule.
(b) Application service fee. The trustee's application shall be accompanied by $10 application service fee which shall not be returnable.
(c) Expense money to be advanced by lot occupants. The occupants will advance a sufficient amount of money to pay for the land and the expenses incident to the entry to be refunded to them when realized from lot assessments.
(d) Contests and protests. Applications for entry will be subject to contest or protest as in other cases.
§ 2565.3   Subdivision.
(a) Subdivision of land and payment therefore. After the entry is made, the townsite will be subdivided by the United States into blocks, lots, streets, alleys, and municipal public reservations. The expense of such survey will be paid from the appropriation for surveys in Alaska reimbursable from the lot assessments collected.
(b) Lot assessments. The trustee will assess against each lot, according to area, its share of the cost of the subdivisional survey. The trustee will make a valuation of each occupied or improved lot in the townsite and assess upon such lots, according to their value, such rate and sum in addition to the cost of their share of the survey as will be necessary to pay all other expenses incident to the execution of his trust which have accrued up to the time of such levy. More than one assessment may be made if necessary to effect the purpose of the Act of March 3, 1891, and this section.
(c) Award and disposition of lots after subdivisional survey. On the acceptance of the plat by the Bureau of Land Management, the trustee will publish a notice that he will, at the end of 30 days from the date thereof, proceed to award the lots applied for, and that all lots for which no applications are filed within 120 days from the date of said notice will be subject to disposition to the highest bidder at public sale. Only those who were occupants of lots or entitled to such occupancy at the date of the approval of final subdivisional townsite survey or their assigns thereafter, are entitled to the allotments herein provided. Minority and coverture are not disabilities.
§ 2565.4   Deeds.
(a) Applications for deeds. Claimants should file their applications for deeds, setting forth the grounds of their claims for each lot applied for, which should be corroborated by two witnesses.
(b) Issuance of deeds; procedure on conflicting applications. (1) Upon receipt of the patent and payment of the assessments the trustee will issue deeds for the lots. The deeds will be acknowledged before an officer duly authorized to take acknowledgements of deeds at the cost of the grantee. In case of conflicting applications for lots, the trustee, if he considers it necessary, may order a hearing to be conducted in accordance with the part 1850 of this chapter.
(2) No deed will be issued for any lot involved in a contest until the case has been finally closed. Appeals from any decision of the trustee or from decisions of the Bureau of Land Management may be taken in the manner provided by part 1840 of this chapter.
§ 2565.5   Sale of the land.
(a) Public sale of unclaimed lots. After deeds have been issued to the parties entitled thereto the trustee will publish or post notice that he will sell, at a designated place in the town and at a time named, to be not less than 30 days from date, at public outcry, for cash, to the highest bidder, all lots and tracts remaining unoccupied and unclaimed at the date of the approval of final subdivisional townsite survey, and all lots and tracts claimed and awarded on which the assessments have not been paid at the date of such sale. The notice shall contain a description of the lots and tracts to be sold, made in two separate lists, one containing the lots and tracts unclaimed at the date of the approval of final subdivisional townsite survey and the other the lots and tracts claimed and awarded on which the assessments have not been paid. Should any delinquent allottee, prior to the sale of the lot claimed by him, pay the assessments thereon, together with the pro rata cost of the publication and the cost of acknowledging deed, a deed will be issued to him for such lot, and the lot will not be offered at public sale. Where notice by publication is deemed advisable the notice will be published once a week for 5 consecutive weeks in accordance with § 1824.3 of this chapter prior to the date of sale, and in any event copies of such notice shall be posted in three conspicuous places within the townsite. Each lot must be sold at a fair price, to be determined by the trustee, and he is authorized to reject any and all bids. Lots remaining unsold at the close of the public sale in an unincorporated town may again be offered at a fair price if a sufficient demand appears therefor.
(b) Sales to Federal, State and local governmental agencies. (1) Any lot or tract in the townsite which is subject to sale to the highest bidder by the trustee pursuant to this section may in lieu of disposition at public sale be sold by the trustee at a fair value to be fixed by him to any Federal or State agency or instrumentality or to any local governmental agency or instrumentality of the State for use for public purposes.
(2) All conveyances under this section shall be subject to such conditions, limitations, or stipulations as the trustee shall determine are necessary or appropriate in the circumstances, including, where he deems proper, a provision for reversion of title to the trustee or his successor in interest. Any such provision for reversion of title, however, shall by its terms cease to be in effect 25 years after the conveyance.
(3) Conveyances under this section for lands within any incorporated city, town, village, or municipality may be made only after the proposed conveyance has received the approval of the city, town, or village council, or of the local official designated by such council. Such conveyances for lands within any unincorporated city, town, village or municipality may be made only after notice of the proposed conveyance, together with the opportunity to be heard, has been given by the proposed grantee to the residents or occupants thereof in accordance with the requirements for such notice in the case of the public sale of unclaimed lots in a trustee townsite. Any decision of the trustee which is adverse to a protest will be subject to the right of appeal under part 1840 of this chapter. Upon filing of an appeal pursuant to that part, action by the trustee on the conveyance will be suspended pending final decision on the appeal.
§ 2565.6   Rights-of-way.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this part, the trustee is authorized to grant rights-of-way for public purposes across any unentered lands within the townsite. This authority is expressly limited to grants of rights-of-way to cities, towns, villages, and municipalities, and to school, utility, and other types of improvement districts, and to persons, associations, companies, and corporations engaged in furnishing utility services to the general public, and to the United States, any Federal or State agency or instrumentality for use for public purposes.
(b) The trustee may in his discretion fix a reasonable charge for any grant under this authority to private persons, associations, companies and corporations, and to Federal and State agencies and instrumentalities, which charge shall be a lump sum. All grants shall be subject to such conditions, limitations, or stipulations as the trustee shall determine are necessary or appropriate in the circumstances. No grants of rights-of-way under this authority shall be made across or upon lands on which prior rights of occupancy or entry have vested under the law.
(c) Grants of rights-of-way under this section to Federal and State agencies and instrumentalities to private persons, associations, companies, or corporations affecting lands within any incorporated city, town, village, or municipality, may be made only after the proposed grant has received the approval of the city, town, or village council, or, where applicable, the municipal board or commission having authority under state law to approve rights-of-way for local public utility purposes. Grants of such rights-of-way to Federal and State agencies and instrumentalities and to private persons, associations, companies, or corporations within unincorporated cities, towns, villages, or municipalities may be made only after notice of the proposed grant, together with the opportunity to be heard, has been given by the proposed grantee to the residents or occupants thereof in accordance with the requirements for such notice in the case of the public sale of unclaimed lots in a trustee townsite. Any decision by the trustee which is adverse to a protest will be subject to the right of appeal under part 1840 of this chapter. Upon the filing of an appeal, action by the trustee on the application for right-of-way will be suspended pending final decision on the appeal.
§ 2565.7   Final report of trustee; disposition of unexpended moneys and unsold lots.
After the disposal of a sufficient number of lots to pay all expenses incident to the execution of the trust, including the cost of the subdivisional survey, the trustee will make and transmit to the Bureau of Land Management his final report of his trusteeship, showing all amounts received and paid out and the balance remaining on hand derived from assessments upon the lots and from the public sale. The proceeds derived from such sources, after deducting all expenses, may be used by the trustee on direction of the Secretary of the Interior, where the town is unincorporated, in making public improvements, or, if the town is incorporated such remaining proceeds may be turned over to the municipality for the use and benefit thereof. After the public sale and upon proof of the incorporation of the town, all lots then remaining unsold will be deeded to the municipality, and all municipal public reserves will, by a separate deed, be conveyed to the municipality in trust for the public purposes for which they were reserved.
§ 2565.8   Records to be kept by trustee.
The trustee shall keep a tract book of the lots and blocks, a record of the deeds issued, a contest docket, and a book of receipts and disbursements.
§ 2565.9   Disposition of records on completion of trust.
The trustee's duties having been completed, the books of accounts of all his receipts and expenditures, together with a record of his proceedings as provided in § 2565.8 of this part with all papers, other books, and everything pertaining to such townsite in his possession and all evidence of his official acts shall be transmitted to the Bureau of Land Management to become a part of the records thereof, excepting from such papers, however, in case the town is incorporated, the subdivisional plat of the townsite, which he will deliver to the municipal authorities of the town, together with a copy of the townsite tract book or books, taking a receipt therefore to be transmitted to the Bureau of Land Management.
§ 2566.0-3   Authority.
It is hereby ordered that the administration of that portion of the Act of March 12, 1914 (38 Stat. 305; 43 U.S.C. 975, 975a-975g) relating to the withdrawal, location and disposition of townsites shall be in accordance with the following regulations and provisions.
(a) Orders revoked. All Executive orders heretofore issued for the disposition of townsites along the Government railroads in Alaska are hereby revoked so far as they conflict with §§ 2566.1 and 2566.2. This order is intended to take the place of all other orders making provisions for the sale and disposal of lots in said townsites along Government railroads in Alaska under the provisions of said Act.
(b) Amendments —(1) Executive Orders 3529 and 5136. Sections 2566.1 and 2566.2 are amended by E.O. 3529, Aug. 9, 1921 and E.O. 5136, June 12, 1929.
(2) The designation of the Alaskan Engineering Commission has been changed to The Alaska Railroad. All matters which formerly were under the control of the chairman of said commission now are under the supervision of the general manager of the said railroad. The functions formerly exercised by the Commissioner of the General Land Office have been transferred to the Director, Bureau of Land Management.
(3) Due to the change in organization, plats of Alaska Railroad townsites are not approved by an official of the Alaska Railroad.
(4) The State Director in Alaska has been designated as Superintendent of Sales of Alaska Railroad townsites.
(c) Executive Order 5136. (1) It is ordered that Executive Order 3489, issued June 10, 1921, containing the Alaska Railroad Townsite Regulations, is hereby amended to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to reappraise and sell the unimproved lots in Nenana Townsite, Alaska, belonging to the United States, and to readjust the assessments levied against them for the improvement of streets, sidewalks, and alleys, and for the promotion of sanitation and fire protection by the Alaska Railroad prior to August 31, 1921.
(2) As to the lots within said townsite which have been forfeited for failure to pay such assessments, upon which valuable improvements have been placed, the provisions of said order regarding the collection of the unpaid assessments remain effective.
(3) This order shall continue in full force and effect unless and until revoked by the President or by Act of Congress.
§ 2566.0-7   Cross references.
(a) Sales of railroad townsites in Alaska, provided for by Executive Order 3489 of June 10, 1921, §§ 2566.1(a) to (f) and 2566.0-3(a), will be made by the authorized officer in Alaska, as superintendent of sales of railroad townsites in accordance with townsite regulations contained in §§ 2760.0-3 to 2761.2(e) so far as those regulations are applicable.
(b) For surveys, Alaska, see part 9180 of this chapter. For townsites, Alaska, see § 2565.0-7.
§ 2566.1   General procedures.
(a) Reservations. The Alaska Railroad will file with the Secretary of the Interior, when deemed necessary, its recommendations for the reservation of such areas as in its opinion may be needed for townsite purposes. The Secretary of the Interior will thereupon transmit such recommendations to the President with his objections thereto or concurrence therewith. If approved by the President, the reservation will be made by Executive order.
(b) Survey. When in the opinion of the Secretary of the Interior the public interests require a survey of any such reservation, he shall cause to be set aside such portions thereof for railroad purposes as may be selected by the Alaska Railroad, and cause the remainder, or any part thereof, to be surveyed into urban or suburban blocks and lots of suitable size, and into reservations for parks, schools, and other public purposes and for Government use. Highways should be laid out, where practicable, along all shore lines, and sufficient land for docks and wharf purposes along such shore lines should be reserved in such places as there is any apparent necessity therefor. The survey will be made under the supervision of the Bureau of Land Management.
(c) Preference right. Any person residing in a reserved townsite at the time of the subdivisional survey thereof in the field and owning and having valuable and permanent improvements thereon, may, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior, be granted a preference right of entry, of not exceeding two lots on which he may have such improvements by paying the appraised price fixed by the superintendent of sale, under such regulations as the Secretary of the Interior may prescribe. Preference right proof and entry, when granted, must be made prior to the date of the public sale.
§ 2566.2   Public sale.
(a) Generally. The unreserved and unsold lots will be offered at public sale to the highest bidder at such time and place, and after such publication of notice, if any, as the Secretary of the Interior may direct.
(b) Superintendent's authority. Under the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior the superintendent of the sale will be, and he is hereby, authorized to make all appraisements of lots and at any time to reappraise any lot which in his judgment is not appraised at the proper amount, or to fix a minimum price for any lot below which it may not be sold, and he may adjourn, or postpone the sale of any lots to such time and place as he may deem proper.
(c) Manner and terms of public sale. (1) The Secretary of the Interior shall by regulations prescribe the manner of conducting the public sale, the terms thereof and forms therefor and he may prescribe what failures in payment will subject the bidder or purchaser to a forfeiture of his bid or right to the lot claimed and money paid thereon. The superintendent of sale will at the completion of the public sale deposit with the receiver of the proper local land office the money received and file with its officers the papers deposited with him by said bidder, together with his certificate as to successful bidder.
(2) If it be deemed advisable, the Director, Bureau of Land Management may direct the receiver of public moneys of the proper district to attend sales herein provided for in which event the cash payment required shall be paid to the said receiver.
§ 2568.10   What Alaska Native allotment benefits are available to certain Alaska Native veterans?
Eligible Alaska Native veterans may receive an allotment of one or two parcels of Federal land in Alaska totaling no more than 160 acres.
§ 2568.20   What is the legal authority for these allotments?
(a) The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, 43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq. (ANCSA), as amended.
(b) Section 432 of Public Law 105-276, the Appropriations Act for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development for fiscal year 1999, 43 U.S.C. 1629g, which amended ANCSA by adding section 41.
(c) Section 301 of Public Law 106-559, the Indian Tribal Justice Technical and Legal Assistance Act of 2000, which amended section 41 of ANCSA.
(d) The Native Allotment Act of 1906, 34 Stat. 197, as amended, 42 Stat. 415 and 70 Stat. 954, 43 U.S.C. 270-1 through 270-3 (1970).
§ 2568.21   Do other regulations directly apply to these regulations?
Yes. The regulations implementing the Native Allotment Act of 1906, 43 CFR Subpart 2561, also apply to Alaska Native Veteran Allotments to the extent they are not inconsistent with section 41 of ANCSA or other provisions in this Subpart.
§ 2568.30   What terms do I need to know to understand these regulations?
Alaska Native is defined in the Native Allotment Act of 1906 as amended by the Act of August 2, 1956, 70 Stat. 954.
Allotment has the same meaning as in 43 CFR 2561.0-5(b).
Conservation System Unit has the same meaning as under Sec. 102(4) of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of December 2, 1980, 16 U.S.C. 3102(4).
Consistent and inconsistent mean compatible and incompatible, respectively, in accordance with the guidelines in these regulations in §§ 2568.102 through 2568.106.
Veteran has the same meaning as in 38 U.S.C. 101, paragraph 2.
§ 2568.40   Does BLM have the authority to ask me for the information required in these regulations?
(a) Yes. The Office of Management and Budget has approved, under 44 U.S.C. 3507, the information collection requirements contained in Subpart 2568 and has assigned them clearance number 1004-0191 for Form AK-2561-10. BLM uses this information to determine if using the public lands is appropriate. You must respond to obtain a benefit.
(b) BLM estimates that the public reporting burden for this information is as follows: 28 hours per response to fill out form AK-2561-10. These estimates include the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed and completing the collection of information.
(c) Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C St. N.W., Mail Stop 401 LS, Washington, D.C. 20240.
§ 2568.50   What qualifications do I need to be eligible for an allotment?
To qualify for an allotment you must:
(a) Have been eligible for an allotment under the Native Allotment Act as it was in effect before December 18, 1971; and
(b) Establish that you used land in accordance with the regulation in effect before December 18, 1971, and that the land is still owned by the Federal government; and
(c) Be a veteran who served at least six months between January 1, 1969, and December 31, 1971, or enlisted or was drafted after June 2, 1971, but before December 3, 1971; and
(d) Not have already received conveyance or approval of an allotment. (However, if you are otherwise qualified to receive an allotment under the Alaska Native Veterans Allotment Act, you will still qualify even if you received another allotment interest by inheritance, devise, gift, or purchase); and
(e) Not have a Native allotment application pending on October 21, 1998; and
(f) Reside in the State of Alaska or, in the case of a deceased veteran, have been a resident of Alaska at the time of death.
§ 2568.60   May the personal representatives of eligible deceased veterans apply on their behalf?
Yes. The personal representative or special administrator, appointed in the appropriate Alaska State court proceeding, may apply for an allotment for the benefit of a deceased veteran's heirs if the deceased veteran served in South East Asia at any time during the period beginning August 5, 1964, and ending December 31, 1971, and during that period the deceased veteran:
(a) Was killed in action,
(b) Was wounded in action and later died as a direct consequence of that wound, as determined and certified by the Department of Veterans Affairs, or
(c) Died while a prisoner of war.
§ 2568.61   What are the requirements for a personal representative?
The person filing the application must present proof of a current appointment as personal representative of the estate of the deceased veteran by the proper court, or proof that this appointment process has begun.
§ 2568.62   Under what circumstances does BLM accept the appointment of a personal representative?
BLM will accept an appointment of personal representative made any time after an eligible person dies, even if that appointment came before enactment of the Alaska Native Veterans Allotment Act.
§ 2568.63   Under what circumstances does BLM reject the appointment of a personal representative?
If the appointment process is incomplete at the time of allotment application filing, the prospective personal representative must file the proof of appointment with BLM within 18 months after the application filing deadline or BLM will reject the application.
§ 2568.64   Are there different requirements for giving an allotment to the estate of a deceased veteran?
No, the estate of the deceased veteran eligible under § 2568.60 must meet the same requirements for a Native allotment as other living Alaska Native veterans. In addition, a deceased veteran must have been a resident of Alaska at the time of death.
§ 2568.70   If I am qualified for an allotment, when can I apply?
If you are qualified, you can apply between July 31, 2000 and January 31, 2002.
§ 2568.71   Where do I file my application?
You must file your application in person or by mail with the BLM Alaska State Office in Anchorage, Alaska.
§ 2568.72   When does BLM consider my application to be filed too late?
BLM will consider applications to be filed too late if they are:
(a) Submitted in person after the deadline in section 2568.70, or
(b) Postmarked after the deadline in section 2568.70.
§ 2568.73   Do I need to fill out a special application form?
Yes. You must complete form no. AK-2561-10, “Alaska Native Veteran Allotment Application.”
§ 2568.74   What else must I file with my application?
You must also file:
(a) A Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB), which is a Bureau of Indian Affairs form,
(b) A DD Form 214 “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty” or other documentation from the Department of Defense (DOD) to verify military service, as well as any information on cause of death supplied by the Department of Veterans Affairs,
(c) A map at a scale of 1:63,360 or larger, sufficient to locate on-the-ground the land for which you are applying, and
(d) A legal description of the land for which you are applying. If there is a discrepancy between the map and the legal description, the map will control. The map must be sufficient to allow BLM to locate the parcel on the ground. You must also estimate the number of acres in each parcel.
§ 2568.75   Must I include a Certificate of Indian Blood as well as a Department of Defense verification of qualifying military service when I file my application with BLM?
Yes.
(a) If the CIB or DOD verification of qualifying military service is missing when you file the application, BLM will ask you to provide the information within the time specified in a notice. BLM will not process the application until you file the necessary documents but will consider the application as having been filed on time.
(b) A personal representative filing on behalf of the estate of a deceased veteran must file the Department of Veterans Affairs verification of cause of death.
§ 2568.76   Do I need to pay any fees when I file my application?
No. You do not need to pay a fee to file an application.
§ 2568.77   [Reserved]
§ 2568.78   Will my application segregate the land for which I am applying from other applications or land actions?
The filing of an application with a sufficient description to identify the lands will segregate those lands. “Segregation” has the same meaning as in 43 CFR 2091.0-5(b).
§ 2568.79   Are there any rules about the number and size of parcels?
Yes. You may apply for one or two parcels, but if you apply for two parcels the two combined cannot total more than 160 acres. You may apply for less than 160 acres. Each parcel must be reasonably compact.
§ 2568.80   Does the parcel have to be surveyed before I can receive title to it?
Yes. The land in your application must be surveyed before BLM can convey it to you. BLM will survey your allotment at no charge to you, or you may obtain a private survey. BLM must approve the survey if it is done by a private surveyor.
§ 2568.81   If BLM finds errors in my application, will BLM give me a chance to correct them?
Yes. If you file your application during the 18-month filing period and BLM finds correctable errors, it will consider the application as having been filed on time once you correct them. BLM will send you a notice advising you of any correctable errors and give you at least 60 days to correct them. You must make corrections within the specified time or BLM will reject your application.
§ 2568.82   If BLM decides that I have not submitted enough information to show qualifying use and occupancy, will it reject my application or give me a chance to submit more information?
(a) BLM will not reject your application without giving you an opportunity for a hearing to establish the facts of your use.
(b) If BLM cannot determine from the information you submit that you met the use and occupancy requirements of the 1906 Act, it will send you a notice saying that you have not submitted enough evidence and will give you at least 60 days to file additional information.
(c) If you do not submit additional evidence by the end of the time BLM gives you or if you submit additional evidence but BLM still cannot determine that you meet the use and occupancy requirements, the following process will occur:
(1) BLM will issue a formal contest complaint telling you why it believes it should reject your application.
(2) If you answer the complaint and tell BLM you want a hearing, BLM will ask an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) of the Interior Department, Office of Hearings and Appeals, to preside over a hearing to establish the facts of your use and occupancy.
(3) The ALJ will evaluate all the written evidence and oral testimony and issue a decision.
(4) You can appeal this decision to the Interior Board of Land Appeals according to 43 CFR part 4.
§ 2568.90   If I qualify for an allotment, what land may BLM convey to me?
You may receive title only to:
(a) Land that:
(1) Is currently owned by the Federal government,
(2) Was vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved when you first began to use and occupy it,
(3) Has not been continuously withdrawn since before your sixth birthday,
(4) You started using before December 14, 1968, the date when Public Land Order 4582 withdrew all unreserved public lands in Alaska from all forms of appropriation and disposition under the public land laws, and
(5) You prove by a preponderance of the evidence that you used and occupied in a substantially continuous and independent manner, at least potentially exclusive of others, for five or more years. This possession of the land must not be merely intermittent. “Preponderance of evidence” means evidence which is more convincing than the evidence offered in opposition to it; that is, evidence which as a whole shows that the fact you are trying to prove is more likely a fact than not.
(b) Substitute land explained in 43 CFR 2568.110.
§ 2568.91   Is there land owned by the Federal government that BLM cannot convey to me even if I qualify?
You cannot receive an allotment containing any of the following:
(a) A regularly used and recognized campsite that is primarily used by someone other than yourself. The campsite area that you cannot receive is that which is actually used as a campsite.
(b) Land presently selected by, but not conveyed to, the State of Alaska. The State may relinquish up to 160 acres of its selection to allow an eligible Native veteran to receive an allotment;
(c) Land presently selected by, but not conveyed to, a Native corporation as defined in 43 U.S.C. 1602(m). A Native corporation may relinquish up to 160 acres of its selection to allow an eligible Native veteran to receive an allotment, as long as the remaining ANCSA selection comports with the appropriate selection rules in 43 CFR 2650. Any such relinquishment must not cause the corporation to become underselected. See 43 U.S.C. 1621(j)(2) for a definition of underselection;
(d) Land designated as wilderness by statute;
(e) Land acquired by the Federal government through gift, purchase, or exchange;
(f) Land containing any development owned or controlled by a unit of government, or a person other than yourself;
(g) Land withdrawn or reserved for national defense, other than the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska;
(h) National Forest land; or
(i) Land selected or claimed, but not yet conveyed, under a public land law, including but not limited to the following:
(1) Land within a recorded mining claim;
(2) Home sites;
(3) Trade and manufacturing sites;
(4) Reindeer sites and headquarters sites;
(5) Cemetery sites.
§ 2568.92   [Reserved]
§ 2568.93   Is there a limit to how much water frontage my allotment can include?
Yes, in some cases. You will normally be limited to a half-mile (referred to as 160 rods in the regulations at 43 CFR part 2094) along the shore of a navigable water body. If you apply for land that extends more than a half-mile, BLM will treat your application as a request to waive this limitation. As explained in 43 CFR 2094.2, BLM can waive the half-mile limitation if it determines the land is not needed for a harborage, wharf, or boat landing area, and that a waiver would not harm the public interest.
§ 2568.94   Can I receive an allotment of land that is valuable for minerals?
BLM can convey an allotment that is known to be or believed to be valuable for coal, oil, or gas, but the ownership of these minerals remains with the Federal government. BLM cannot convey to you land valuable for other kinds of minerals such as gold, silver, sand or gravel. If BLM conveys an allotment that is valuable for coal, oil, or gas, the allottee owns all minerals in the land except those expressly reserved to the United States in the conveyance.
§ 2568.95   Will BLM try to reacquire land that has been conveyed out of Federal ownership so it can convey that land to a Native veteran?
No. The Alaska Native Veterans Allotment Act does not give BLM the authority to reacquire former Federal land in order to convey it to a Native veteran.
§ 2568.100   What is a CSU?
A CSU is an Alaska unit of the National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, National Trails System, National Wilderness Preservation System, or a National Forest Monument.
§ 2568.101   If the land I used and occupied is within a CSU other than a National Wilderness or any part of a National Forest, can I receive a title to it?
You may receive title if you qualify for that allotment and the managing agency of the CSU agrees that conveyance of that allotment is not inconsistent with the purposes of the CSU.
§ 2568.102   Is the process by which the managing agency decides whether my allotment is not inconsistent with the CSU the same as other such determination processes?
No. This process is unique to this regulation. It should not be confused with any similar process under any other act, including the incompatibility process under the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997.
§ 2568.103   By what process does the managing agency of a CSU decide if my allotment would be consistent with the CSU?
(a) BLM conducts a field exam, with you or your representative, to check the boundaries of the land for which you are applying and to look for signs of use and occupancy. The CSU manager or a designated representative may also attend the field exam.
(b) The CSU manager or representative assesses the resources to determine if the allotment would be consistent with CSU purposes at that location. You may submit any other information for the CSU manager to consider. You or your representative may also accompany the CSU representative on any field exam.
(c) The CSU manager submits a written decision and resource assessment to BLM within 18 months of the BLM field exam. The CSU manager will send you a copy of the decision and a copy of the resource assessment.
§ 2568.104   How will a CSU manager determine if my allotment is consistent with the CSU?
The CSU manager will decide this on a case-by-case basis by considering the law or withdrawal order which created the CSU. The law or withdrawal order explains the purposes for which the CSU was created. The manager would also consider the mission of the CSU managing agency as established in law and policy. The manager will also consider how the cumulative impacts of the various activities that could take place on the allotment might affect the CSU.
§ 2568.105   In what situations could a CSU manager likely find an allotment to be consistent with the CSU?
An allotment could generally be consistent with the purposes of the CSU if:
(a) The allotment for which you qualify is located near land that BLM has conveyed to a Native corporation under ANCSA, or,
(b) A Native corporation has selected the land under ANCSA and has said it would relinquish such selection, as long as the remaining ANCSA selection comports with the appropriate selection rules in 43 CFR 2650. Any relinquishment must not cause the corporation to become underselected. See 43 U.S.C. 1621(j)(2) for a definition of underselection.
§ 2568.106   In what situations could a CSU manager generally find an allotment to be inconsistent with the purposes of a CSU?
An allotment could generally be inconsistent in situations including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) If, by itself or as part of a group of allotments, it could significantly interfere with biological, physical, cultural, scenic, recreational, natural quiet or subsistence values of the CSU.
(b) If, by itself or as part of a group of allotments, it obstructs access by the public or managing agency to the resource values of surrounding CSU lands.
(c) If, by itself or as part of a group of allotments, it could trigger development or future uses in an area that would adversely affect resource values of surrounding CSU lands.
(d) If it is isolated from existing private properties and opens an area of a CSU to new access and uses that adversely affect resource values of the surrounding CSU lands.
(e) If it interferes with the implementation of the CSU management plan.
§ 2568.110   If I qualify for Federal land in one of the categories BLM cannot convey, is there any other way for me to receive an allotment?
Yes. If you qualify for land in one of the categories listed in section 2568.91 which BLM cannot convey, you may choose an alternative allotment from the following types of land within the same ANCSA Region as the land for which you originally qualified:
(a) Land within an original withdrawal under section 11(a)(1) of ANCSA for selection by a Village Corporation which was:
(1) Not selected,
(2) Selected and later relinquished, or
(3) Selected and later rejected by BLM;
(b) Land outside of, but touching a boundary of a Village withdrawal, not including land described in section 2568.91 or land within a National Park; or
(c) Vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved land. (For purposes of this section, the term “unreserved” includes land withdrawn solely under the authority of section 17(d)(1) of ANCSA.)
§ 2568.111   What if BLM decides that I qualify for land that is in the category of Federal land that BLM cannot convey?
BLM will notify you in writing that you are eligible to choose an alternative allotment from lands described in section 2568.110.
§ 2568.112   What do I do if BLM notifies me that I am eligible to choose an alternative allotment?
You must file a request for an alternative allotment in the Alaska State Office as stated in section 2568.71 and follow all the requirements you did for your original allotment application.
§ 2568.113   Do I have to prove that I used and occupied the land I've chosen as an alternative allotment?
No. If BLM cannot convey the allotment for which you originally apply, and you are eligible to choose an alternative allotment, you do not have to prove that you used and occupied the land in the alternative location.
§ 2568.114   How do I apply for an alternative allotment if the CSU manager determines my application is inconsistent with a CSU?
You should contact the appropriate CSU manager as quickly as possible to discuss resource concerns, potential constraints, and impacts on existing management plans. After you do this you must file a request for an alternative allotment with the BLM Alaska State Office as stated in section 2568.71 and follow all the requirements of the original allotment application. If the alternative allotment land is also in the CSU, the CSU manager will evaluate it to determine if conveyance of an allotment there would be inconsistent with the CSU as well.
§ 2568.115   When must I apply for an alternative allotment if the CSU manager determines my application is inconsistent with a CSU?
Your application for an alternative allotment must be filed:
(a) Within 12 months of when you receive a decision from a CSU manager that says your original allotment is inconsistent with the purposes of the CSU or,
(b) Within six months of when you receive a decision from the CSU manager on your request for reconsideration of the original decision affirming that your original allotment is inconsistent with the purposes of the CSU, or
(c) Within three months of the date an appellate decision from the appropriate Federal official becomes final. This official will be either:
(1) The Regional Director of the National Park Service (NPS),
(2) The Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), or
(3) The BLM Alaska State Director
§ 2568.120   What can I do if I disagree with any of the decisions that are made about my allotment application?
You may appeal all decisions, except for CSU inconsistency decisions or determinations by the Department of Veterans Affairs, to the Interior Board of Land Appeals under 43 CFR Part 4.
§ 2568.121   If an agency determines my allotment is inconsistent with the purposes of a CSU, what can I do if I disagree?
(a) You may request reconsideration of a CSU manager's decision by sending a signed request to that manager.
(b) The request for reconsideration must be submitted in person or correctly addressed and postmarked to the CSU manager no later than 90 calendar days of when you received the decision.
(c) The request for reconsideration must include:
(1) The BLM case file number of the application and parcel, and
(2) Your reason(s) for filing the reconsideration, and any new pertinent information.
§ 2568.122   What then does the CSU manager do with my request for reconsideration?
(a) The CSU manager will reconsider the original inconsistency decision and send you a written decision within 45 calendar days after he or she receives your request. The 45 days may be extended for a good reason in which case you would be notified of the extension in writing. The reconsideration decision will give the CSU Manager's reasons for this new decision and it will summarize the evidence that the CSU manager used.
(b) The reconsideration decision will provide information on how to appeal if you disagree with it.
§ 2568.123   Can I appeal the CSU Manager's reconsidered decision if I disagree with it?
(a) Yes. If you or your legal representative disagree with the decision you may appeal to the appropriate Federal official designated in the appeal information you receive with the decision. That official will be either the NPS Regional Director, the USFWS Regional Director, or the BLM Alaska State Director, depending on the CSU where your proposed allotment is located.
(b) Your appeal must:
(1) Be in writing,
(2) Be submitted in person to the CSU manager or correctly addressed and postmarked no later than 45 calendar days of when you received the reconsidered decision.
(3) State any legal or factual reason(s) why you believe the decision is wrong. You may include any additional evidence or arguments to support your appeal.
(c) The CSU manager will send your appeal to the appropriate Federal official, which is either the NPS Regional Director, the USFWS Regional Director, or the BLM Alaska State Director.
(d) You may present oral testimony to the appropriate Federal official to clarify issues raised in the written record.
(e) The appropriate Federal official will send you his or her written decision within 45 calendar days of when he or she receives your appeal. The 45 days may be extended for good reason in which case you would be notified of the extension in writing.
(f) The decision of the appropriate Federal official is the final administrative decision of the Department of the Interior.
§ 2569.100   What is the purpose of this subpart?
The purpose of this subpart is to implement section 1119 of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of March 12, 2019, Public Law 116-9, codified at 43 U.S.C. 1629g-1, which allows Eligible Individuals to receive an allotment of a single parcel of available Federal lands in Alaska containing not less than 2.5 acres and not more than 160 acres.
§ 2569.101   What is the legal authority for this subpart?
The legal authority for this subpart is 43 U.S.C. 1629g-1(b)(2).
§ 2569.201   What terms do I need to know to understand this subpart?
(a) Allotment is an allocation to an Alaska Native of land which shall be deemed the homestead of the allottee and his or her heirs in perpetuity, and shall be inalienable and nontaxable except as otherwise provided by Congress;
(b) Available Federal lands means land in Alaska that meets the requirements of 43 U.S.C. 1629g-1(a)(1) and that the BLM has certified to be free of known contamination.
(c) Eligible Individual means a Native Veteran who meets the qualifications listed in 43 U.S.C. 1629g-1(a)(2) and has not already received an allotment pursuant to the Act of May 17, 1906 (34 Stat. 197, chapter 2469) (as in effect on December 17, 1971); or section 14(h)(5) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1613(h)(5)); or section 41 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1629g);
(d) Mineral means coal, oil, natural gas, other leasable minerals, locatable minerals, and saleable minerals other than sand and gravel.
(e) Native means a person who meets the qualifications listed in section 3(b) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(b));
(f) Native corporation means a regional corporation or village corporation as defined in sections 3(g) and (j) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602);
(g) Realty Service Provider means a Public Law 93-638 “Contract” or Public Law 103-413 “Compact” Tribe or Tribal organization that provides Trust Real Estate Services for the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
(h) Receipt date means the date on which an application for an allotment is physically received by the BLM Alaska State Office, whether the application is delivered by hand, by mail, or by delivery service;
(i) Segregate has the same meaning as in 43 CFR 2091.0-5(b);
(j) Selection means an area of land that has been identified in an application for an allotment under this part;
(k) State means the State of Alaska;
(l) State or Native corporation selected land means land that is selected, as of the receipt date of the allotment application, by the State of Alaska under the Statehood Act of July 7, 1958, Public Law 85-508, 72 Stat. 339, as amended, or the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) of December 2, 1980, 94 Stat. 2371, or by a Native corporation under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of December 18, 1971, 43 U.S.C. 1611 and 1613, and that has not been conveyed to the State or Native corporation;
(m) Substantive error means an error or omission in an application of information that is immediately necessary to determine if you are eligible to apply for an allotment. Substantive errors include, but are not limited to, missing land descriptions, missing name or inability to contact the applicant, and missing forms required under § 2569.404, if applicable. When a person corrects this type of error, the correction could show the applicant has an uncorrectable defect like not being an Alaska Native.
(n) Technical error means types of errors that do not rise to the level of substantive error or uncorrectable defect. For instance, not signing your application is an easily correctable error and correcting the error by signing the application cannot raise any new issues which could cause an application to be rejected.
(o) Uncorrectable defect means information provided with an application which provides obvious evidence that you are not qualified to receive an allotment. That evidence includes a lack of qualifying military service or proof of Alaska Native decent.
(p) Valid relinquishment means a signed document from a person authorized by a board resolution from a Native corporation or the State that terminates its rights, title and interest in a specific area of Native corporation or State selected land. A relinquishment may be conditioned upon conformance of a selection to the Plat of Survey and the identity of the individual applicant; and
(q) Veteran means a person who meets the qualifications listed in 38 U.S.C. 101(2) and served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, including the reserve components thereof, during the period between August 5, 1964, and December 31, 1971.
§ 2569.301   How will the BLM let me know if I am an Eligible Individual?
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in consultation with the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), has identified individuals whom it believes to be Eligible Individuals. If the BLM identifies you as a presumed Eligible Individual, it will inform you by letter at your last address of record with the BIA or the VA. Even if you are identified as presumptively eligible, you still must certify in the application that you do meet the criteria of the Dingell Act.
§ 2569.302   What if I believe I am an Eligible Individual, but I was not notified by the BLM?
If the BLM has not notified you that it believes that you are an Eligible Individual, you may still apply for an allotment under this subpart. However, as described in § 2569.404(b), you will need to provide evidence with your application that you are an Eligible Individual. Supporting evidence with your application must include:
(a) A Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood or other documentation from the BIA to verify you meet the definition of Native; and
(b) A Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Form DD-214) or other documentation from DoD to verify your military service.
§ 2569.303   Who may apply for an allotment under this subpart on behalf of another person?
(a) A personal representative of the estate of an Eligible Individual may apply for an allotment for the benefit of the estate. The personal representative must be appointed in an appropriate Alaska State court by either a judge in the formal probate process or the registrar in the informal probate process. The Certificate of Allotment will be issued in the name of the heirs, devisees, and/or assigns of the deceased Eligible Individual.
(b) An attorney-in-fact, a court-appointed guardian, or a court-appointed conservator of an Eligible Individual may apply for an allotment for the benefit of the Eligible Individual. The Certificate of Allotment will be issued in the name of the Eligible Individual.
§ 2569.401   When can I apply for an allotment under this subpart?
(a) You can apply between December 28, 2020 and December 29, 2025.
(1) If an application is submitted prior to the beginning of the application period, it will be held until the application period begins and considered timely filed.
(2) If an application is submitted by mail after the application period, the BLM will use the post-mark date to determine if the application was timely filed.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this section, in the case of a corrected or completed application or of an application for a substitute selection for resolution of a conflict or an unavailable land selection, you can submit a corrected, completed, or substitute application within 60 days of receiving the notice described in § 2569.410, § 2569.502(b), or § 2569.503(a), respectively. This period may be extended for up to two years in order to allow a personal representative, guardian, conservator, or attorney-in-fact to be appointed, as provided in § 2569.507(c).
(c) Except as set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, the BLM will issue a decision rejecting any application received after December 29, 2025.
§ 2569.402   Do I need to fill out a special application form?
Yes. You must complete and sign the BLM Form No. AK-2569-1004-0216, “Alaska Native Vietnam-Era Veteran Land Allotment Application.”
§ 2569.403   How do I obtain a copy of the application form?
The BLM will mail you an application form if you are determined to be an Eligible Individual under § 2569.301. If you do not receive an application in the mail, you can also obtain the form at the BIA, a Realty Service Provider's office, the BLM Public Room, or on the internet at https://www.blm.gov/alaska/2019AKNativeVetsLand.
§ 2569.404   What must I file with my application form?
(a) You must include the following along with your signed application form:
(1) A map showing the selection you are applying for:
(i) Your selection must be drawn on a map in sufficient detail to locate the selection on the ground.
(ii) You must draw your selection on a map that is either a topographic map or a printout of a map that shows the section lines from the BLM mapping tool, available at https://www.blm.gov/alaska/2019AKNativeVetsLand.
(2) A written description of the lands you are applying for, including:
(i) Section, township, range, and meridian; and
(ii) If desired, additional information about the location. The submitted map will be given preference if there is a conflict between the written description and the submitted map, unless you specify otherwise.
(b) In addition to the materials described in paragraph (a) of this section, you must also provide the following materials, under the circumstances described in paragraphs (b)(1) through (4) of this section:
(1) If you, or the person on whose behalf you are applying, are an Eligible Individual as described in § 2569.301, and were not notified by the BLM of your eligibility, you must provide proof that you, or the person on whose behalf you are applying, are an Eligible Individual, consisting of:
(i) A Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood or other documentation from the BIA to verify that you (or the person on whose behalf you are applying) are an Alaska Native; and
(ii) A Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Form DD-214) or other documentation from DoD to verify that you (or the person on whose behalf you are applying) are a Veteran and served between August 5, 1964 and December 31, 1971.
(2) If you are applying on behalf of the estate of an Eligible Individual who is deceased, you must provide proof that you have been appointed by an Alaska State court as the personal representative of the estate, and an affidavit stating that the appointment has not expired. The appointment may have been made before or after the enactment of the Act, as long as it has not expired.
(3) If you are applying on behalf of an Eligible Individual as that individual's guardian or conservator, you must provide proof that you have been appointed by a court of law, and an affidavit stating that the appointment has not expired.
(4) If you are applying on behalf of an Eligible Individual as that individual's attorney-in-fact, you must provide a legally valid and current power of attorney that either grants a general power-of-attorney or specifically includes the power to apply for this benefit or conduct real estate transactions.
(c) You must sign the application, certifying that all the statements made in the application are true, complete, and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief and are made in good faith.
§ 2569.405   What are the special provisions that apply to selections that include State or Native corporation selected land?
(a) If the selection you are applying for includes State or Native corporation selected land, the BLM must receive a valid relinquishment from the State or Native corporation that covers all of the lands in your selection that are State or Native corporation selected lands. If the application does not include a valid relinquishment, the BLM will contact the State or Native corporation to request a relinquishment. This requirement does not apply if all of the State or Native corporation selected land included within your selection consists of land for which the State or Native corporation has issued a blanket conditional relinquishment as shown on the mapping tool available at https://www.blm.gov/alaska/2019AKNativeVetsLand.
(b) No such relinquishment may cause a Native corporation to become underselected. See 43 U.S.C. 1621(j)(2) for a definition of underselection.
(c) An application for Native corporation or State selected land will segregate the land from any future entries on the land once the BLM receives a valid relinquishment.
(d) If the State or Native corporation is unable or unwilling to provide a valid relinquishment, the BLM will issue a decision finding that your selection includes lands that are not available Federal lands and then follow the procedures set out at § 2569.503.
§ 2569.406   What are the rules about the number of parcels and size of the parcel for my selection?
(a) You may apply for only one parcel.
(b) The parcel cannot be less than 2.5 acres or more than 160 acres.
§ 2569.407   Is there a limit to how much water frontage my selection can include?
Generally, yes. You will normally be limited to a half-mile along the shore of a navigable water body, referred to as 160 rods (one half-mile) in the regulations at 43 CFR part 2090, subpart 2094. If you apply for land that extends more than 160 rods (one half-mile), the BLM will treat your application as a request to waive this limitation. As explained in 43 CFR 2094.2, the BLM can waive the half-mile limitation if the BLM determines the land is not needed for a harborage, wharf, or boat landing area, and that a waiver will not harm the public interest. If the BLM determines it cannot waive the 160-rod (one half-mile) limitation, the BLM will issue a decision finding your selection includes lands that are not available Federal lands and then follow the procedures set out at § 2569.503.
§ 2569.408   Do I need to pay any fees when I file my application?
No. You do not need to pay a fee to file an application.
§ 2569.409   Where do I file my application?
You must file your application with the BLM Alaska State Office in Anchorage, Alaska, by one of the following methods:
(a) Mail or delivery service: Bureau of Land Management, ATTN: Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Section, 222 West 7th Avenue, Mail Stop 13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7504; or
(b) In person: Bureau of Land Management Alaska, Public Information Center, 222 West 7th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7504.
§ 2569.410   What will the BLM do if it finds an error in my application?
(a) If an error is found, the BLM will send you a notice identifying any correctable errors or omissions and whether the error is substantive or technical.
(1) You will have 60 days from the date you received the notice to correct the errors or provide the omitted materials.
(2) If you do not submit the corrections to the BLM within the 60-day period, the BLM will issue a decision rejecting your application and require you to submit a new application.
(b) If the error is a substantive error, your application will not be deemed received until the corrections are made.
(c) If the error is a technical error, your application will be deemed received as of the receipt date. However, the application may still be rejected if the BLM does not receive the corrections within 60 days from the date you received the notice to correct the errors.
(d) If you have uncorrectable defect, then the BLM will issue a decision rejecting your application.
§ 2569.411   When is my application considered received by the BLM?
(a) An application that is free from substantive errors, as described in § 2569.410, will be deemed received on the receipt date, except that if such an application is received before December 28, 2020, the application will be deemed received on December 28, 2020.
(b) An application that contains substantive errors will be deemed received on the receipt date of the last required correction.
(c) In the case of a substitute selection for conflict resolution under § 2569.502, for correction of an unavailable lands selection under § 2569.503, or an amended selection under § 2569.504, the substitute application will be deemed received on the receipt date of the substitute selection application.
§ 2569.412   Where can I go for help with filling out an application?
You can receive help with your application at:
(a) The BIA or a Realty Service Provider for your home area or where you plan to apply. To find the list of the Realty Service Providers, go to https://www.bia.gov/regional-offices/alaska/real-estate-services/tribal-service-providers or call 907-271-4104 or 1-800-645-8465.
(b) The BLM Public Rooms:
(1) The Anchorage Public Room located at 222 West 7th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7504, by email at AK_AKSO_Public_Room@blm.gov, by telephone at 907-271-5960, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. excluding Federal Holidays.
(2) The Fairbanks Public Room located at 222 University Ave, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709, by email at BLM_AK_FDO_generaldelivery@blm.gov or by telephone at 907-474-2252 or 2200, Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. excluding Federal Holidays.
(c) The following BLM Field Offices:
(1) Anchorage Field Office located at 4700 BLM Road, Anchorage, Alaska, by email at blm_ak_afo_general_delivery@blm.gov, by phone 907-267-1246, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. excluding Federal Holidays.
(2) Glennallen Field Office located at Mile Post 186.5 Glenn Highway, by email at blm_ak_gfo_general_delivery@blm.gov, by phone 907-822-3217, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. excluding Federal Holidays.
(3) Nome Field Station located at the U.S. Post Office Building, by phone 907-443-2177, Monday through Friday excluding Federal holidays.
(d) (d) Online at the BLM website which gives answers to frequently asked questions and a mapping tool which will show the available Federal lands and provide online tools for identifying and printing your selection: https://www.blm.gov/alaska/2019AKNativeVetsLand.
§ 2569.413   How will I receive Notices and Decisions?
(a) The BLM will provide all Notices and Decisions by Certified Mail with Return Receipt to your address of record.
(b) Where these regulations specify that you must take a certain action within a certain number of days of receiving a notice or decision, the BLM will determine the date on which you received the notice or decision as follows:
(1) If you sign the Return Receipt, the date on which you received the notice or decision will be the date on which you signed the Return Receipt.
(2) If the notice or decision is returned as undelivered, or if you refuse to sign the Return Receipt, the BLM will make a second attempt by an alternative method. If the second attempt succeeds in delivering the notice or decision, the BLM will deem the notice or decision to have been received on the date when the notice or decision was delivered according to the mail tracking system.
(3) If the notice or decision is returned as undelivered following the second attempt, the BLM may issue a decision rejecting your application.
(c) You have a duty to keep your address up to date. If your mailing address or other contact information changes during the application process, please notify the BLM by mail at the address provided in § 2569.409(a), or by telephone at 907-271-5960, by fax at 907-271-3334, or by the email address provided in the received notice or decision. If you notify the BLM by mail, fax, or email, please prominently include the words “Change of Contact Information” in your correspondence.
(d) Any responses to Notices or Decisions will be deemed received when it is physically received at the BLM Alaska State Office; if the response is mailed, on the date it was post-marked; or, if emailed, the date the email was sent.
§ 2569.414   May I request an extension of time to respond to Notices?
The BLM will allow reasonable extensions of deadlines in Notices for good cause. The request for the extension must be received from the Eligible Individual prior to the end of the 60-day period and provide the reason an extension is needed.
§ 2569.501   What will the BLM do with my application after it is received?
After your application is deemed received in accordance with § 2569.411, the BLM will take the following steps:
(a) The BLM will enter your selection onto the Master Title Plat (MTP) to make the public aware that the land has been segregated from the public land laws.
(b) The BLM will then determine whether the selection includes only available Federal lands or if the selection conflicts with any other applicant's selection. The BLM will also review its records and aerial imagery to identify, to the extent it can, any valid existing rights that exist within the selection.
(c) The BLM may make minor adjustments to the shape and description of your selection to match existing property boundaries, roads, or meanderable waterbodies, or to reduce the number of corners or curved boundary segments. The BLM will attempt to retain the acreage requested in the selection, but the adjustment may cause a reduction or addition in the acreage (not to exceed 160 acres).
(d) After any adjustments have been made, the BLM will send you a Notice of Survey to inform you of the shape and location of the lands the BLM plans to survey. The Notice of Survey will include:
(1) Your original land description;
(2) The adjusted land description plotted onto a Topographic Map and a MTP;
(3) Imagery of your original land description with the adjusted land description projected onto it;
(4) a Draft Plan of Survey; and
(5) A list of valid existing rights that the BLM has identified within the selection.
(e) The Notice of Survey will provide you an opportunity to challenge, in writing, the Draft Plan of Survey of the adjusted land description within 60 days of receipt of the BLM's notice. If no challenge is received within 60 days, the BLM will deem the Draft Plan of Survey to have been accepted.
(f) The BLM will finalize the Plan of Survey based on the Draft Plan of Survey in the Notice of Survey or the adjustment you provide pursuant to paragraph (e) of this section.
(g) The BLM will survey the selection based on the Plan of Survey.
(h) After survey, the BLM will mail you a document titled Conformance to Plat of Survey. That document will:
(1) Show the selection as actually surveyed;
(2) Plot the survey onto imagery; and
(3) If you found an error in the way the BLM surveyed the selection based on the Plan of Survey, provide an opportunity to dispute the survey in writing within 60 days of receipt of the Conformance of Plat of Survey. If no notice of dispute is received within 60 days, the BLM will deem the survey to have been accepted.
(i) The BLM will issue a Certificate of Allotment. No right or title of any sort will vest in the selection until the Certificate of Allotment is issued.
(j) If an application is rejected for any reason, the BLM will remove the corresponding selection from the MTP to make the public aware that the land is no longer segregated from the public land laws.
§ 2569.502   What if more than one Eligible Individual applies for the same lands?
(a) If two or more Eligible Individuals select the same lands, in whole or part, the BLM will:
(1) Give preference to the application bearing the earliest receipt date;
(2) If two or more applications bear an identical receipt date, and one or more application bears a legible postmark or shipping date, give preference to the application with the earliest postmark or shipping date; or
(3) Assign to any applications for the same land that are still tied after the criteria in paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section are applied a number in sequence, and run a random number generator to pick the application that will receive preference.
(4) For purposes of paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section, an application received, postmarked, or shipped before December 28, 2020 will be deemed to have been received, postmarked, or shipped on December 28, 2020.
(b) The BLM will issue a decision to all applicants with conflicting selections setting out the BLM's determination of preference rights. Applicants who do not have preference must make one of the following choices:
(1) Provide the BLM a substitute selection within 60 days of receipt of the BLM's decision. The substitute selection may consist of either an adjustment to the original selection that avoids the conflict, or a new selection located somewhere else. The substitute selection will be considered a new application for purposes of preference, as set forth in § 2569.411(c), but the applicant will not need to resubmit any portions of the application other than the land description and map; or,
(2) If only a portion of the selection is in conflict, the applicant may request that the BLM continue to adjudicate the portion of the selection that is not in conflict. The BLM must receive the request within 60 days of your receipt of the BLM's decision. Each applicant is allowed only one selection of land under this act and will not be allowed to apply for more acreage later.
(c) If the BLM finds your application conflicts with an application which has technical errors, the BLM will provide you the option of selecting a substitute parcel prior to that application being corrected under the procedures of paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(d) If you receive a decision finding your application does not have preference under paragraph (b) of this section and the BLM does not receive your choice within 60 days of receipt of the notice, the BLM will issue a decision rejecting your application. If your application is rejected, you may file a new application for different lands before the end of the five-year application period.
§ 2569.503   What if my application includes lands that are not available Federal lands?
(a) If your selection includes lands that are not available Federal lands, the BLM will issue you a decision informing you of the unavailable land selection and give you the following choices:
(1) Provide the BLM a substitute selection within 60 days of your receipt of the decision. The substitute selection may consist of either an adjustment to your original selection that avoids the unavailable lands, or a new selection located somewhere else. Your substitute selection will be considered a new application for purposes of preference, as set forth in § 2569.411(c), but you will not need to resubmit any portions of your application other than the land description and map; or,
(2) If only a portion of your selection is unavailable, you may request that the BLM continue to adjudicate the portion of the selection that is within available Federal lands. The BLM must receive your request within 60 days of your receipt of the BLM's decision. You are allowed only one parcel of land under this act, and you will not be allowed to apply for more acreage later.
(b) If you receive a decision finding your selection includes unavailable lands under paragraph (a) of this section and the BLM does not receive your choice within 60 days of receipt of the notice, the BLM will issue a decision rejecting your application. If your application is rejected, you may file a new application for different lands before the end of the five-year application period.
§ 2569.504   Once I file, can I change my land selection?
(a) Once your application is received in accordance with § 2569.411, you will only be allowed to amend your selection until 60 days after you receive the Notice of Survey as set forth in § 2569.501(e). Your amended selection will be considered a new application for purposes of preference, as set forth in § 2569.411(c), but you will not need to resubmit any portions of your application other than the land description and map.
(b) Otherwise, you will not be allowed to change your selection except as set forth in § 2569.502 or § 2569.503.
(c) If an applicant relinquishes their application more than 60 days after they receive the Notice of Survey as set forth in § 2569.501(e), the applicant will only be able to submit a new application for a new selection if their original selection is no longer available.
§ 2569.505   Does the selection need to be surveyed before I can receive title to it?
Yes. The land in your selection must be surveyed before the BLM can convey it to you. The BLM will survey your selection at no charge to you, as set forth in § 2569.501(g).
§ 2569.506   How will the BLM convey the land?
(a) The BLM will issue a Certificate of Allotment which includes language similar to the language found in Certificates of Allotment issued under the Act of May 17, 1906 (34 Stat. 197, chapter 2469), providing that the land conveyed will be deemed the homestead of the allottee and his or her heirs in perpetuity, and will be inalienable and nontaxable until otherwise provided by Congress or until the Secretary of the Interior or his or her delegate approves a deed of conveyance vesting in the purchaser a complete title to the land.
(b) The Certificate of Allotment will be issued subject to valid existing rights.
(c) The United States will reserve to itself all minerals in the Certificate of Allotment.
(d) If the Eligible Individual is deceased, the Certificate of Allotment will be issued in the name of the heirs, devisees, and/or assigns of the deceased Eligible Individual.
§ 2569.507   What should I do if the Eligible Individual dies or becomes incapacitated during the application process?
(a) If an Eligible Individual dies during the application process, another individual may continue the application process as a personal representative of the estate of the deceased Eligible Individual by providing to the BLM the materials described in § 2569.404(b)(2).
(b) If an Eligible Individual becomes incapacitated during the application process, another individual may continue the application process as a court-appointed guardian or conservator or as an attorney-in-fact for the Eligible Individual by providing to the BLM the materials described in § 2569.404(b)(3) or (4).
(c) If a deceased or incapacitated Eligible Individual has received a notice from the BLM that requires a response within 60 days, as described in § 2569.410, § 2569.501(e), § 2569.501(h)(3), § 2569.502(b), or § 2569.503(a), and no personal representative, guardian, or conservator has been appointed, or no attorney-in-fact has been designated, the individual who receives the notice, or an employee of the BIA or a Realty Service Provider, may respond to the notice in order to request that the BLM extend the 60-day period to allow for a personal representative, guardian, or conservator to be appointed. The BLM will extend a 60-day period under this paragraph (c) for up to two years.
(d) If the BLM has completed a Draft Plan of Survey as described in § 2569.501(d) or a survey as described in § 2569.501(g), and the estate of the deceased Eligible Individual does not wish to dispute the Draft Plan of Survey as described in § 2569.501(e) or the results of the survey as described in § 2569.501(h), then the BLM will not require a personal representative to be appointed. The BLM will continue to process the application.
(e) Other than as provided in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, the BLM will not accept any correspondence on behalf of a deceased or incapacitated Eligible Individual from an individual who has not provided the materials described in § 2569.404(b)(2), (3), or (4).
§ 2569.601   What lands are available for selection?
You may receive title only to lands identified as available Federal land. You can review the available Federal lands on the mapping tool available at https://www.blm.gov/alaska/2019AKNativeVetsLand. If you do not have access to the internet, a physical copy of the map of available Federal lands can be requested by either:
(a) Calling the BLM Alaska Public Room, the BIA Regional Realty Office or Fairbanks Agency Office, or your local Realty Service Provider. The map will be current as of the date it is printed and mailed to the mailing address provided at the time of request; or
(b) Requesting a physical copy in person at any of the offices listed in paragraph (a) of this section.
§ 2569.602   How will the BLM certify that the land is free of known contaminants?
The BLM will review land for contamination by using current contaminated site database information in the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation database, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Formerly Used Defense Sites database, the U.S. Air Force database, and the Federal Aviation Administration database, or any equivalent databases if any of these databases are no longer available. Any land found to have possible contamination based on these searches will not be available for selection.
§ 2569.603   Are lands that contain minerals available?
Yes the lands are available for selection, however, the minerals will be reserved to the United States and will not be conveyed to Eligible Individuals or to the devisees and/or assigns of Eligible Individuals.
§ 2569.604   What happens if new lands become available?
(a) New lands may become available during the application period. As additional lands become available, the BLM will review the lands to determine whether they are free of known contaminants as described in § 2569.602.
(b) After review, the BLM will update the online web maps of available Federal lands to include these additional lands during the five-year application period.
§ 2569.701   If Congress makes lands available within a National Wildlife Refuge, what additional rules apply?
Any Certificate of Allotment for lands within a National Wildlife Refuge will contain provisions that the lands remain subject to the laws and regulations governing the use and development of the Refuge.
§ 2569.801   What can I do if I disagree with any of the Decisions that are made about my allotment application?
(a) You may appeal all Decisions to the Interior Board of Land Appeals under 43 CFR part 4.
(b) On appeals of Decisions made pursuant to § 2569.502(b):
(1) Unless the BLM's decision is stayed on appeal pursuant to 43 CFR 4.21, the BLM will continue to process the conflicting applications that received preference over your application.
(2) Within 60 days of receiving a decision on the appeal, the losing applicant may exercise one of the two options to select a substitute parcel pursuant to § 2569.502(b).
(c) On appeals of Decisions which reject the application or of a decision made pursuant to § 2569.503(a):
(1) Unless the BLM's decision is stayed on appeal pursuant to 43 CFR 4.21, the BLM will lift the segregation of your selection and the land will be available for all future entries.
(2) If you win the appeal and the decision was not stayed, your selection will be considered received as of the date of the Interior Board of Land Appeals decision for purposes of preference under § 2569.502(a).