20 Alaska Native Tribes urge the Bureau of Land Management to give serious consideration to tribal concerns
By: Blm Wild
Tags: Alaska, Public Lands, Environment, Indigenous, Watershed

20 Alaska Native Tribes urge the Bureau of Land Management to give serious consideration to tribal concerns

Credit David Shaw.

On June 13, 2019, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) finished a 90-day public comment period on the draft resource management plan for Alaska’s Bering Sea-Western Interior that will govern use of more than thirteen million acres of public land. More than 60 federally recognized Alaska Native Tribes have lived in this region for thousands of years, and continue to sustainably manage use of the fish, plants and animals as well as the land.

Anvik Tribe’s Second Chief Nathan Elswick said, “We don’t own the land but we belong to the land, and what happens to the land happens to us.”

Through the land use planning process, local Tribes have asked the BLM to designate more than 7 million acres of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs) to protect important watersheds and traditional tribal lands vital to community survival. However, the BLM did not include any existing or community-nominated conservation areas in its preferred plan for this region of western Alaska. Instead, its proposal would eliminate 1.8 million acres of existing conservation lands and open up nearly 13.5 million acres to mining — which could potentially have serious impacts on wildlife habitat and water quality for critical fish resources and community water sources.

Before the end of the public comment period, 20 Tribes signed a letter to the BLM addressing Tribal concerns. The letter states:

“Viewpoints of planning area Tribal communities; the only communities that will have to live with the results of the plan; should be given great weight and primary consideration by BLM in the planning process. BLM’s Preferred Alternative C, by not recommending significant protections for nominated watersheds clearly sends the message that planning area communities do not matter. Tribes ask BLM to give serious consideration to the following Tribal concerns and make changes in the Final plan to create greater balance and provide protections for Tribal nominations.”

On June 17, 2019, Native Peoples Action sent out the following press release:

Alaska Native Tribes send joint letter to Bureau of Land Management

20 tribes sign letter stating Tribal concerns, ask BLM to collaborate with Tribes, provide balance and protections for Tribal watershed nominations

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is currently undertaking a planning process to determine the allowable uses of over 13.5 million acres of Tribal land, now managed by the BLM. Once completed, the new plan will be in place for the next 20 to 30 years. Over 60 federally recognized Alaska Native tribes live within the Bering Sea-Western Interior planning area. Alaska Natives have thrived on and stewarded this land for thousands of years, and this symbiotic relationship is foundational to Alaska Native ways of life. Many tribes nominated local watersheds for protection from mining in the planning process, yet none of the nominated watersheds received protection from mining in BLM’s preferred proposed plan.

“We don’t own the land but we belong to the land, and what happens to the land happens to us,” said Nathan Elswick, Anvik Tribe’s Second Chief. The voices of tribal communities within the planning area, the only communities that will have to live with the results of the plan, deserve to be heard in the planning process. They are simply asking to be of primary consideration by BLM in the planning process. BLM’s proposed plan, by not recommending significant protections for the tribes’ nominated watersheds, clearly sends the message that planning area communities do not matter to the federal government.

Twenty tribes have signed a letter asking BLM for the following: to give serious consideration to tribal concerns, to collaborate better with tribes in the planning process, and to make changes in the final plan to create greater balance and provide protections for tribal watershed nominations.

Native Peoples Action is a non-profit organization whose mission is to take a stand, work together and mobilize action for the wellness and wellbeing of Alaska Natives. The collaborative action among these twenty tribes perfectly illustrates the mission of our work and we are proud to highlight their collective strength and advocacy work for tribal self-determination.