Date and time: Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Department of the Interior today celebrated the signing of three landmark agreements with Alaska Native tribes and businesses to advance collaborative management of public lands and waters. Two agreements between federal agencies and Alaska Native Tribes and the Tanana Council of Chiefs protect salmon within the Yukon, Kuskokwim, and Norton Bay regions through the department’s gravel-to-gravel initiative Initiatives will move forward. The third agreement would improve management of easements that provide access to public lands and waters across Aftona Private Lands.
In collaboration with tribes, indigenous leaders, government agencies, and community partners, the department’s Gravel to Gravel Keystone Initiative, established with funding from President Biden’s Investing in America Policy, leverages indigenous knowledge and We are bringing together the best available science to inform our plans for collective action. Make immediate investments to support local resilient ecosystems and communities and respond to the salmon crisis. Today’s agreement adds to more than $44 million already invested in this effort.
“Since time immemorial, the Yukon Territory, Kuskokwim and Norton Bay regions have supported Alaska Native people, fish, birds and other wildlife, supporting strong and resilient communities and traditional ways of life. ” Secretary Deb Haaland said. “Thanks to the historical resources provided through President Biden’s Invest America Policy, our Gravel to Gravel Keystone Initiative will center Indigenous knowledge and support the region’s salmon, local communities, and By bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise, we can develop effective strategies that benefit salmon and all the creatures that depend on them.”
Salmon in Alaska’s Yukon, Kuskokwim, and Norton Sound regions have deep cultural, subsistence, and ecological significance. Traditional indigenous foods derived from the flora and fauna of these unique regions contribute to the food security and vitality of more than 100 Alaska Native tribes, who have managed and lived reciprocally with the land, water, and animals for thousands of years. It remains essential to a culture steeped in culture. of the region. Due to the effects of climate change, the lack of salmon is negatively impacting the cultural and spiritual health and well-being of indigenous peoples who have relied on salmon for over 10,000 years. Gravel to Gravel Keystone Initiative partners are working to address these severe ecosystem collapses and salmon crises through a holistic approach that prioritizes collaboration and shared responsibility.
Gravel to Gravel Partnership Agreement
The first agreement will combine science and indigenous knowledge to restore Pacific salmon habitat and build resilient ecosystems throughout the salmon lifecycle (gravel to gravel, beginning and end of the salmon life). We are formalizing a new partnership to support groundbreaking efforts to champion the world.
Signatories at today’s event for the 7th Annual Alaska Tribal Unity Assembly in Anchorage include the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS), and the United States. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Association of Village Council Chairmen, Athabasca Tribal Council of Governments, Kawerak Corporation, Nome Eskimo Community, Eagle Indian Village, Tanana Chiefs Council (TCC), Kuskokwim River Intertribal Fish Commission, and Yukon River Intertribal Council. Fish Commission. The signatories included staff from the Director’s Office.
Pursuant to this agreement, each party agreed to four priorities:
Working together across jurisdictions and geographic boundaries through co-management and co-management to restore the health of and relationships among salmon, people and places. Build and maintain trust and communication, strengthen relationships between tribes and federal agencies, and enhance capacity and knowledge sharing regarding salmon care. Respect tribal sovereignty and autonomy by advocating for tribal governance and recommendations regarding decision-making and regulatory authority in wildlife ecosystem and fisheries management. We will work collaboratively on ecosystem restoration and resilience, salmon conservation, and other projects within and adjacent to the Gravel to Gravel Keystone Initiative, including our Indigenous and traditional knowledge expertise.
Autonomy funding agreement with TCC
BLM, NPS, USFWS, and USGS also announced the first multi-agency autonomy funding agreement with the Tanana Conference of Chiefs, a consortium of federally recognized Indian tribes, to foster nation-to-nation relations through strengthening tribal autonomy. Participated in the agreement. Governance authorities, shared stewardship, equity, trust and healing mechanisms.
The agreement recognizes the role of the tribes that make up the TCC and their enduring interconnectedness with their homeland, which spans 235,000 square miles of interior Alaska. The first scope of work in the Home Rule Agreement authorizes TCC to administer education and assistance programs on behalf of USFWS and BLM that further preserve and incorporate Indigenous knowledge into planning and regulations.
Agreement to Improve Management of Access Easements Through Privately Owned Ahtona Lands
The BLM and Atona Corporation also today signed a multi-year self-government funding agreement to improve management of easements that provide access to public lands and waters across privately owned Atona lands. The agreement provides for the management of these easements, known as 17(b) easements under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), from BLM’s Glennallen Field Office to land extending across the Mid-South Interior. The project will be transferred to Atna Inc., an Alaska Native regional corporation. of Alaska. This groundbreaking initiative is BLM’s first under Title IV of the Indian Self-Determination and Educational Assistance Act and advances the department’s priorities of strengthening relationships with tribes and indigenous businesses.
BLM manages approximately 175 ANCSA 17(b) easements in the Atna area. Under this new agreement, Ahtna will manage this easement program on behalf of the BLM, supporting the public’s continued access to public lands and waters while respecting privately owned Ahtna lands. Atna will advance these goals by building a common dataset of easements, improving public signage, and promoting public understanding of regional land ownership patterns.
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