More background on proposed land selections
As I mentioned previously, at the end of 2022, Congress passed legislation to finalize the University’s land entitlement as part of its Land Grant. This is a complex, multi-year process that involves both the State and the federal government. The way this works is that the UA Land team can select from federal land holdings that are part of the state’s remaining general selections.
Recently the UA Land team submitted a request for two selections along the Klehini River (approximately 30 acres each), and another one further north along the Chilkat River at the B.C. border (approximately 4,406 acres). The next step in the process is for the State of Alaska to put out a public notice. After that, the State will decide whether or not to transfer ownership to UA. The State may decide to modify these parcels or leave as is. Finally, the land selections would go back to the federal government for final conveyance.
Also, we are doing everything we can to coordinate with BLM on any conflicting Native Veteran allotment requests.
Please visit our website for more information on the Land Grant Initiative, and click on the "Southeast" section to view maps of all three potential selections.
Finally, if the University does receive conveyance of these new landholdings, then we will continue to communicate with all of you, and find ways to address community needs while generating revenue for the UA Scholars program. The UA Land team does not have any development plans for the parcels at this time.
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