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June 3, 2024

Dear Land Management,


Congratulations to the newest class of UA Scholars!

In case you missed it, the next group of UA Scholars was recently announced, including Trenton Oaks and Sophia Sutcliffe Diaz from the Chilkat Valley! Here is the complete list of new UA Scholars.



State of Alaska issues a public notice for upper Chilkat lands

The State of Alaska has issued a public notice for one of the proposed Land Grant selections, approximately 4,406 acres along the Chilkat River on the Canadian border. The deadline to comment is Tuesday, July 2, 2024. Please see a map below.


During our recent community visit, we heard concerns about protecting traditional use hunting and cabins. To clarify, this parcel is outside of the Chilkat Bald Eagle Reserve and not connected to the Kelsall or Tahini Rivers. So, after looking at maps together, none of the folks we met with had any additional concerns about cabins if that parcel would be conveyed to the University.


Of course, if you still have questions, please contact us anytime.

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.

Current land holdings: next steps

We continue to hear from many of you about the desire for small-scale timber, along with questions about our potential carbon credit program. As we mentioned in person, the UA Land team is working with a forestry consultant to evaluate all forested areas in UA land holdings, including the Chilkat Valley. Look for an update from us in the next few months. Also, a hunting permit program is still moving forward and we appreciate your patience. If you have questions about allowable use on UA lands, you can find additional information on our website.


As always, if you have an idea for a project in the community, please reach out to us.


Maps of University land holdings

An interactive map of all current university land holdings is available on the homepage of the UA Land website, or you can click here to view and download a map of the Chilkat Valley.


Community eNewsletter

We have added new folks to our email list during our recent visit, but if you know of others, please send them my way, or they are welcome to sign up directly on our website.

 

As always, please reach out to me anytime at UALandHaines@gmail.com. 


Many thanks–

Kirsten Henning

Liaison for UA Land Management Office

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