Alaska Native Corporations

Sealaska Regional Native Corporation owns about 25-thousand acres of subsurface mining rights in an area being contested by the City and Borough of Juneau and Petersburg.

The area includes Hobart Bay, where Juneau’s Native Corporation Goldbelt owns 30-thousand surface acres.

Sealaska Vice President Rick Harris says the company will follow Goldbelt’s lead in commenting on the dispute.

“We’ll support them in whatever way is necessary to achieve a result that’s best for Goldbelt’s shareholders and also our shareholders,” says Harris.

Juneau plans to file a competing petition to Petersburg’s proposed borough boundaries, which includes land previously slated for annexation to the CBJ.

So far, Goldbelt hasn’t expressed a preference for which borough, if any, the corporation’s land should be in. Earlier this month, Goldbelt Vice President Derek Duncan sent a letter to the state’s Local Boundary Commission saying it would make a statement in the near future.

Harris says sand rock and gravel are quite prevalent in Hobart Bay, and that some precious metals are nearby.

“We don’t believe that it’s on our property,” Harris says. “We think that if there’s any precious metals, they’re actually to the north of our property.”

October 26th is the deadline to submit competing petitions and opposing briefs to the state’s Local Boundary Commission on Petersburg’s proposed borough.

The CBJ Assembly plans to introduce an ordinance Monday to make its petition official.

Stories include the latest candidate to run for school board during the municipal election on October 4th and another buyer steps forward to pick up the last two weeklies being shut down by Calista Corporation.

One of the Department of Agriculture’s top officials travels through Southeast Alaska and the nation’s largest national forest over the next week.

U.S. Agriculture Department Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Harris Sherman arrives in Juneau on Saturday and then heads to Sitka and Ketchikan over the next several days. The culmination of the trip will be celebration of a stream restoration project in Craig next Thursday.

During a recent wide-ranging interview with Undersecretary Sherman, we asked him to comment on the Department’s legal plans since the Roadless Rule exemption was lifted for Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. The State of Alaska is appealing a District Court ruling essentially setting aside the exemption. A group of Southeast businesses and organizations are intervening on the side of the state – saying application of the roadless rule could prevent development of hydroelectric projects and restrict the timber and mining industries. Sherman says the thrust of their Alaska legal case will be up to the Solicitor general.

Among many of the department’s issues ar the latest bills that would devote land from the land from the Tongass National Forest to the Sealaska corporation to make up for shortcomings in selections under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

We’ve aired many stories previously documenting views of Sealaska corporation, the congressional delegation, environmentalists, and Southeast residents. But little from the current landlord. The Agriculture Department also says they have some issues they’d like to iron out before a transfer. During that recent interview with Undersecretary Sherman, we also asked him to comment on the latest versions of the land selection bills.

Senator Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Don Young have introduced new versions of their Sealaska land-transfer bills. Murkowski’s measure was filed Tuesday, and Young’s was released Wednesday.Related Link: Hear the report and find links to bill information.

The latest version of the Sealaska land-selection bill changes how sacred sites will be chosen. It also limits their size and how they can be used. But the change concerns some tribal leaders.Related Link: Find links to more information and reports.

Most of the approximately 20 people speaking at Tuesday, Feb 22nd’s Craig community meeting on the Sealaska land-selection bill opposed parts of the measure.

Some worried about damage to subsistence or commercial fisheries. Others were concerned about the future of Forest Service timber harvests.

But most said the bill had improved since the last meeting in Craig, held last spring. And several speakers, including two Sealaska officials, backed the legislation as-is.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski recently updated the measure. She says more changes may come out of this meeting and one held in Ketchikan the day before.

Here’s an edited sampling of what was said. The first speaker is bill supporter Donna Jackson of Craig.Related Link: Find links to other Sealaska land bill reports.