Alaska's Land-1978 the Annual Report of The;

( ALASKA'S LAND-1978 THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE; JOINT FEDERAL· STATE LAND USE PlANNING COMMISSION FOR ALASKA The three main elements of nature air, land, and water- are represented by the sun-moon, mountain, and waves of the Commission symbol. Envelop- ing these elements ate the basic symbols of civilization and nature, the triangle and the circle. The triangle, created by joining three straight lines, is indicative of man and his enomomic manner of building, dividing, and planning with straight lines. The circle is representative of nature, which in its abundant glory seldom uses straight lines. Alaska, the land of the midnight sun, caribou, spruce and salmon. A land with three million lakes, 33,000 miles of saltwater shoreline, and 586,400 square miles of land. A land of sun-moon, mountain, and waves. --The Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission for Alaska Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission For Alaska 733 W. FOURTH AVENUE, SUITE 400 ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 99501 CO-CHAIRMEN Esther C. Wunnicke Walter B. Parker Federal Co-Chairman State Co-Chairman COMMISSIONERS Federal State Richard A. Cooley Phil R. Holdsworth Joseph H. FitzGerald James J. Hurley Norman C. Gorsuch George W. Rogers Celia M. Hunter John W. Schaeffer ADVISORY COMMITTEE Richard Atuk Andrew L. Mathisen C. V. Chatterton Helen Nienhueser Donald L. Finney Frank E. Nyman Nancy Gross Joseph L. Orsini c. c. Hawley Rick Reakoff James Huntington Stephen Reeve Paul Huppert Frank Woods James E. Kowalsky Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission For Alaska January 31, 1979 The President Washington, D.C. The Governor Juneau, Alaska The Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission, created by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (85 Stat. 706) and Alaska Statutes 41.40.040, submits this report of its activities during the year 1978. Respectfully yours, Esther C. Wunnicke Federal Co•Chaitman State Co-Chairman 733 W. FOURTH AVENUE, SUITE 400 ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 99501 CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION Commission Purpose, Organization, Goals, and Objectives .•.... 2 FEDERAL LAND POLICY " National Interest Lands (d)(2) •.... 5 Assistance to Congress and Others . 7 Wilderness Workshop and Recommendations 8 STATE LAND POLICY Introduction . 11 Land Policy Act . • ll Recreation Lands Study 12 Commission Recommendations 13 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SETTLEMENT ACT Introduction . • . 17 Easement Policy . 18 Amendments to ANCSA . 19 Land Exchanges 20 Land Conveyances 21 Navigable Waters 21 Administrative Actions 22 Alaska Railroad Lands 22 Future Questions 23 COOPERATIVE PLANNING Ecological Reserves . • . 26 Northern Alaska Studies Program 27 Wildlife Management, Inventory 27 Alaska Resource Information System 28 Remote Sensing Demonstration Project 29 Cooperative Management Study 31 Compatible Federal-State Planning . • 32 PUBLIC DIALOGUE Commission and Advisory Committee Meetings 34 Continuing Research . • . • . • 35 APPENDICES Publicat.ions and Studies . • . 39 Chronology of Commission Actions 46 Public Speeches • . • • . • . 57 Easement Summary (Actions) 63 Commission Budget . 68 Commission Staff • . 72 Allocation of Land in Alaska (Chart) 75 NOitL::lfiOO'a.:LNI Tim JOINT FEDERAL-STATE LAND USE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR ALASKA Pu?:Pose The Joint-Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission for Alaska was created by Congress and the Alaska Legislature to provide a statewide land use planning process that will insure the social and economic development of the State in a manner that is compatible with the social and economic well-being of the public, their interests, and the environment. The Commission, created by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, is to improve coordination and resolve conflicts among the State, Federal government, and private landowners in the State, and recommend laws, policies and programs to the President, Congress, and the Governor of Alaska for a coordinated comprehensive statewide land use planning process. Organizatio~ The Commission is headed by the Governor of Alas.ka or his full time Co Chairman, and by a Federal Co-Chairman appointed by the President of the United States. Four Commissioners are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, and four by the Governor of Alaska. The Federal Commission members are: Esther C. Wunnicke (Co-Chairman), Richard A. Cooley, Joseph H. FitzGerald, Celia M. Hunter, and Norman C. Gorsuch. The State Commission members are: Walter B. Parker (Co-Chairman), James J. Hurley, John B. Schaeffer, Phil R. Holdsworth, and George W. Rogers. The Commission has the advice of a fifteen-member Advisory Committee chosen from persons representing commercial, industrial, recreational, and wilderness land users, environmental groups, Alaska Natives, and other citizens. A Legal Counsel and a Native Affairs Specialist are also on the staff of professional and clerical personnel. Goals and Objectives The primary goals of the Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission are to: (1) insure that the economic growth of Alaska is orderly and compatible with the maintenance and enhancement of environmental values and the economic and social well-being of the State's residents; and (2) plan for the wisest and best use of Alaska's lands. The Commission's primary mandate under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and corresponding State Legislation is to: (1) seek ways to avoid conflicts between the State, the Federal government, and Alaska Natives over selection, use, and management of lands; (2) improve coordination between the State and Federal governments; and (3) recommend changes in laws, policies, and programs affecting land use management in Alaska. 2 The Land Use Planning Commission. in accomplishing its various objectives during the seven years of operation~ has completed a significant amount of research and has made numerous recommendations with regard to Federal and State policies, the implementation of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and cooperative planni~g and management in Alaska. Under the Settlement Act, the Commission was to terminate on December 31, 1976. The Commission was extended in 1976 so that Congress and the State of Alaska could obtain the Commission's review and recommendations on several significant land use planning issues in Alaska. Termination is now scheduled for June 30, 1979. As a part of the initial phase-down program, the Commission is undergoing a gradual and continuous reduction of staff, and has negotiated for the safe deposit of its documents, maps, and resource materials. These materials will be available to the public and to any future Federal-State land use planning or coordinating organiz<ttion created for Alaska. In 1978 the Commission made extensive recommendations on the organization and operation of Federal-State cooperative institut~ons, has held a workshop on the subject and has contracted a study which reviews the various needs for coordinated land use planning and management and alternative institutions designed to meet those needs. In addition, the Commission has worked with an ad hoc land managers task force composed of representatives of the State of Alaska, the Departments of Interior and Agriculture, and the Alaska Federation of Natives. The Commission promoted and helped develop a State-Federal Transportation Planning Organization, and Alaska Resource Information System, and an Ecological Reserve Council. Although much has been done to address land issues in Alaska, and great progress has been made, it will be many.years before.solutions to the various issues relative to the use and ownership of land in Alaska are totally resolved. Continuing coordination between the State, Federal government and Native corporations will be necessary, even after the State and Native lands are conveyed and designations have finally been made for the national interest lands. Desirable solutions to such is~ues as; the management of wildlife and fisheries, including the .subsistence issue; classification anduse of Federal lands governed by the 1976 Feqeral Land Policy and Management Act; exchange of lands; extraction of oil, gas, and minerals, with related requirements for access easements; coastal zone management; offshore fishing and resource ·extraction; and the determination of navigable waters in Alaska, will require a high degree of cooperation and coordination. 3 FEDERAL LAND P 0 L I C Y 4 National Interest Lands The year 1978 held special significance for the Alaska national interest lands issue. These potential parklands, wildlife refuges, forests, wild and scenic rivers, or other conservation categories were largely withdrawn from State and private appropriation in 1972 by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to Sections 17(d)(2) and (d)(l) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Congress directed that up to 80 million acres could be withdrawn under Section 17(d)(i) for study and recommendations to Congress as possible additions to conservation categories. Lands withdrawn under Section 17(d)(l) were for classification in the public interest. This (d)(l) classification limited or excluded private entry or appropriation of public lands and, in large part, State land selections. It served to protect Native, State, and Federal interest in lands pending selection, planning, or further classification. In 1974, t,he Secretary of Interior withdrew approximately 79 million acres of (d)(2) lands. At this time, the Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission and other Federal and State agencies began a planning process designed to influence the ultimate disposition

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