National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior r»l BM vf3<Cfiiiia Kl M>WJ A National Park Service Management History • JreJTTl ^Kc fS^Tvul Katie John near her Copper River fish wheel. For more than a decade, she fought state and federal officials for the right to fish at Batzulnetas village. Four years after a landmark lawsuit reaffirmed her fishing rights, manage­ ment authority over many of Alaska's navigable waters shifted from state to federal jurisdiction. Erik Hill photo, Anchorage Daily News Alaska Subsistence A National Park Service Management History Produced by the Alaska Support Office, National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Anchorage, Alaska Author: Frank Norris September 2002 Cover photo: Inupiat woman at Shishmaref boiling walrus flip­ pers. This photo was taken in 1974 by the late Robert Belous, who was one of the primary ar­ chitects of the National Park Service's policy toward subsis­ tence management during the critical, nine-year period between the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. NPS (Alaska Task Force Box 8), Photo 4467-5 Norris, Alaska Subsistence - Errata sheet Front cover - the photo subject is Fannie Kigrook Barr of Shishmaref. Title page - Frank Broderick of Archgraphics was responsible for graphics and layout, Angelika Lynch (also of Archgraphics) prepared the maps, and A.T. Publishing Co. of Anchorage printed the volume under a Government Printing Office contract, page 2 - The source for Map 1-2 is: Federal Field Committee for Development Planning in Alaska, Alaska Natives and the Land (1968), p. 5. p. 59 - In the "symbols on chart" section of Table 4-3, the "Y" that is adjacent to the phrase "subsistence is a purpose of the proposed parkland" should be in bold type, p. 94 - In the photo caption, Skye Swanson's name was inadvertently misspelled. In addition, at least three of those pictured—Ray Bane (GAAR), Dick Ring (GAAR), and Mike Tollefson (LACL)—were not seasonal employees, p. 140 - On line 7 of the top photo caption, the correct word is "criticized". p. 202 — The woman in the photo is flensing a sheefish, not a seal. Back cover - the photo should be credited to NPS (AKSO). Table of Contents C. Managing Subsistence Activities on Alaska’s Parklands 122 D. SRC Recommendations: Eligibility Issues 127 List of Maps iv E. SRC Recommendations: Access Issues 134 List of Tables v F. The Controversy over Traditional Use Zones 139 List of Photographs vi G. SRC Wildlife Management Issues 144 Preface viii H. Glacier Bay Subsistence Conflicts 145 Acknowledgements xi I. Miscellaneous NPS Subsistence Management Issues 147 List of Acronyms xiii J. The SRCs During the 1980s: Concluding Remarks 152 1. Alaska Native and Rural Lifeways Prior to 1971 1 7. The Federal Assumption Process, 1989-1993 162 A. Alaska’s Native Cultures 1 A. The Alaska Supreme Court Rules in the McDowell Case 162 B. Alaska Natives and the U.S. Government 1 B. Initial Federal Subsistence Management Efforts 164 C. The Lure of Gold and the Non-Native Population Influx 2 C. Establishing the Federal Regional Advisory Councils 173 D. Federal Policies Toward Alaska’s Natives, 1890-1950 4 D. Alaskan Responses to Federal Assumption 174 E. Statehood and Its Ramifications 8 F. Toward a Land Claims Settlement 10 8. NPS Subsistence Management Activities, 1990-Present 182 2. The National Park Service and the Subsistence Question 16 A. Status of the NPS Subsistence Program, 1990-1991 182 B. NPS Subsistence Program Changes, 1991-1993 184 A. Early Policies Toward Native Americans and Subsistence 16 C. Agency Program Modifications, 1993-1996 188 B. Establishing an NPS Management Policy, 1916-1933 18 D. The NPS Subsistence Program, 1996-present 189 C. Shifting Policies Toward Native Americans, 1933-1963 21 E. Subsistence in the Legislature, Part I: The Case of Glacier Bay 193 D. Emergence of New NPS Policies, 1963-Present 25 F. Subsistence in the Legislature, Part II: Gates of the Arctic ATV Use 195 G. SRC Recommendations: Eligibility Issues 197 3. Subsistence in Alaska’s Parks, 1910-1971 32 H. SRC Recommendations: Access Issues 203 I. A Renewed Discussion of Traditional Use Areas 206 A. Mount McKinley National Park 33 J. Wildlife Management Issues 209 B. Katmai National Monument 36 K. Miscellaneous Subsistence Management Issues 211 C. Glacier Bay National Monument 38 L. The Federal Program (Wildlife-Related Issues), 1993-Present: General Trends 216 D. The Alaska Native Cultural Center Proposal 40 M. The Federal Program (Wildlife-Related Issues), 1993-Present: Specific Issues 223 4. The Alaska Lands Question, 1971-1980 46 9. The Subsistence Fishing Question 242 A. Congress Passes a Native Claims Settlement Bill 46 A. The Federal Role in Subsistence Fisheries Management, 1980-1992 242 B. The Interior Department Begins Planning for New Parks 51 B. The Katie John Decision 243 C. NPS Planners Consider the Subsistence Question 52 C. State and Federal Responses to Katie John, 1995-1999 247 D. NPS Subsistence Activities in Alaska, 1972-1973 58 D. Federal Planning Prior to Fisheries Assumption 254 E. Studying the Proposed Parks, 1974-1976 60 E. Implementing the Federal Subsistence Fisheries Program 258 F. The State Gets Involved 65 G. Congressional Alaska Lands Act Proposals, 1977-1978 67 10. Concluding Remarks 268 H. An Alaska Lands Bill Becomes Law 77 Appendices: 274 5. Initial Subsistence Management Efforts 88 1. State and Federal Subsistence Leaders, 1974-present 274 A. Establishing a Regulatory Framework 88 2. Regional Advisory Commission Chairs and Coordinators 276 B. ANILCA and its Management Ramifications 91 3. NPS Subsistence Officials, 1980-present 278 C. Alaskans React to the State and Federal Subsistence Laws 95 4. Subsistence Resource Commission Chairs, 1984-present 280 D. The NPS Organizes a Subsistence Program 103 5. Subsistence Resource Commission Activity, 1984-present 281 6. Federal Subsistence Board Staff Committee Members, 1990-present 283 6. Managing Alaska’s Subsistence Program, 1985-1989 116 Selected Bibliography 284 A. The Madison Decision and its Impacts 116 B. The State of Alaska’s Subsistence Management Program 119 Index 294 ii iii List of Maps List of Tables 1-1. National Parklands in Alaska frontispiece 1-1. Population of Alaska and Selected Areas, 1890-2000 5 1-2. Alaska’s Native Languages and Cultures 2 1-3. Federal Lands in Alaska, 1968 4 2-1. Known Subsistence Uses in Non-Alaskan NPS Units That Were Established Prior to 1976 24 3-1. National Parklands in Alaska, 1971 34 4-1. Proposed NPS Areas in Alaska, March 15, 1972 51 4-2. Evolution of Proposed NPS Areas, September 1972 to January 1975 53 4-3. Subsistence Eligibility in the Proposed Alaska Parklands, 1973-1980 59 4-1. ANCSA Native Corporations, December 1971 47 4-2. Proposed National Conservation Areas, December 1973 52 5-1. Resident Zone Communities for Alaska National Parks and Monuments, 1979-1981 90 4-3. Newly-Established National Monuments, December 1978 75 5-2. Regional Advisory Council Chronology, 1971-present 99 4-4. Proposed Regional Management Councils, 1978 76 5-3. State Subsistence Budgets and Federal Reimbursements, 1982-1990 102 4-5. National Conservation Areas in ANILCA, December 198079 5-4. Subsistence Resource Commission Chronology, 1977-present 106 5-1. Resident Zone Communities for Alaska’s National Parks and National Monuments 93 6-1. Population of Resident Zone Communities for Alaska National Park Units, 1980-2000 124 5-2. State-Managed Subsistence Regions, 1982-1992 98 7-1. Federal Subsistence Hunting Regulations Chronology, 1990-1993 168 6-1. NPS Traditional Use Zone Proposal, Gates of the Arctic National Park, November 1984 141 7-2. Proposals Considered by the Federal Subsistence Board, 1991-1993 168 7-1. Federally-Managed Wildlife Subsistence Regions, 1992-present 171 8-1. Federal Subsistence Hunting Regulations Chronology, 1993-present 218 8-2. Hunting Proposals Considered by the Federal Subsistence Board, 1993-present 219 8-1. Resident Zone Community Boundary Proposals, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, 1992-1993 199 8-3. Office of Subsistence Management – Budget and Employee Strength, 1990-present 221 9-1. Federally-Managed Fisheries Subsistence Regions, 1999-present 258 9-1. Proposed Staff and Budget for Federal Subsistence Fisheries Management, Summer 1999 257 9-2. Federal Subsistence Fishing Regulations Chronology, 1997-present 259 9-3. Fisheries Proposals Considered by the Federal Subsistence Board, 2000-present 259 iv v List of Photographs Gates of the Arctic National Park Subsistence Resource Commission, 1984 142 Dick Martin 144 Chapter 1: Minnie Gray, from Ambler, butchering a caribou 145 Boyd Evison, William Penn Mott, George Dalton, Sr. and Mike Tollefson 146 Dipnetting along the Copper River 6 Bill Ellis 147 Northwestern Alaska subsistence fishers, 1974 7 Subsistence catch with gillnet, Unalakleet River drainage, June 1976 149 Acting Gov. Hugh Wade and Gov. William A. Egan 9 Chapter 4: Chapter 7: Mike Gravel and Ted Stevens 48 Alaska Supreme Court 162 Inupiat hunters hauling a seal kill, Cape Krusenstern area, 1974 54 Sam McDowell 163 Inupiat woman poling a boat, 1974 55 Bill Knauer 164 Drying fish nets near Ambler, September 1974 57 Regional staff coordinators, Office of Subsistence Management 174 Snowmachine in Barrow, 1968 61 Walter J. (Wally) Hickel 175 Bob Belous 62 McKie Campbell 176 Bryan Harry 63 Ray and Barbara Bane 64 Chapter 8: Alaska’s NPS superintendents, 1991 183 Gov. Jay Hammond 65 Roger Siglin 184 Rep. Nels Anderson 67 John M. (Jack) Morehead 185 Reps. Morris Udall and John Seiberling 67 Alaska NPS leaders, 1993 186 Anna and Pete Gregory at Nikolai, 1985 68 Bob Gerhard 188 Rep. Don Young 70 Ralph Tingey 189 Jon Jarvis 189 Chapter 5: Paul Anderson 190 Michael Finley 89 Denali National Park Subsistence Resource Commission letterhead 191 Paul Starr and airplane 89 Alaska subsistence resource commission chairs, 2001 192 John Cook 91 Marvin Jensen 194 Alaska Region NPS employees, 1981 94 Sen.