New rule adds 3 Alaska tribal representatives to federal board managing subsistence

Salmon dry on a rack in Quinhagak, a Yup'ik village in Western Alaska, in July 2023. Salmon is a staple of the traditional Indigenous diet in Alaska and one of the main foods harvested through subsistence practices. A new rule made final by the Department of the Interior is aimed at boosting tribal participation in subsistence management. (Alice Bailey / University of Alaska Fairbanks)

The federal government board that manages subsistence will be expanded with three representatives of Alaska Native tribes, under a new rule the Biden administration made final on Wednesday.

The new Federal Subsistence Board members are to be nominated by federally recognized tribes. They need not be tribal members or Native themselves, but they must have “personal knowledge of and direct experience with subsistence uses in rural Alaska, including Alaska Native subsistence uses,” according to the rule.

The term “subsistence” refers to harvests of fish, game and plants for personal or family consumption or material to be used in artwork, clothing or toolmaking. For Alaska Natives, subsistence is connected to cultural traditions.

The board manages those harvests that are conducted on federal lands within Alaska.

It currently has eight members. Five are the Alaska directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Land Management. There are three public representatives on the board, including its chairman.

The new rule expanding the board rule stems from consultations in 2022 with tribal organizations, according to a Federal Register notice to be published by the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Raina Thiele, senior Alaska adviser to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, speaks on Wednesday at the 7th annual Alaska Tribal Unity Gathering in Anchorage. Thiele summarized a new agreement to boost tribal involvement in the Department of the Interior’s Gravel to Gravel Keystone Initiative to protect and restore salmon runs in Alaska river systems. With her on the stage are other participants in the agreement. (Yereth Rosen / Alaska Beacon)

“Rural Alaskan communities depend on sound and equitable subsistence decisions to sustain their ways of life. Foundational to this effort must be a balanced and diverse Federal Subsistence Board that recognizes the unique perspectives of Alaska Native people, for whom subsistence practices have been integral to their social, economic, spiritual and cultural needs since time immemorial,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also described reasons for the added board members in the statement.

“Ensuring that Alaska Native Tribes and rural communities have a strong voice in managing the natural resources vital to their livelihoods is essential, and this effort aligns with our commitment to reshape our programs to incorporate Tribal and Indigenous perspectives,” he said.

The Biden administration took other action earlier this year that was intended to elevate the role of tribes in the federal subsistence program. In June, Haaland issued an order in June that moved the Office of Subsistence Management from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to a position directly in the Office of the Secretary.

In addition to finalizing the rule expanding the Federal Subsistence Board, the Department of the Interior made other tribal outreach announcements. The announcements were made at tribal and subsistence meetings held just before Thursday’s start to the annual Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage.

Federal officials and tribal organizations in the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River and Norton Sound regions signed an agreement that is intended to bring more Indigenous knowledge and management to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Gravel to Gravel Keystone Initiative. The program of research and restoration was launched in response to salmon crashes on those river systems. The new Gravel to Gravel agreement was signed at a tribal meeting held in downtown Anchorage.

A second agreement signed Tuesday was with the Tanana Chiefs Conference, a coalition of Interior Alaska tribes. The agreement authorizes TCC to administer education and outreach programs on behalf of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management, and it placed new emphasis on Indigenous knowledge that TCC can incorporate into management plans and decisions.

A third agreement signed Wednesday is with Ahtna Inc., the regional Native corporation for the eastern Interior region. It is aimed at improving access to public lands and waters through easements that are located on Ahtna-owned lands.

Originally published by the Alaska Beacon, an independent, nonpartisan news organization that covers Alaska state government.