Are you aware of the 28 million acres of land at stake?
These lands have been protected for half a century under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is doing a public process to better understand how lifting these protections could affect fish and wildlife and our ability to do subsistence activities. Their visit to our region is a crucial moment for us to shape their decision making. Your attendance, testimony, and comments are critical to safeguarding our lands and preserving our future co-management rights and abilities.
Let’s let them know these protections should be maintained. The ‘no action’ alternative, Alternative A will ensure these lands continue to be closed to extractive industry and prioritized for fish and wildlife habitat and subsistence uses.
Public Hearings are right around the corner:
Bethel: BLM will hold a public meeting and ANILCA 810 subsistence hearing at the Cultural Center on Monday, February 5th, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Upper Kuskokwim/Aniak: A similar hearing and meeting will take place at the Aniak Tribal Council on Tuesday, February 6th, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Where are these lands?:
There is a map of the lands being considered in our region.
Why Your Voice Matters:
This hearing is an opportunity to express concerns and shape a decision that will impact the future of our region. The mountainous areas under consideration provide essential water from snowpack melt into the Kuskokwim River and its tributaries and create essential spawning environments for the fish we rely on. We must consider the potential adverse effects of land fragmentation on fish habitats, migration patterns of big game, and the displacement of our subsistence resources.
Supporting Alternative A will ensure our lands and water qualities are preserved as they have been for 53 years and allow us to continue our co-management opportunities; while giving future generations a chance to make a decision on how these lands are utilized – especially as land and water levels are drastically changing.
What can you do?
1)Testify at the hearing on February 5 at 5:30 at the Cultural Center
2) Write a comment to the BLM about what you think. Here is a shortened link to the BLM comment portal: tinyurl.com/D1comment
Tell BLM to maintain these ANCSA 17(D)(1) land protections.
Sophie Irene Swope
Bethel, AK
Operation Christmas Child thanks
Generosity throughout Bethel contributed to a successful shoebox gift collection season at drop-off locations for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child. Across the U.S., the project collected 10 million shoebox gifts in 2023. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2023, the ministry is now sending over 11.3 million shoebox gifts to children worldwide, including many who are suffering from war, poverty, disease and disaster.
Through shoeboxes—packed with fun toys, school supplies, and personal care items—Bethel area volunteers brought joy to children in need around the world. Each gift-filled shoebox is a tangible expression of God’s love, and it is often the first gift these children have ever received. Through the continued generosity of donors since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 220 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.
Across AK, shoebox packers often shop for deals on shoebox items throughout the year, and many serve at a deeper level by becoming a year-round volunteer. Information about ways area participants can get involved year-round can also be found at samaritanspurse.org/occ or by calling 253-572-1155.
Although local dropoff locations for shoebox gifts are closed until Nov. 18 – 25, 2024, anyone can still be a part of this life-changing project by conveniently packing a shoebox gift online in just a few simple clicks at samaritanspurse.org/buildonline.
These simple gifts, packed with love, send a message to children worldwide that they are loved and not forgotten.
Jasmin Sutton, Samaritan’s Purse
Boone, NC
