The following letter was sent to the Alaska Board of Game from the Association of Village Council Presidents CEO Vivian Korthuis, dated October 10th, 2023.
Dear Alaska Board of Game Members:
The Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is the largest tribal consortium in the Nation with 56 federally recognized tribes as members. AVCP provides essential social services and advocacy for the Tribes and tribal members of the YK-Delta. One of our top advocacy priorities is ensuring the sustainability and proper management of our natural resources. We believe an important component of proper management is equitable tribal representation and inclusion of Traditional and Indigenous Knowledge in all subsistence and land management policies and decision-making.
Over the last two decades, the Mulchatna Caribou Herd has drastically decreased – from a high of 200,000 caribou in 1997 to 12,000 caribou in 2017. Levels have continued to remain low, and hunting has been closed since 2021. The Mulchatna Herd has traditionally been an important subsistence resource for Tribes in the AVCP Region. In order to restore the herd to numbers able to support our subsistence needs, we encourage the Board of Game and Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), to explore all possible measures to protect the herd. This includes measures such as the predator control program (AVCP Resolution 23.09.06) and limiting hunting opportunities to subsistence uses only.
We also strongly encourage the Board of Game and ADF&G to meet with Tribes and tribal communities to develop recommendations to protect subsistence resources. We will best protect our resources by working together.
Quyana.
