The Northwest Arctic Regional Advisory Council met March 27-28 in Kotzebue and voiced its support for research, land protections and aligning state and federal regulations.
Federal and state biologists, land managers, subsistence users and community members discussed a multitude of topics. The presentations help the council make recommendations to the Federal Subsistence Board who, in turn, manage subsistence on federal lands.
“There's a lot of issues that we deal with,” said Siikauraq Whiting, superintendent of the Western Arctic Parklands. “With subsistence we fight for our rights and it's really a challenging time, this time in our political arena.”
Whiting was in her first week back at work after being fired as part of mass federal layoffs in mid-February.
Following court orders, the Department of Interior reinstated thousands of probationary employees like Whiting.
The Trump administration's cuts have also affected federally-funded research that informs wildlife management in the region. At its meeting, the council approved letters of support for continuing projects where funding has been reduced or remains in limbo, including research on caribou migration, permafrost thaw, and aquatic ecosystems.
Specifically, the council supported research from the University of Alaska Fairbanks to monitor caribou migrations, a continuing study of the effects of thawing permafrost on aquatic ecosystems by the U.S. Geological Survey, a 3-year study of Dolly Varden and chum salmon on the Kobuk River, and fish studies and projects in Selawik Wildlife Refuge.
The council also voted to draft a letter asking the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to modify how it calculates chum salmon escapement numbers, which have been difficult to quantify in recent years due to high water.
“Methods of test fishing and aerial surveys just haven't been effective, mostly due to river conditions,” said Luke Henslee, a state biologist for the Norton Sound and Kotzebue Sound fisheries. “Mostly due to river conditions, so we're sort of at a place where we're exploring alternative methodologies.”
Henslee said the state wants to look at other options, like reviving a sonar test site on the Noatak River, for example.
But the bulk of the council’s letter-writing discussion centered around the nearly 28 million acres in Alaska that were protected under the Biden administration known as D1-Land withdrawals. Through executive order, the Trump administration directed the Bureau of Land Management to remove those protections as part of an effort to maximize resource development in Alaska.
More than 14 million acres, or more than half of the D-1 lands under review are within the range of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd.
Several council members supported upholding protections on the land.
“My justification is food security, because we're doing this for our kids, their kids, grandkids,” said council member and Noorvik resident Elmer Armstrong. “If we don't do it now, we're going to be hurting.”
Council Chair and former House District 40 Representative Thomas Baker questioned the timing of a support letter.
“I personally am a little hesitant to take any action on this at this time, until the council has more information, which is how I have been with other issues,” Baker said.
Ultimately, the council expressed unanimous support for the protections.
The advisory council also recommended changing federal bag limits to match state regulations for wolf and ptarmigan hunting and extending the muskrat, mink and weasel trapping seasons. In each case, state regulations had a larger bag limit or longer season.
For wolves, the state limit for Game Management Unit 23 is 20 with the season lasting from August 1 until April 30. The state’s ptarmigan bag limit is 50 per day, with 100 in possession which is twice as much as the federal limit.
The council also proposed changes that could allow for more opportunities for muskox hunting near Selawik.
The next regional advisory council meeting is scheduled for Oct. 27 and 28 in Kotzebue.
