Petersburg’s borough assembly heard testimony both for and against proposed legislation to transfer land from the Tongass National Forest to five new urban Native corporations. Alaska Natives from five Southeast Alaska communities are seeking that compensation not granted in a land claims bill 50 years ago and are seeking support from the municipal government in their effort. The legislation has been introduced in past sessions of Congress and is expected to be reintroduced again later this year

Sealaska Heritage Institute and the luxury retailer Neiman Marcus have settled a lawsuit over a coat the company sold . The coat bears a striking resemblance to a copyrighted, Alaska Native Ravenstail pattern. The case began with Neiman Marcus but eventually grew to include 11 defendants. In a statement , Sealaska Heritage said they’ve agreed to work together to resolve the issue “under Tlingit law and cultural protocols.” Jacob Adams is the cultural nonprofit’s attorney on the case. He said the

The first Alaska Native woman to serve as lieutenant governor will lead a key Tribal health organization in the state. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium announced in a news release (Friday, March 12, 2021) that Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson (Yup’ik) will serve as interim president. “It is such a humbling honor to be asked by the board to be able to step into this role. And I really, you know, my first priority is really going to be listening to what our employees have to say about their

A 22-page final report released culminates two years of data collected from water, sediment and fish tissue in three transboundary watersheds that straddle the frontier. And now, Alaska and British Columbia governments say their work is done. “Given the existence of other sampling programs planned by state, federal or provincial agencies throughout the transboundary region, there is no need to continue the joint program,” the state and province said in a joint-statement . Congress appropriated

A cooperative buying campaign is pushing again to get discounted solar panels on more Kenai Peninsula roofs . Volunteers from Solarize the Kenai mobilized 82 property owners last year to outfit their homes and businesses with panels. It’s a collective effort, so interested homeowners sign up in groups to get group rates. Timm Johnson is a volunteer with the group. At an informational meeting Wednesday, he said solar panel technology became cost effective for Alaskans a few years ago. But with

Cook Inlet belugas used to follow salmon through the Kenai River in the summer. Now, they’re mostly just spotted in other seasons. Researchers from NOAA Fisheries aren’t sure why. It’s one of many questions they’re asking about the endangered population to better understand why the belugas aren’t rebounding and how the agency can support their recovery. A study featuring a relatively new DNA sampling technique might help them find answers . NOAA Fisheries geneticist Kim Parsons, who’s leading

At the beginning of the year, the U.S. Attorney’s office for Alaska announced that the Department of Justice would embark on a pilot project to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons epidemic in the state. The Curyung Tribal Council in Dillingham is one of three Alaska Tribes that volunteered to be part of the project. The Native Village of Unalakleet, and the Koyukuk Native Village are also participating. Each Tribe will develop a Tribal Community Response Plan tailored to its

The Legislature must decide this year whether to engage in unplanned spending from the Alaska Permanent Fund for the first time . Some lawmakers are raising concerns that once the state starts unplanned spending of billions of dollars, it won’t stop until there are no fund earnings left. The Legislature faces a familiar problem. For the seventh straight year, since oil price plummeted, Alaska’s state government is spending more than it’s taking in. But there’s a new issue. There isn’t enough

The Chugach Alaska Corporation has a new president and COO. Dan Fenza has been appointed as Chugach Alaska Corporation’s president and chief operating officer. The corporation announced the appointment in a Feb. 15, 2021, news release. Fenza worked for about 20 years with the corporation’s largest government contracting business, Chugach Government Solutions. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for our company’s rich history, the traditions and the powerful opportunities and benefits that

Canine companions are a dime a dozen across Alaska. Now, a dime-sized fragment of dog bone — more than ten-thousand years old — has given researchers new clues about how domesticated dogs first made their way to the Americas . Examining a pinto bean-sized bone fragment, the scientist thought she was analyzing an ancient bear bone. “We have sort of a long-standing project working on bear bones from these caves,” explained Charlotte Lindqvist. She’s an associate professor of biology at the State