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Table of Land Ownership in Alaska
FEDERAL PUBLIC LAND PLANNING:
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS)
__________________
STATE PUBLIC LAND PLANNING:
Alaska Dept. of
Natural Resources (DNR)
Division of
Forestry (DOF)
Division of
Mining, Land & Water (DMLW)
Division of
Parks and Outdoor Recreation (DPOR)
Alaska Dept of Fish
and Game (ADFG)
Habitat
Division
Office of the
Governor
Coastal
Management Program (CMP)
Alaska
Public Lands Information Center
Planning Alaska's
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ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF MINING, LAND & WATER |
The Territory of Alaska acquired land as early as 1915. In that year Alaska received the right (48 USCA 353) to Sections 16 and 36 in each township for school support and Section 33 in each township in the Tanana Valley for university support. To be transferred, however, the sections had to be surveyed and thus only about 106,000 acres of school lands and 15,000 acres of university lands were transferred under this act.
Most of these lands were leased to private parties or turned into other non-school uses. Subsequently, when the University was formed in 1917 it was given the right to select an additional 100,000 acres from the federal domain. Since then the University has purchased, leased, or received donations of land totaling 144,821 acres. Of this total, 11,271 acres are committed to strictly educational uses while the remainder is treated as investment property. The acreage is spread among several hundred parcels and is managed under a real estate management and development plan, last revised in 1983. For further information contact the Director, University Land Management, 3890 University Lake Dr., Suite 103, Anchorage, AK 99508, (907) 786-7766. Email: not available Website: http://www.ualand.com
The Alaska Railroad, state-owned as of 1985, also manages acreage in Alaska. Authorized in 1915, the railroad was completed in 1923. Associated lands now total about 36,200 acres, of which 13,738 are devoted to right-of-way and another 4,520 acres are used for railroad operations. The remainder is managed as investment property. For further information contact the Vice President of Real Estate, Alaska Railroad, PO Box 107500, Anchorage, AK 99510-7500, (907) 265-2428 Email: realest@akrr.com Website: http://www.akrr.com/realestate/index.html
In 1956 the territory received the right to select one million acres to support the mental health programs in the state. By 1966 the new state had completed the selections but placed the land among general grant status land. A lawsuit in 1982 has since required the state to restore the trust, both in land and money. Current trust lands include some 4,600 parcels scattered throughout Alaska. For further information contact the Director, Mental Health Trust Land Office, 550 W. 7th Ave., Suite 1430, Anchorage, AK 99501-3566, (907) 269-8658. Email: not available Website: http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/mhtlo/
In 1959, the Statehood Act entitled Alaska to select 102.35 million acres of "general purpose" land from the unreserved federal domain, and 400,000 acres of community expansion and recreation lands from the national forests in the southeast portion of the state. These lands were to be selected within 25 years, since extended to 1994. The selection process began rapidly with the state selecting the Prudhoe Bay region and the Wood River-Tikchik Lake region. By 1968 selections totaled about 26 million acres. Incentive to complete selections was reduced by two fiscal concerns: the federal government charged $.02 per acre per year for fire protection on state-owned lands, and the state received highway improvement funds based on the number of acres of federal land in the state.
Thus, selections were delayed and eventually interrupted by both the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 and the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act of 1980. Since then the state resumed the selection process and in 1993, completed its land selections. When all land conveyances from the federal government are completed, the people of the state will own land and resources on 106 million acres. Approximately 90 million acres have been conveyed so far, and have been either patented or tentatively approved. To be patented the land must be surveyed, an activity the Bureau of Land Management estimates will require decades to complete. Numerous state selections overlay or are overlain by Native corporation selections, a situation which will also require many years to resolve.
Alaska is the only state in the nation that has a separate article in its constitution devoted exclusively to natural resources. The delegates to the constitutional convention, in their Report to the People, stated that: "The future wealth of the State of Alaska will depend largely on how it administers the immense and the varied resources to which it will fall heir." Article VIII states that the natural resources of Alaska should be developed, managed as a public trust, provided with access, and managed on a sustained yield basis when renewable. The specific requirement for land use planning is found in Title 38 of the Alaska Statutes. Section 38.04.005 reads in part, "it is the policy of the State of Alaska to plan and manage state-owned land to establish a balanced combination of land available for both public and private purposes. The choice of land best suited for public and private use shall be determined through the inventory, planning, and classification processes set out in AS 38.04.060--38.04.070." These specific processes involve preparation and maintenance of an inventory of all state-owned land and water by developing and maintaining land use plans. These plans classify land into management categories, which include: agriculture, coal, forest, grazing, resource management, wildlife habitat, heritage resources, material (sand and gravel), reserved use, public recreation, settlement, transportation, and water resources. Some of these classifications must be retained in state ownership, while others may be disposed of through municipal entitlements or through public disposal programs.
The DNR is responsible for management of Alaska's general grant lands. The DNR has seven major resource divisions: Agriculture; Forestry; Geological and Geophysical Surveys; Mining, Land and Water; Oil and Gas; and Parks and Outdoor Recreation. The Division of Mining, Land and Water's Resource Assessment and Development Section has the responsibility for preparation of land use plans. The Division of Forestry prepares land use plans for state forests and the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation prepares plans for park units. The Division of Mining, Land and Water (DMLW) has developed a two-tier planning framework: area plans, and management plans.
The DMLW has divided the state into planning regions for the area plans. Area plans cover one to sixteen million acres of state-owned land and use larger-scale data (1: 63,360 or 1: 250,000) to provide management guidelines for specific units of land. An inter-divisional and -departmental planning team, coordinated by DMLW, develops the area plans.
Management plans guide activities within a region or sub-region, generally contain more detailed management guidelines than an area plan, and planning units and resources are mapped at a scale of 1: 63,360 or finer. An inter-divisional planning team, selected to fit the issues of the specific region, prepares the plan. The management plan identifies planned actions, detailed site planning when appropriate, management guidelines, and an implementation work plan, as well as other information about resources, constraints, and management decisions.
The following discussion primarily concerns area plans. DNR does not have a specific process required by regulation but does use a traditional form of planning involving the following steps:
Step 2. Data collection
Step 3. Data analysis
Step 4. Preparation, evaluation and public review of alternatives
Step 5. Development and review of a draft plan
Step 6. Development of a final plan
Step 7. Approval by the DNR commissioner
Step 8. Adoption and Implementation
The process typically takes from two to four years and involves a series of public participation events, including workshops, meetings, and mailings. Most public participation is focused on issue identification, development and evaluation of alternatives, and review of the draft plan.
The final product of the process is a document that describes intended uses of state lands. Specifically, the plan contains management guidelines and classifications for specific management units. The document identifies what land should be retained by the state and what land may be sold or granted to municipalities through the municipal entitlement process. Area plans can open and close areas to mineral entry and can recommend legislative designations (for example, parks). The Tanana Basin Area Plan, for example, includes: Introduction and Land Designation Summaries, Areawide Land Management Policies, Land Management Policies for each Management Unit, Implementation, and Appendices.
Department of Natural Resources http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/
DNR, Division of Mining. Land and Water http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/mlw/index.htm
Upper Yukon Area Plan Site http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/land/uyap.htm
For information about the statewide resources plan and for general information about area plans, CONTACT:
Chief, Resource Assessment and Development Section
Division of Mining, Land and Water
Department of Natural Resources
550 W. 7th Ave., Suite 1050
Anchorage, AK 99501-3579
AREA PLANS AND MANAGEMENT PLANS
Nushagak and Mulchatna Rivers Recreation Management Plan. Adopted in 1990, this plan was written cooperatively with the Bristol Bay Coastal Resource Service Area.
Central Southeast Area Plan (3.3 million acres of state tidelands and submerged lands and 160,000 acres of uplands). Adopted in November 2000.
Copper River Basin Area Plan (3.3 million acres of state land). Adopted in 1986.
Dalton Highway/Coldfoot Management Plan. No schedule for plan preparation.
Haines – Skagway Area Plan. Most of the 400,000 acres in the original plan are now covered by the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Management Plan (1985) and the Haines State Forest Management Plan (1986, currently being revised).
Juneau State Land Plan (26,000 acres of state uplands and 400,000 acres of state tidelands). Adopted in January 1993, this plan covers lands within the City and Borough of Juneau and proposed annexation area on Admiralty Island.
Kenai Area Plan (2.1 million acres of state uplands and 2.6 million acres of state-owned tidelands). Adopted in January 2000, this plan covers lands within the Kenai Peninsula Borough and along the Gulf of Alaska and Cook Inlet. Policies for state land in Caribou Hills were adopted in April 1993. The Kenai Area Plan replaces the Deep Creek Management Plan (1981) and the Kenai Area Land Management Planning Study (1979). http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/land/kenap/text_1.html
Kodiak and Aleutians Area Plan. While no schedule has been determined for plan development, work on this plan will commence in the near future. This plan will address state-owned tidelands and submerged lands in the Kodiak Island Borough and west to Attu Island.
Kuskokwim Area Plan (16 million acres). Adopted in March 1988, this plan includes the middle and upper Kuskokwim River drainage.
Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Region. No schedule for plan preparation. There are few state lands in this region.
Northern Southeast Area Plan. Currently under development, the plan includes state tidelands, submerged lands and uplands from Glacier Bay south to Prince of Wales Island, including Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof islands. This process will include a revision to the Haines-Skagway Area Plan. The plan will be completed in 2002.
North Slope Region (12,252,000 acres). No schedule for plan preparation.
Northwest Area Plan (10 million acres). Adopted in February 1989, this plan includes lands on the Seward Peninsula, in the Northwest Arctic Borough and in the western segment of the North Slope Borough.
Prince of Wales Island Area Plan, Southwest Prince of Wales Island Area Plan (Both plans cover about 72,000 acres of state uplands and about two million acres of state tidelands and submerged lands). A plan for the southwestern portion of the island was completed in June 1985 and revised in 1990. A plan for the remainder of the island was adopted in December 1988 and revised in 1998 to reflect changes in the region's timber economy.
Prince William Sound Area Plan (850,000 million acres of state uplands and most of the tidelands and submerged lands in Prince William sound). This plan was adopted in June 1988. While no schedule has been set for this plans revision, it is slated for the near future. The revision will address lands in state ownership located between Cape Suckling and Cape Resurrection, covering about one million acres of uplands and 3.8 million acres of tidelands and submerged lands. The purpose of the revision will be to address changes in public use because of increased recreation and tourism, altered land ownership from Exxon-Valdez acquisitions, and revisions to the Chugach National Forest Management Plan.
Susistna Area Plan (9.5 million acres of state land). Adopted in April 1985, this plan is in need of revision in order to provide better guidance for management of land maintained in state ownership. In 1982, an area plan was completed for the Willow Sub-Basin, a portion of the Susitna Basin. Management plans have been prepared for:
Susitna Forest Guidelines. Guidelines for forest management and timber access, completed in 1991.
Kashwitna. Deals with forestry, wildlife and access issues.
Hatcher Pass and Hatcher Pass Amendment. Primary issues are recreation, mining, wildlife and ski area development.
Matanuska Valley Moose Range. Access, habitat management and mining are concerns.
Fish Creek. Primary issues concern agricultural disposals.
Deception Creek. Former capitol site; was not included in Susitna or Willow plans.
Tanana Basin Area Plan (14.5 million acres of state land). Adopted in 1985 and updated in 1991, the plan covers lands in the Tanana Valley, including the Fairbanks area. This plan includes the Goodpaster River amendment, completed in 1991. A management plan for the Tanana Valley State Forest, prepared by the Division of Forestry, was adopted in 1988 and is currently being revised. TBAP replaced the Delta-Salcha Area Plan (1982), the Delta II West Management Plan (1981), the Little Chena Management Plan (1986), and the Nenana/Totchaket Management Plan (1982).
Turnagain Arm Management Plan (23,00 acres of state-selected land in Girdwood and Bear Valley, and 25,000 acres of tidelands and submerged lands in Turnagain Arm). This plan, adopted in 1994, was coordinated with planning for the Municipality of Anchorages land entitlement. The focus of both state and municipal planning efforts is future resort development.
Upper Yukon Area Plan (2.5 million acres of state-owned land). Currently under development, the plan includes lands near Eagle, along the Taylor Highway, and in the Fortymile River drainage. The plan is scheduled for completion in 2003. http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/land/uyap.htm
Yakataga Area Plan (490,000 acres of state uplands, plus tidelands and submerged lands along the Gulf of Alaska and Icy and Yakutat Bays). Adopted in 1995, the plan was mandated by legislation.
Yukon-Koyukuk Region (8,122,000 acres)--No plan scheduled.
Other Plans
State Critical Habitat Areas, Refuges and Santuaries. The Department of Fish and Game, Division of Habitat, prepares land use plans for these areas, in consultation with the Department of Natural Resources. State Park Units and State Forests. The DNR Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation has prepared land use plans for most major state park units. A management plan for the Tanana Valley State Forest, prepared by the Division of Forestry, was adopted in 1988. This division is in the process is revising this plan. The Haines State Forest Plan will be revised in 2001.
