ANCSA

Sunday marked the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971.

This week, the debt ceiling has been raised but stability has yet to be seen; the impacts of the loss of Alaska Newspapers; a former Murkowski aide may be headed to prison; community response to Mayor Sullivan’s proposed sidewalk sitting ordinance; surviving on urban subsistence; and a discussion of ANCSA.

Once again we are hearing calls to change the 40-year-old Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The corporations formed under the Act have become major players in the state’s economy, and with their partnerships they are spreading around the world.

The Sealaska Native Corporation was in Washington Wednesday making its case to select lands in the Tongass National Forest. It’s a fight that’s been going on for years, and one that’s caused intense controversy in southeast Alaska.