(SitNews) Anchorage, Alaska—The Bureau of Land Management held a signing ceremony today patenting a large block of land near Sleetmute to the State of Alaska. BLM-Alaska State Director Bud Cribley signed the patent and presented the final documents to Alaska Department of Natural Resources Deputy Commissioner Ed Fogels.

“Getting to today’s signing ceremony is the result of a lot of cooperation and collaboration with the State of Alaska,” Cribley said.

The 729,000 acres patented today were previously conveyed to the State in Tentative Approval (TA) status, subject to survey. The BLM completed survey in 2011, leading to final patent. The lands are located along the Kuskokwim River about 100 miles downriver from McGrath. About 5 million acres of the State’s 105-million-acre total allotment remain to be conveyed under the Statehood Act. About 37 million of that 105 million acres have been conveyed with Tentative Approval and are just awaiting survey for final patent.

For more than 30 years, the BLM has been involved with the survey and conveyance of lands in Alaska under three statutes: the Native Allotment Act of 1906; the Alaska Statehood Act, and the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). The work being done to implement these laws is collectively called the Alaska Land Transfer Program. When completed, over 150 million acres, approximately 42% of the land area in Alaska, will have been transferred from federal to state and private ownership.

Cribley said that today’s signing comes at a pivotal time in the BLM’s Land Transfer Program.

“We just completed a comprehensive inventory and analysis of our Land Transfer Program and can now clearly see what is left to accomplish,” he said. “We are laying out a plan to finish the job, and taking action on all fronts, maximizing the resources we’re given to expedite actions and get to completion.”

Source of News: 

Bureau of Land Management - BLM-Alaska State Office
www.blm.gov

SitNews ©2013
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska

Articles & photographs that appear in SitNews may be protected by copyright and may not be reprinted without written permission from and payment of any required fees to the proper sources.