 Subsistence Board's Rural Review October 13, 2005
The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act requires that rural Alaskans be given a priority for subsistence uses of fish and wildlife on Federal public lands. Only communities that are found to be rural are eligible for this subsistence priority. The Board initially determined which Alaska communities were rural when the Federal Subsistence Management Program began in 1990. Federal subsistence regulations require that rural/nonrural status be reviewed every 10 years, beginning with the availability of the 2000 census data. Under Federal subsistence regulations:
From January to July 2005, Federal subsistence staff conducted an initial review of the rural/nonrural status of all Alaska communities, with an emphasis on what has changed since 1990. As a result of this initial review, it was determined that the rural/nonrural status of most Alaska communities should remain unchanged. Ten communities and areas have been proposed for further analysis to determine if their rural/nonrural status should change. They are: Kodiak: Currently considered rural, Kodiak is recommended for further analysis because its population increased further above the 7,000 threshold between the 1990 and 2000 census. Sitka: Currently considered rural, Sitka is recommended for further analysis because its population increased further above the 7,000 threshold between the 1990 and 2000 census. Adak: Currently considered nonrural, Adak is recommended for further analysis because its population has decreased and is now below the 2,500 threshold. When the Board initially determined which Alaska communities were rural in 1990, communities that were socially and economically integrated were combined into groupings. For six of these eight nonrural groupings, further analysis is recommended to evaluate excluding or including places, as described below: Fairbanks North Star Borough: Evaluate whether to continue using the entire borough as the nonrural area, or separate some outlying areas and evaluate their rural/nonrural status independently. Kenai Area: Evaluate whether to exclude Clam Gulch from this nonrural grouping and evaluate its rural/nonrural status independently. Seward Area: Evaluate whether to exclude Moose Pass from this nonrural grouping and evaluate its rural/nonrural status independently. Wasilla Area: Evaluate whether to include Willow and Point MacKenzie in this nonrural grouping. Homer Area: Evaluate whether to include Fox River and Happy Valley in this nonrural grouping. Ketchikan Area: Evaluate whether to include Saxman, and areas of growth and development outside the current boundary, in this nonrural grouping. In addition, one potential new grouping is recommended for further analysis, as follows: Delta Junction, Big Delta, Deltana and Fort Greely: Evaluate whether some or all of these places should be grouped and their rural/nonrural status evaluated collectively. The Board is seeking comments on whether communities or areas should be added to, or removed from, this proposed list and on the rural or nonrural status and characteristics of these communities. After considering these comments, the Board will approve a final list of communities for further analysis at the December 2005 meeting. Detailed analyses will be conducted on those communities in 2006 and there will be additional opportunities for comment. The Board is expected to decide on any changes to the rural or nonrural status of those communities in December 2006. Written comments will be accepted through Oct. 28, 2005 and can be sent to the Board by e-mail to subsistence@fws.gov, by fax at (907) 786-3898 or by mail to: Federal Subsistence Board
Attn: Theo Matuskowitz
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