Ketchikan: Macasaet arraigned for July 31 POW murder by Leila Kheiry, KRBD - About a week after he was apprehended for the strangling death of his girlfriend, 27-year-old Albert Peter Macasaet was arraigned Tuesday in Ketchikan District Court. - Read or listen to this KRBD story... www.krbd.org SitNews Survey Financial Wellness 2016 Are you financially better off today than you were 4 years ago? Is the Cost of Living squeezing your budget? - Participate in the survey. Survey Results: Click here Photo of the Month Ketchikan: Cruise Ship Calendar for 2016 (pdf) - Courtesy Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska Ketchikan: Public Meetings Ketchikan: Upcoming Events Historical Ketchikan June Allen Dave Kiffer Louise B. Harrington Ketchikan Weather Ketchikan's Forecast Ketchikan's Historic Weather Nat Weather Service KTN Ketchikan Tides & Currents Search the News Ketchikan Alaska Sitnews RSS widget

Alaska: Huge Win for Alaska Tribes: No Appeal from State of Alaska in Land-into-Trust Case - After a decade of litigation, the State of Alaska announced this week it will not seek further appeal in the Akiachak Native Community v. State of Alaska. The State’s decision followed a landmark ruling issued in June 2016 by the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit that rejected the State of Alaska’s attempt to block the Department of the Interior (DOI) from taking land into trust to safeguard it for Alaska tribes.

“It’s important to acknowledge Governor Walker and Attorney General Lindemuth’s courage to move on from this decade long litigation,” said Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska" President Richard Peterson. “You’ve acted in the best interest of Alaska Natives and the State of Alaska as a whole. I also want to express my deep gratitude to the Akiachak Native Community, Chalkyitsik Village, Chilkoot Indian Association, Tuluksak Native Community (IRA), and Alice Kavairlook for challenging the Department of Interior’s exclusion of Alaska tribes in court. Central Council looks forward to working with the State alongside our Alaska Native brothers and sisters to implement the land-into-trust policy and build a new age of tribal and state collaboration.”

Trust lands are a cornerstone of federal Indian policy and are the key to federal and private sector funding and investment. Given our State’s fiscal challenges, tribal trust land is just one more solution to Alaska’s budget crisis. The ability for Alaska tribes to petition for trust land acquisition maximizes tribal government resources, eligibility for federal programs and services, and fosters economic development. It will help address public safety and child welfare issues, protect historic homelands and cultural sites, and expand funding for services, education, and housing.

Land-into-trust presents a multitude of advantages for the State and Alaska tribes, but overall it’s about tribal self-determination and the right for Alaska tribes to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of trust lands for themselves and their communities.

The U.S. Department of Interior will begin accepting applications to take land-into-trust starting August 22, 2016. Federally recognized tribes can apply for land into trust by petitioning the Secretary of the Interior to take the land into trust specifically for the benefit of the tribe and its tribal citizens. Applications can be submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the land must qualify under federal Indian laws, historic preservation, and environmental laws.

Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska said their priority will be to restore the federal protections to land previously lost. The Tribe has submitted a fee-to-trust and reservation proclamation applications for property Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Central Council) holds in fee and lands held in federally restricted status by individual tribal citizens of Central Council. All parcels are located within the historical and cultural area long known as the “Juneau Indian Village” and comprise the parking lot and subsurface of Central Council’s Andrew Hope Building on Willoughby Avenue.

Alaska Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth announced Monday, August 15, 2016, that the State of Alaska will not pursue further litigation in Akiachak Native Community v. U.S. Secretary of the Interior. That case affirmed the ability of the Secretary of Interior to take land into trust on behalf of Alaska Tribes and also acknowledged the rights of Alaska Tribes to be treated the same as all other federally recognized Tribes. The State’s decision to not seek Supreme Court review ends years of protracted litigation and ushers in a new era for Alaska Tribes.

The case was brought in 2006 when four Tribes and one Native individual - the Akiachak Native Community, Chalkyitsik Village, Chilkoot Indian Association, Tuluksak Native Community (IRA), and Alice Kavairlook - brought suit challenging the Secretary of the Interior’s decision to leave in place a regulation that treated Alaska Tribes differently from other federally recognized Tribes in the continental United States. NARF and Alaska Legal Services Corporation sought judicial review of the “Alaska Exception” which barred the acquisition of land in trust in Alaska other than for the Metlakatla Indian Community or its members. The State of Alaska intervened in defense of the regulatory bar on the basis that the differential treatment was required by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). The District Court for the District of Columbia rejected both the Secretary and Alaska’s defense of the regulatory bar and found in favor of plaintiff Tribes on March 31, 2013. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 17, 2016

Fish Factor: Alaska More Susceptible To Ocean Acidification By LAINE WELCH - Alaska is one of a handful of U.S. states to launch a go-to website aimed at keeping ocean acidification in the public eye.

The Alaska Ocean Acidification Network, a collaboration of state and federal scientists, agencies, tribes, conservation, fishing and aquaculture groups, went live last month. Its goal is to provide a forum for researchers to share their findings, and to connect with coastal residents concerned about future impacts on their communities.

Ocean acidification (OA) is caused by the ocean absorbing excess carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, generated primarily from the burning of fossil fuels for energy. The off kilter chemistry causes the seawater to become corrosive, making it tough for marine creatures to grow scales and shells.

Alaska is more susceptible to OA than other regions because its waters are colder and older, and thereby hold more C02.

“We are so reliant on the ocean for our lives and livelihood. The seafood industry is valued at about $5.8 billion every year, and it’s the largest private sector employer in the state. So just think about the direct and indirect effects of OA and the implications,” said Darcy Dugan, Network project coordinator who also works for the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS). “The more educated Alaskans are, the more creative they can be in thinking about adaptation strategies and the more confident they can feel about working together to have a sustainable future,” she added.

Since 2011 the AOOS and its partners have sampled acidic fluctuations (pH levels) at moorings in the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and at the Alutiiq Pride Hatchery in Seward. Researchers also have taken 1,200 shipboard water samples over several years. Starting this fall, the Network has partnered with the state ferry system to have OA measuring instruments onboard the Columbia which makes twice weekly runs between Bellingham and Skagway.

The average pH in the world’s oceans today is 8.1, according to NOAA. The lower the pH, the higher the acidity. While no direct effects of OA are showing up yet in Alaska’s sea creatures, computer models predict that normal acidic ranges will become off kilter sooner than previously thought.

“They are anticipating that the Beaufort Sea will be first to leave its natural range of pH variability around 2025, followed by the Chukchi in 2027 and the Bering in 2044,” Dugan said.

“Based on global estimates of ocean acidification, the Bering Sea may reach a pH level of 7.5 to 7.8 in the next 75 to 100 years, if not earlier,” estimated Bob Foy, director of NOAA’s research lab at Kodiak

“Once, it reaches those levels there will be significant decreases in survival and subsequent fishery yields and profits within 20 years," Foy added.

“We can be informed and prepared,” said Dugan. “We can come together as a community to respond and adapt.”

Ocean acidification in Alaska was featured at the Aleutian Life Forum Aug. 16 in Unalaska and at a (free) “State of the Science” Workshop Nov. 30- Dec. 1 in Anchorage. - More...
Wednesday PM - August 17, 2016