Ketchikan Creek: Downy Woodpecker
Front Page Photo By JIM LEWIS

Alaska: Tribe’s Child Support Orders to be Recognized by State of Alaska - The Superior Court for the State of Alaska, First Judicial District at Juneau, issued a decision with significant implications for tribal courts throughout Alaska in Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska v. State of Alaska Child Support Services Division. The Court's order on October 25, 2011, reaffirms the Tribe's inherent jurisdiction to handle the full range of family law issues affecting its citizens, including the particular issue of child support for the benefit of tribal children.   

At issue in the case is the State of Alaska's failure to honor tribal court support orders issued under the Central Council's Family Responsibility statute and federally recognized Tribal Child Support program. As the lack of interagency cooperation negatively impacted families with tribal support orders, the Tribe was left with little choice but to file suit seeking relief requiring the State of Alaska to recognize tribal child support orders under recognized principles of tribal sovereignty and Alaska's own Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. The Tribe was represented throughout the litigation by Alaska Legal Services Corporation attorney, Holly Handler. - More...
Wednesday AM - November 02, 2011

Southeast Alaska: AFN ENDORSES COASTAL INITIATIVE; Annual Gathering Favors Ballot Measure to Revive Coastal Management - The state’s foremost organization of Alaska Natives has stepped forward at its recent annual convention to support a ballot initiative to form a coastal management program.  Alaska Federation of Natives delegates voted unanimously on October 22, 2011 to approve a resolution endorsing the initiative to revive coastal management.

Alaska has nearly 40 percent of the entire coastline of the United States, but is the only state without a program to coordinate management of these important areas.  Thousands of Alaskans live near the coast, but because Alaska doesn’t have a coastal management program, they have no voice in important decisions affecting coastal areas.

North Slope Borough Mayor Edward Itta supported the resolution.  “The big resource development projects are in rural Alaska, and rural communities are generally strong supporters of these projects,” Mayor Itta said. “If we work together early in the process, the chances of a timely and successful start are much better than if local people are just left out in the cold. Coastal management never stopped a project in the past. It just gave communities a stake in the project. What’s not to like about that?”

State coastal management programs and local coastal management plans guarantee state and local participation in coastal development and a seat at the table during federal decision making.  After operating successfully for 34 years, Alaska’s Coastal Zone Management Program died when the Alaska Legislature failed in 2011 to renew it during both the regular session and two special sessions called in part to restore the program.  Without a program in place, federal agencies need not consult state or local officials on questions of coastal development. - More...
Wednesday AM - November 02, 2011

Alaska: State Files Lawsuit to Defend Permitting Process – The State of Alaska filed a constitutional challenge Friday in Anchorage Superior Court against an ordinance recently enacted by ballot initiative in the Lake and Peninsula Borough.

The local ordinance attempts to give the Lake and Peninsula Borough’s planning commission authority to nullify state permitting processes and prevent the development of certain large-scale resource development activity. The ordinance requires the planning commission’s approval of a borough development permit before an applicant may receive a state or federal permit.

The State’s lawsuit alleges that the borough ordinance is invalid because it tilts the constitutional balance between state and local interests. The Alaska Constitution gives the Alaska Legislature the authority to determine how to develop resources for maximum use consistent with the public interest. It is therefore the State’s duty to evaluate projects to determine whether they can be conducted in a way that serves the public interest, and if so, what safeguards to require. Under the Lake and Peninsula Borough ordinance, the State may never have that opportunity. While boroughs have limited power to regulate some of the activities associated with resource development, a small majority of voters in a local community cannot usurp the more comprehensive state authority and eliminate the entire state permitting process. - More...
Wednesday AM - November 02, 2011

Alaska: National Pavement Summit Tackles Alaska’s Toughest Transportation Challenge - The 2011 Alaska Asphalt Pavement Summit held Monday & Tuesday brought nearly 300 transportation professionals from around the world to collaborate on innovative, cost saving solutions to Alaska’s unique pavement preservation challenges.

This two-day national summit is the only forum of its kind where such highly-specialized state and international specialists collaborate to address ways to make pavement last longer and cost less in Alaska and other cold regions. Few places in the United States pose the unique combination of transportation challenges involving permafrost, frozen ground, extreme ice and moisture erosion, and rapid surface deterioration due to harsh climates.

Attendees and presenters included engineers, planners, researchers, government officials, contractors, scientists, crew bosses, private industry, and technology experts from Alaska, the lower 48, and foreign countries dealing with similar cold-climate issues.

“This event is about leveraging the diverse expertise of many different fields to try and solve our pavement preservation challenges,” says Billy Connor, Director of the Alaska University Transportation Center. - More...
Wednesday AM - November 02, 2011

Southeast Alaska: Moore Named ARMC clinic administrator - The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) is pleased to announce the promotion of Joyce Moore to clinic services administrator at the Alicia Roberts Medical Center in Klawock.

Moore previously served as deputy clinic services administrator. She recently received her Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Ashworth College (a distance delivery program based in Norcross, Ga.), and she plans to continue on to the master's program.

“Joyce has worked her way from an entry level position at ARMC to one of the key administrative positions in the organization,” said Dr. David Vastola, SEARHC Community Health Care Services Medical Director. “Her current responsibilities include oversight of all SEARHC facilities on Prince of Wales. In addition to her strong skills and work ethic, Joyce's local knowledge of the island will be invaluable in her new position. She is a strong patient advocate and is respected by her staff. We are all extremely pround of her.” - More...
Wednesday AM - November 02, 2011

Southeast Alaska: New Petersburg District Ranger Announced - The Tongass National Forest supervisor announced that Jason Anderson, currently Thorne Bay District Ranger on the Tongass, has accepted the position of Petersburg District Ranger. Anderson will assume the position officially February 12, 2012.

“Jason has played a leading role in fostering partnerships and collaboration on the forest, which is critical to our work and the way we do business,” said Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole. “He’s prioritized building a strong network of relationships with the communities on Prince of Wales, and he’ll bring that same emphasis to the position in Petersburg.”

Forest Partnerships and Public Affairs Staff Officer Erin Uloth affirmed Cole’s praise stating, “Jason leads by doing. He is a true optimist and brings that perspective to his work when approaching any problem or issue.”

Anderson began his career with the Forest Service in 2001. After four years as partnerships and public affairs staff officer on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, he moved to the Tongass in 2005 and has served as Thorne Bay District Ranger for the past six years. Prior to working for the Forest Service, Anderson spent ten years as a resource manager and river ranger for Stanislaus River Parks in California with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. - More...
Wednesday AM - November 02, 2011

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