The letter covers a lot of ground — outlining the need to develop a deep-draft port above the Arctic Circle and advocating sharing federal revenue from offshore oil drilling with local residents.
Alaska Native Government & Policy
Transcript: Obama’s remarks to Alaska Native leaders
President Barack Obama met with leaders from the Alaska Native community while in Anchorage for the GLACIER conference.
Yup’ik educator appointed to National Advisory Council on Indian Education
Alaska has the third lowest graduation rate in the country for Alaska Native and American Indian students — about 51 percent in the 2010-11 school year.
Indigenous council focused on the Arctic prepares for the future
Alaska and the future of Arctic policy are seeing increased international attention as the U.S. holds the chairmanship for the Arctic Council and foreign ministers prepare to meet in Anchorage later this month — joined by President Obama, who’s planning a visit to Kotzebue and Dillingham.
Walker administration continues tribal land trust lawsuit
Walker has faced pressure from tribes to drop the lawsuit he inherited from the Parnell administration. He delayed action for seven months, but recently fly around the state to meet face to face with tribal leaders in the five communities involved in the suit.
Yupiit Nation presses for tribal governance progress
Yupiit Nation tribal members at an event Friday made a last second push for advancing sovereignty in Alaska. A few dozen members signed on to a letter to Gov. Bill Walker asking him to stop the state’s fight against putting lands into trust.