SRC Seeks Public Input on Subsistence Review

The Wrangell St Elias Subsistence Resource Commission (SRC) is seeking input from community members on the federal review of the Federal Subsistence Program. 

Hunting advocacy group Safari Club International, which petitioned for the review, seeks to reverse the 2024 addition of three Tribal representatives to the Federal Subsistence Board. Alaska Native advocacy groups including AFN and the Alliance of Sovereign Tribes of Southeast Alaska seek to preserve the Tribal membership. 

Several other aspects of the program are under review, including:

1. Criteria for Regional Advisory Council (RAC) membership 
2. Regulations applicable to “Special Actions” 
3. The role of the State of Alaska/ADF&G in the Federal Subsistence Program
4. Policies and procedures for rural determination
5. The 2024 transfer of the Office of Subsistence Management from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the Office of the Assistant Secretary-Policy, Management and Budget within the Department of the Interior
6. A topic described in the Federal Register as “[review of] Federal and state regulations for duplication and inconsistency.” 

In a February 3 meeting, SRC members learned the Secretary of the Interior would review letters from various SRCs delivered after the February 13 deadline for public comment. The members will draft a letter containing their feedback at their upcoming meeting February 27 and 28. 

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Between now and the meeting, members hope to have the opportunity to discuss the Federal Subsistence Management program with community members. Current members are: Bruce Ervin (Tok), Clint Marshall (Tazlina), Dan Stevens (Chitina), Kaleb Rowland (McCarthy), Suzanne McCarthy (Gakona), M. Starr Knighten (Glennallen), Sue Entsminger (Mentasta Pass), and Edward GreyBear (alternate- Copper Center). 

Please contact Amber Cohen, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve Cultural Anthropologist, at 907-822-7284 or wrst_subsistence@nps.gov, for assistance in connecting with a representative if needed.