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BLM Realigns District and Field Office Boundaries

Organization:

BLM

Media Contact:

Lesli Ellis-Wouters
907-271-4418

ANCHORAGE – Working collaboratively with Alaskan communities, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Alaska has realigned its district and field office boundaries using a landscape approach to better align public lands administrative boundaries with terrain features and land ownership.

“The approved boundary adjustment will assist BLM to better respond in a timely and consistent manner to future demands and ensure consistent land management of ecoregions,” said BLM Alaska State Director, Bud Cribley.

Primary changes are:

  • Administration of lands near Kotzebue and within the boundaries of the NANA Corporation will change from Central Yukon Field Office to the Anchorage Field Office
  • Administration of lands north of Kotzebue, near Point Hope will change from the Central Yukon to Arctic Field Office
  • Administration of lands south of Fairbanks will move from Central Yukon to Eastern Interior Field Office
  • Administration of lands along the Parks Highway, within the boundaries of Chickaloon Village Corporation and in southeast Alaska will change from the Anchorage Field Office to the Glennallen Field Office

BLM Alaska staff worked closely with communities affected by the boundary change through the Preliminary Alternatives Outreach meetings for the Bering Sea Western Interior Resource Management Plan conducted Feb. 22-March 20. Meetings were held in 13 rural communities, along with an open house in Anchorage, to discuss the revised boundary areas and to establish and continue effective working relationships. BLM Alaska will also address the boundary change in a Central Yukon Resource Management Plan newsletter in the coming weeks.

Maps showing the boundary change can be found with the copy of this news release posted at www.blm.gov/ak.

Currently there are three resource management plans in development and this administrative boundary change will affect the planning areas under review. A Federal Register Notice is being developed to announce this change in planning areas.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

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