Alaska Lands and Realty

The Lands and Realty program deals with a wide range of land use requests, such as rights-of-way, permits and leases, sales, acquisitions and withdrawals. In Alaska, we have the same lands and realty functions as the rest of the nation, but d-1 land withdrawals and 17(b) easements are ANCSA related actions specific to the state.  It also works with the State of Alaska to determine navigable waters through the Recordable Disclaimers of Interest process.

Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veteran Land Allotment Program

We are still seeking contact information for Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans or their heirs who may be able to select up to 160 acres of free federal land in Alaska.

We need YOUR help finding them!

The Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Program of 2019 is open to all eligible Alaska Natives who served in the armed forces between Aug. 5, 1964, and Dec. 31, 1971.

ALL eligible Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans or their heirs may apply. 

Please contact the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Land Transfer Resolution Specialist Candy Grimes at cgrimes@blm.gov or call the Alaska Public Information Center at (907) 271-5960 to see if you or someone you know meet the requirements for the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Program of 2019.

Applications will be accepted between Dec. 28, 2020, and Dec. 29, 2025, for the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Program of 2019.The program provides the opportunity for eligible Vietnam-era veterans or their heirs to select 2.5 to 160 acres of Federal land in Alaska under the 2019 Dingell Act.

The program is open to all eligible Alaska Natives who served between Aug. 5, 1964, and Dec. 31, 1971, and it removes the requirement for personal use or occupancy mandated under previous laws. Those receiving allotments under previous programs are ineligible.​​

Go to the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Program page for more information.

Alaska D-1 Withdrawals

Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Sec. 17(d)(1) withdrew all unreserved public lands in Alaska for 90 days. During that time the Secretary was required to review the public lands to determine if any of the lands should be withdrawn to ensure the public interest in the lands was protected. Some of the withdrawals created by this section of ANCSA identified additional lands for selection by ANCSA Native Corporations and the State of Alaska. These withdrawals had a secondary purpose of classification for protection of the public interests. The withdrawals are what we now call “d-1 withdrawals.”

For more information, go to the Alaska D-1 Withdrawals page.

You can also go to the BLM National NEPA Register page to learn more about the Opening Lands Subject to ANCSA 17(d)(1) Withdrawals Environmental Impact Statement.

Recordable Disclaimer of Interest

Section 315 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the Code of Federal Regulations 43 CFR 1864 allows the Secretary of the Interior, under certain conditions, to issue a "disclaimer of interest" where the disclaimer will help remove a cloud on the title of such lands. 

The objective of the disclaimer is to eliminate the necessity for court action or private legislation in those instances where the United States asserts no ownership or record interest, based on a determination by the BLM that there is a cloud on the title to the lands, attributable to the United States, and that an interest of the United States has terminated by operation of law or is otherwise invalid. 

The original regulations on Conveyances, Disclaimers and Correction Documents (43 CFR 1864) were promulgated September 6, 1984. These regulations were revised on January 6, 2003, [Federal Register Vol. 68, No. 3] effective February 5, 2003 . 

The State of Alaska is using the RDI process to help confirm the State's ownership of navigable rivers and lakes in Alaska. In all likelihood, the State will initially file RDI applications on approximately 200 rivers that it identified in 1992 when it filed notice of intent to sue for quiet title to the beds of the identified waterbodies. There are no immediate plans for BLM Alaska to systematically apply the RDI process to other State claims (e.g. R.S. 2477 rights of way claims).

Go to the Recordable Disclaimer of Interest page for more details.

Chugach Land Study and Report to Congress

Section 1113 of Public Law 116-9, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (Dingell Act or Act) directed the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to coordinate with the Secretary of Agriculture and to consult with the Chugach Alaska Corporation (CAC) in conducting a study of land ownership and use patterns in Alaska’s Chugach Region. The Dingell Act directs the Secretary to assess the impacts caused by split-estate ownership patterns, in view of Federal acquisitions under the Habitat Protection and Land Acquisition Program (Program), on the Chugach Region, the CAC, and CAC land. The Act further requires the Secretary to provide recommendations for possible land exchange options, as well as any other recommendations, to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives with a report describing the results of the study.

Chugach Land Study and Report to Congress documents.