“Things that walk on the land, swim in the water, fly in the air…these are the things that are important to the people of Bristol Bay.” --Dugan Nielsen

Dugan Nielsen, BLM land transfer liaison specialist, left the BLM recently to join the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Dillingham.  BLM thanks Dugan for his years of service and wishes him the best of luck in his new position.

The BLM Dillingham Field Station will be staffed intermittently from the BLM Anchorage Field Office.  You may contact the Anchorage Field Office toll-free at 800-478-1263 or write to us at BLM Anchorage Field Office, 4700 BLM Road, Anchorage, AK 99507.

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The Land Transfer Program:  Celebrating the milestones... 

LEFT: Luki Akelkok, Sr., President of Ekwok Limited, accepts final land patent from BLM Anchorage District Manager Gary Reimer on July 27, 2010, at a ceremony in Ekwok.    RIGHT: Joseph Chythlook, Chairman of Bristol Bay Native Corp., accepted subsurface patent during the ceremony.

What does BLM do in Bristol Bay country?

BLM currently manages approximately 1.5 million acres of public lands in the Bristol Bay and Goodnews Bay regions. That figure will be somewhat lower after land transfer under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) is completed.

BLM is engaged in a wide range of on-the-ground work in the Bristol Bay region. This work includes land use planning, land transfer support, permitting activities, resource monitoring, and government-to-government consultation.

Land use planning: BLM released the Bay Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan on November 14, 2008. This plan provides the management framework for all BLM-administered public land and resources in the Bristol Bay region. The Bay plan was developed with broad public participation through a three-year collaborative planning process. During this process, BLM held scoping meetings, public meetings to take comments on the draft plan, ANILCA 810 subsistence hearings, and tribal consultations in the planning area.

The relationships BLM developed during the Bay land use planning process are equally important now as we work with Bristol Bay residents and land managers to implement the plan.