Progress Despite Complexities
All the programs described involve fairly complex requirements, standards, and land status issues. Often, the various applications have conflicts with one another that must be resolved.
The Alaska Land Transfer Program has been a massive undertaking, unprecedented in scope and complexity. Issuance of land patents by the BLM is critical and exacting in nature and forms the very foundation of a future chain of title.
The following are a few of the additional legislative priorities BLM has received, an average of about one new Congressional directive a year for the past 12 years, which include but are not limited to:
Recent Legislative Priorities
The BLM has received an average of about one new congressional directive a year for the past 12 years. These directives include:
- Land transfer to Bering Straits Native Corporation
- Land transfer to the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
- Land transfer to the State of Alaska within the Swan Lake Hydroelectric Project Boundary
- Land transfer to James Henry Jansen & Victor Carl Jansen
- Land transfer to Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation
- Continued technical assistance for proposed Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities & Recognition Act.
- Continued technical assistance for proposed Chugach Alaska Corporation Land Exchange legislation.
- Alaska Native Vietnam-Era Veterans Land Allotment
ANCSA Entitlements Held Needing Legislative Fixes
Remedial legislation is needed to fulfill the following entitlements:
- Kaktovik
- Canyon Village
- Nagamut
- The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC), Successor in Interest to Sleetmute Limited, & Red Devil Incorporated
- Eyak
Additional Challenges
The following challenges directly impact the BLM Land Transfer Program rate of land conveyances:
- State Protest of Survey Plats
- Congressional Reports
- 2019 Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veteran Land Allotment Program
- Land Exchanges
- Workforce
- 17(b) Easements
- Title Recovery Native Allotments
There is no margin for error, and if it is not done correctly, it must be redone. Considering the scope of the task and the precision required, it is incredible that the program is as far along as it is.
Fiscal Year 2026 Alaska Land Transfer Progress
| Native Allotment Land Transfer | Status (02/02/2026) |
|---|---|
| Act of 2019 Alaska Native Veteran Land Allotment Program (ANVLAP) - Applications Received | 568 applications received |
| ANVLAP Applications Certificated | 54 applications certificated |
| ANVLAP Applications - Request for Relinquishment of State of Alaska Selections | 100 requested (78 denied; 22 accepted) |
| ANVLAP Applications - Request for Relinquishment of ANCSA Selections | 67 requested (52 denied; 15 accepted) |
| ANVLAP Applications Amended | 386 applications |
| Act of 1906 Alaska Native Allotment | 10 in survey process |
| Act of 1906 Alaska Native Allotment | 251 in litigation or title recovery |
Fiscal Year 2026 Alaska Land Transfer Progress
| ANCSA Land Transfer | Current Status: |
|---|---|
| Cantwell Sec. 12(a) Entitlement (Ahtna Region) | Approval decision completed; awaiting federal register notice (FRN) publication for issuance of decision. FRN routed in DTS for pre-publication review process. |
| Tazlina Sec. 12(a) Entitlement (Ahtna Region) | Actively working on project for conveyance document reviews. |
| Mentasta Sec. 12(a) Entitlement (Ahtna Region) | Actively working on project for conveyance document reviews. |
| Gakona Sec. 12(a) Entitlement (Ahtna Region) | Actively working on project for conveyance document reviews. |
| Gulkana Sec. 12(a) Entitlement (Ahtna Region) | Actively working on project for conveyance document reviews. |
| Council Secs. 12(a) and 12(b) Entitlement (Bering Straits Region) | Awaiting field report to issue final patents (village closure). |
| Nome Sec. 12(a) Entitlement (Bering Straits Region) | Survey request submitted to fulfill entitlement; awaiting officially filed survey plats. |
| Inalik Sec. 12(a) Entitlement (Bering Straits Region) | Coordination with Native Corporation related to active mining claims prioritized for conveyance to Inalik. |
| Kongiganek Secs. 12(a) and 12(b) Entitlements (Calista Region) | Actively working on project for conveyance document reviews (village closure). |
| Sec. 12(a)(1) In-Lieu (Calista Region) | Auditing interim conveyed lands in support of Calista's proposed land exchange. |
| Eklutna Secs. 12(a) and 12(b) Entitlements (Cook Inlet Region) | Approval decision completed; awaiting federal register notice publication for issuance of the decision to Eklutna, Inc./CIRI. Federal register notice routed for the pre-publication review process. |
| Chickaloon Sec. 12(a) Entitlement (Cook Inlet Region) | Decision issued November 27, 2024; modified decision issued December 27, 2024. Decision appealed; for that portion of decision vacated, conveyance documents issued March 27, 2025. |
| Ninilchik Sec. 12(a) Entitlement (Cook Inlet Region) | Adjudication in progress for conveyance document reviews. |
| Fire Island Lands (Cook Inlet Region) | Actively working on project for conveyance document reviews. |
| CIRI West Side Deficiency Lands (Cook Inlet) | Actively working on project for conveyance document reviews. |
| CIRI Talkeetna Mountains - Deficiency Lands (Cook Inlet) | Actively working on project for conveyance document reviews. |
| Sec. 12(c) Entitlement (Doyon Region) | Approval decision completed; awaiting federal register notice (FRN) publication for issuance of decision. FRN routed in DTS for pre-publication review process. |
| Rampart Sec. 12(a) Entitlement (Doyon Region) | Actively working on project for conveyance document reviews (village closure). |
| Kotzebue Secs. 12(a) and 12(b) Entitlements (NANA Region) | Survey completed in field season 2024. Final confirmatory patents to be issued upon filing of survey plats (village closure). |
| Sec. 14(h)(8) Entitlement (NANA Region) | Actively working on draft conveyance document for reviews. |
| Sec. 14(h)(8) Regional Entitlement Closure (Sealaska Region) | Actively working on draft conveyance document for reviews. |
| Sec. 14(h)(8) Regional Entitlement Closure (Sealaska Region) | Easement decision and draft confirmatory patent for IC 2416 issued September 6, 2024. Decision of September 6, 2024 appealed, awaiting easement resolution. |
Fiscal Year 2025 COMPLETED ANCSA Land Transfer Projects
| ANCSA Land Transfer | FY 2025 |
|---|---|
| Belkofski Sec. 12(b) Entitlement (Aleut Region) | COMPLETED: Final patents issued December 5, 2024 (village closure). |
| Sec. 14(h)(1) Regional Selections (Aleut Region) | COMPLETED: Patents issued August 6, 2025. 6 cases closed of record. |
| Sec. 12(a)(1) Regional Selection (Aleut Region) | COMPLETED: Confirmatory patent issued on May 14, 2025. |
| Manokotak Secs. 12(a) and 12(b) Entitlements (Bristol Bay Region) | COMPLETED: Final patents issued October 15, 2024 (village closure). |
| Koliganek Secs. 12(a) and 12(b) Entitlements (Bristol Bay Region) | COMPLETED: Final patents issued September 16, 2025 (village closure). |
| Sec. 14(h)(1) Regional Selection (Calista Region) | COMPLETED: Patent issued March 7, 2025; Case closed of record. |
| 18 Sec. 14(h)(1) Regional Selections (Chugach Region) | COMPLETED: Patent issued February 24, 2025; 18 cases closed of record. |
| Sec. 14(h)(1) Regional Selection (Cook Inlet Region) | COMPLETED: Patent issued November 14, 2025; Case filed closed of record. |
| Fire Island Lands (Cook Inlet Region) | COMPLETED: Interim Conveyance issued February 4, 2025. |
| CIRI West Side Deficiency Lands (Cook Inlet) | COMPLETED: Confirmatory patent issued August 26, 2025. |
| CIRI Talkeetna Mountains - Deficiency Lands (Cook Inlet) | COMPLETED: Patent issued on August 26, 2025 (207,074.26 acres). |
| Beaver Sec. 12(a) Entitlement (Doyon Region) | COMPLETED: Final patents issued April 28, 2025 (village closure). |
| 6 Sec. 14(h)(1) Regional Selections (Doyon Region) | COMPLETED: Patents issued December 2, 2024. 6 cases closed of record. |
| Kotzebue Secs. 12(a) and 12(b) Entitlements (NANA Region) | COMPLETED: Patents and interim conveyances issued March 4, 2025. Secs. 12(a) and 12(b) entitlements fulfilled. |
| Sec. 12(c) Entitlement (NANA Region) | COMPLETED: Patent issued to NANA on July 14, 2025. |
| Sec. 14(h)(1) Regional Selection (Sealaska Region) | COMPLETED: Patent issued February 4, 2025. Case Closed of record. |
| Sec. 14(h)(8) Regional Entitlement Closure (Sealaska Region) | COMPLETED: Patent issued on September 4, 2025. |
Fiscal Year 2025 COMPLETED State of Alaska Land Transfer Projects
| State of Alaska Land Transfer | Current Status |
|---|---|
| Patents issued for Tentatively Approved (TA) Lands | 483,692 acres of TA lands patented to the State of Alaska (SOA) |
| Tentatively Approved Lands | 13,059 acres TA'd to the SOA (per SOA request) |
| Original Patented Lands | None (per SOA Request) |