Advocacy Update

BLM’s Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Reinforces Tanana Chiefs Conference’s Longstanding Claims in Ambler Road Opposition

October 13, 2023October 13, 2023

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) final draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) released earlier today reinforces the Tanana Chiefs Conference’s (TCC) opposition to the proposed Ambler industrial mining road. The 37 Tribes of Interior Alaska have lived on and with the lands being threatened by the proposed industrial mining road for millennia. Our ancestors recognized in forming TCC that …

TCC Travels to DC to Oppose Ambler Road

July 20, 2023

In May, Chief/Chairman Brian Ridley, Vice-President Sharon Hildebrand and TCC staff joined the Defend the Brooks Range Coalition’s recent “fly in” to Washington, DC. The trip is part of the ongoing advocacy efforts to oppose the construction of the Ambler Road. The Coalition is headed by the National Parks Conservation Association, and other partners include tribal members from Ambler, Kobuk …

Advocate for Tribal Land Rights

June 26, 2023June 23, 2023

Bureau of Land Management rule-making on Conservation and Landscape Health: Comments due by July 5, 2023 either by mail or submitted electronically. Use the link below to sign your letter, and then either print and mail, or save and email your letter to BLM using the information below. Click Here to Sumit Your Letter! Read BLM’s Rule Making Proposal Mail: …

Division of Fish and Game Predicts Low Salmon Run in 2023

June 9, 2023

The State of Alaska Division of Fish and Game predicts a low salmon run in 2023 for the District 4 and Koyukuk River Subsistence Fishing areas. The 2023 Chinook salmon run size is forecasted to be small and unlikely to meet escapement objectives or provide any surplus for harvest. Click here to learn more.

Revitalizing the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

June 27, 2023June 1, 2023

The Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (YRITFC) held a quorum for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The YRITFC is comprised of 28 villages along the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers who work together to develop recommendations for fishery management, and to develop positions on other relevant fisheries issues for the upcoming season and in the fall post-season. This …

It’s Time to Advocate For Our Way of Life: Upcoming Meetings

January 18, 2023November 18, 2022

There are several important upcoming meetings where tribal members will have the opportunity to advocate for our way of life and the need to protect our salmon. Alaska Board of Fisheries – AK Peninusula/Aleutians (Area M)February 20th -25th , 2023Anchorage, AK – Dena’ina CenterComment due date: February 3, 2023Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3GvjCYG Alaska Board of Fisheries – Statewide Finfish & …

AFN Resolutions Spark Critical Discussion on Fisheries Conservation

November 18, 2022November 7, 2022

Last month, the Alaska Federation of Natives held their Annual Convention where Tanana Chiefs Conference submitted six resolutions – two of which focused specifically on the conservation and protection of salmon. The resolutions were Resolution 2022-2, a resolution requesting the Alaska Department of Fish and Game support measures that decrease intercept of Chinook and Chum Salmon in Area M affecting …

Tribal Leaders Demand Action at Federal Fisheries Consultation

November 16, 2022November 7, 2022

In October, the Department of the Interior and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) held a tribal consultation meeting with Tribal leaders and subsistence fisherman on fisheries protection and restoration. The meeting included the Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland, as well as other …

Indigenous Food Sovereignty Awareness Video Series: Eva Burk from Nenana

September 16, 2022August 25, 2022

Tanana Chiefs Conference recently comprised a video series on food sovereignty in collaboration with the First Nations Development Institute, and we are excited to begin circulating them. Each of the videos focuses on different facets of the importance of food sovereignty in Alaska’s rural villages; with common themes of cultural identity and the need to preserve the habitats of wildlife …

TCC Leadership Meet with Secretary Deb Haaland

April 25, 2022April 25, 2022

Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) leadership had the opportunity to host a meeting with Secretary Deb Halaand. Chief/Chairman Brian Ridley met with Secretary Halaand along with Vice-President Sharon Hildebrand, Secretary/Treasurer Charlie Wright, Chief Rhonda Pitka of Beaver, Chief Karma Ulvi of Eagle, Chief Nancy James of Gwichyaa Zhee (Fort Yukon) and Julie Roberts-Hyslop of Tanana. The Chiefs focused on the Yukon …