Recently Hoonah Indian Association signed an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service’s Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy program to begin a 5-year program focused on deer on Chichagof Island. The project’s goal is to bring local knowledge, community voice, and new data into deer management on Chichagof Island. This work was born after local proposals from Hoonah, Pelican, and Angoon all sought to reduce bag limits or close all deer hunting to non-rural users (called non-federally qualified users) around their respective communities.
Below you can read about two different things. First is the deer proposal for the Hoonah area. If you feel strongly about this proposal (for or against it) you can call into the Southeast Regional Advisory Council (SERAC) meeting the morning of October 25th, 26th, or 27th to give your testimony. Hearing from Hoonah Community members will help the the SERAC make a decision about the proposal.
Second, you can read about the deer research and working kicking off in Chichagof Island and continuing for the next five years. If you have any questions about either of these things please contact Ian Johnson. ian.johnson@hiatribe.org or 907 802 3200.
Two separate land jurisdictions exist between ANC private property and federal public lands of the USFS under ANILCA. Shareholders provide rights-of-way to USFS public lands that has been exploited by non-resident sport hunters’ encroachment. Shareholders legally can hunt, fish, and gather on our land without hinderance or competition no matter where we live. Local/Village Federally recognized users have ANC r-o-w use to FS land. The question is how to control the sport hunters/fishers? ANSWER: By direct air or water access for personal use and recreation. This will enable effective/efficient enforcement and monitoring of legal/illegal sports take from Chichagof Island areas. More importantly, end needless pass-through travel through Hoonah that enables encroachment to ANC private land.