Federal Agency and Alaska Native Co-Management of the Sqilantnu Archaeological District, Alaska

Summary

One of the more unusual provisions of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act allowed the 12 newly formed Alaska Regional Native Corporations to select significant historic and cemetery sites as part of their settlement. Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI), selected three sites at the confluence of the Russian River with the Kenai River. The two federal agencies managing the area protested the claims. Among many complications was the fact that the area is one of the most popular sport fisheries in Alaska. Twenty Seven years after the claims were filed, facing drawn out legal action, the major parties sat down and negotiated a co-management Agreement that was signed into law as the Russian River Lands Act in October 2002. The result is a unique partnership for managing archaeological and cultural resources and public use. The fundamental agreement could be a strong positive template for co-management of other significant heritage resources.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Collaborative and Community Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage