Grant Liaison and Staff Support to the State of Alaska

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The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA, Title VIII) requires that rural residents be given a subsistence priority to take fish and wildlife on Federal public lands and waters in Alaska. Thousands of rural Alaskans rely on wild resources for their needs, harvesting about 22,000 tons of wild foods each year. Nowhere else in the United States is there such a heavy reliance upon wild foods. The State of Alaska provided for this rural priority until the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that it was inconsistent with provisions of the Alaska Constitution. A number of attempts by lawmakers to bring the state into compliance with Federal law were unsuccessful. As a result, the Federal government began managing hunting, fishing, and trapping by rural residents on Federal public lands in 1990. Federal jurisdiction was significantly expanded in 1999 to include fisheries within inland navigable waters where there are Federal reserved water rights. Due to the given conflicting state and Federal laws about allocation of subsistence resources in Alaska, dual management by state and Federal agencies has become a requisite for responsible stewardship of these resources. Although rural subsistence hunters and fishermen are provided a priority on Federal lands when it comes to the harvest of fish and wildlife, many other users also utilize these same resources. The Alaska State Constitution guarantees equal access to both urban and rural residents for the harvest of the state’s fish and wildlife. Therefore, fish and wildlife on Federal lands in Alaska are managed to provide a priority to rural residents that have a customary and traditional use of those resources, while at the same time supporting uses by others through state harvest regulations. Dual management occurs under a variety of scenarios. Populations such as migratory caribou herds move between Federal and non-Federal lands where the herd is exposed to either state regulations or Federal regulations over the course of their movements. Dual management consists of coordination between the two managers to schedule harvest opportunities on their respective lands to meet their individually mandated objectives, while ensuring the continued health of the wildlife population. In addition to the development of State and Federal harvest regulations, i.e., seasons, harvest limits and methods and means, dual management also encompasses the determination of customary and traditional uses and subsistence use amounts as well as the sharing of harvest data. Dual management between the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Federal Subsistence Program is currently being guided through an Interim Memorandum of Agreement that was agreed to in principle by the agencies in April 2000. This document provides a foundation and direction for coordinated interagency subsistence fisheries and wildlife management consistent with State and Federal statutes. More specifically it is intended to protect and promote the sustained health of fish and wildlife populations, to ensure conservation and stability in fisheries and wildlife management and to include meaningful public involvement. Implementation of the agreement occurs through cooperative activities of State and Federal staffs. The purpose of this announcement is for public awareness of the program at this point. The grant agreement is directed specifically to the divisions of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (signatories of the Interim Memorandum of Agreement). The purpose is to defray the Department’s salary and travel expenses that occur in support of the coordination between State and Federal fish and wildlife programs. As the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is the only non-Federal entity with management authority over fish and wildlife resources within the State, this grant agreement is not open to competition outside the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Maximum amount $550,000 Minimum amount $300,000. The State of Alaska is encouraged to submit its proposal, application budget, and certifications through the Grants.gov APPLY module for this opportunity.

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