Protect Our Ways of Life—Comments Due by February 13
The U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture are conducting a limited review of the Federal Subsistence Management Program (FSMP) under Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). This review follows a Petition for Rulemaking submitted by Safari Club International, a national recreational hunting and fishing lobbying group.
The petition proposes sweeping changes that would significantly weaken subsistence protections, including:
- Eliminating all public seats on the Federal Subsistence Board, removing Indigenous and rural representation
- Limiting Board membership to federal agency heads and removing requirements for subsistence knowledge
- Changing the rural determination review process, putting some communities’ rural status at risk
- Requiring the Federal Subsistence Board to defer to the State of Alaska on subsistence regulations
Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) affirms that subsistence priorities for Alaska Native and rural residents are protected under federal law. Tlingit & Haida strongly opposes any effort to weaken tribal and public representation on the Federal Subsistence Board and Regional Advisory Councils, as meaningful participation by subsistence users is not only legally required but essential to fair and effective resource management. The Tribe has urged the federal government to uphold its trust responsibility, respect tribal sovereignty, recognize Indigenous Knowledge, and ensure that any changes strengthen, not undermine, subsistence protections.
Because the State of Alaska cannot legally implement a rural subsistence priority, the proposed changes could effectively eliminate the federal rural subsistence priority altogether.
Scoping comments are being accepted through February 13, 2026, an early and critical step that will influence whether, and how, new regulations are developed.
Stand Up for Your Subsistence Rights
Public comments are a powerful opportunity for tribal citizens to share why subsistence is essential and must remain protected. The outcome of this review could directly affect how Alaska Native people feed their families, care for their communities, and pass on traditions.
We urge you to call on the Department of the Interior to:
- Protect the rural subsistence priority and uphold ANILCA Title VIII
- Maintain voting public seats that ensure knowledgeable subsistence voices
- Preserve a flexible, community-based rural designation process
Two Ways to Submit Comments:
Email: subsistence@ios.doi.gov
Submit Online: www.regulations.gov (Docket: DOI-2025-0170)
Comments ar due by Friday, February 13, 2026.
Your voice matters. Please take a moment to submit comments to help protect subsistence for current and future generations. Template comment letter is available to download through link below.
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