Press Contacts:
Sasha Lindgren, Kenaitze Indian Tribe, 907-398-3181
Kim Cunningham, Cook Inlet Region, Inc., 907-263-5104
Andy Loranger, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 907-260-2804
Travis Moseley, USDA Forest Service, 907-288-7730, 907-362-7671
Increased Cooperation and Coordination Begins at the Russian River
Protecting the Sqilantnu Archeological District
Cooper Landing, AK – On Wednesday October 13th, 2010 over 35 participants from the USDA Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) and the Kenaitze Indian Tribe gathered in Cooper Landing to begin working together under a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) which became effective September 2, 2010. The MOU provides for increased cooperation and coordination on matters related to protection of natural and cultural resources of the Sqilantnu Archeological District. The District, which consists of 3,240 acres surrounding the confluence of the Russian and Kenai Rivers, was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in December of 1981.
The memorandum of understanding was required by the Russian River Lands Act, which was passed by Congress in 2002. The Act resolved historic CIRI land claims in the area and required that the federal land managers, CIRI and the Kenaitze Indian Tribe work together to protect the unique natural and cultural resources located in the Sqilantnu Archeological District.
Margie Brown, CIRI’s president,
welcomed the MOU signing, saying that “the fishing at the confluence of
the Russian and Kenai Rivers is an important present day natural resource.
It is not surprising then that the impressive cultural resources of the
area clearly show that this fishing resource has been used for a millennium
by Alaska Native people. The Russian River Lands Act and the MOU recognize
both the present day use and the cultural significance of the area by establishing
a framework for the cooperative management of the area, where both the
natural and the cultural interests will be protected.”
“The Sqilantnu Archeological
District is a very special place to Kenaitze Indian Tribe members,” Kenaitze
Indian Tribe executive director Jaylene Peterson-Nyren said. “The MOU
will help to ensure that the cultural resources associated with the District
will be protected over time through the cooperative efforts of all the
parties to the MOU.”
Chugach Forest Supervisor Maria Lisowski said that, “the US Forest Service has a long and successful history of working with Alaska Natives and American Indians on cooperative efforts to protect significant cultural resources. We at the Chugach National Forest are excited about the opportunity to carry on this tradition at the Russian River through the implementation of the recently signed MOU.”
“The MOU sets the stage for the development of a cultural resource management plan for the area. The US Fish and Wildlife Service looks forward to working with CIRI, the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and the Chugach National Forest on that very important effort,” said Andy Loranger, Refuge Manager.
Link to Russian River Lands Act: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:HR03048:|TOM:/bss/d107query.html| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To receive official Forest Service information by e-mail, please subscribe by visiting http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription/
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, please visit http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription
If you wish to make changes to an existing account, please visit http://www.fs.fed.us/news/changes.shtml
