Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025

The Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025 has passed both the House and Senate and is heading toward the President's desk. The bill addresses a long-standing land entitlement issue for Cape Fox Corporation, an Alaska Native village corporation representing the village of Saxman in Southeast Alaska.

Currently, Cape Fox is required to select land within a specific township near Saxman to fulfill its land entitlement. This bill, if signed, would waive that requirement and allow Cape Fox to instead select approximately 180 acres of surface land within the Tongass National Forest. Cape Fox would have 90 days after the bill becomes law to submit its selection to the Department of the Interior, which would then be required to transfer the land.

When the surface land is conveyed to Cape Fox, the subsurface rights (mineral and other underground resources) would be conveyed to Sealaska Corporation, the Alaska Native regional corporation for Southeast Alaska. The bill also reserves public access easements on the transferred land, ensuring the public can continue to access these areas.

For everyday citizens, this bill primarily affects Alaska Native communities and their land rights. It resolves a specific entitlement dispute and allows Cape Fox to consolidate its land holdings in a location that may be more practical for the corporation's operations and the Saxman community's needs.