Alaska Federal Lands Management Demonstration Project Act

H.R. 4734, the Alaska Federal Lands Management Demonstration Project Act, would establish a pilot program allowing up to 12 Alaska Native tribes or tribal organizations to contract with the Department of the Interior to manage specific operations on federal lands. Participating tribes would take over responsibilities such as construction, maintenance, biological research, and monitoring harvests within Alaska’s conservation areas.

For citizens, this bill would shift the day-to-day management of certain federal wildlife refuges and conservation units from federal agencies to local tribal organizations. While the project excludes Denali National Park and does not grant tribes authority over sport hunting and fishing licenses, it aims to integrate local tribal expertise into the maintenance and ecological study of Alaska’s federal lands.