In a first for their government-to-government relationship, the Native Village of Eklutna and the Anchorage Assembly will host a joint worksession on the Eklutna River restoration on Thursday, December 7 from 2-4pm at City Hall, Suite 155, where they will call on the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project Owners Group to fully restore the Eklutna Rivera. The worksession will also be streamed live on the Assembly's YouTube channel: https://ancgov.info/watch-live.
The Native Village of Eklutna, its sister corporation Eklutna, Inc. and their partners, including the Anchorage Assembly, have been working for many years toward full restoration of the Eklutna River and a return of the rich salmon fisheries that were once common on the river. However, the Draft Eklutna Fish & Wildlife Program, released in October by the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project Owners Group, stops short of full restoration, so this worksession was called to investigate the draft plan and offer viable alternatives.
“The very core of the Eklutna culture is now being challenged. The tribe has a once-in-a-century opportunity to reclaim the Eklutna River, once a prolific stream with all five salmon species," said Native Village of Eklutna Tribal Council President Aaron Leggett. “The Native Village of Eklutna is working hard with the Anchorage Assembly to get the voices of the Village heard, and their pleas acted upon. Hopefully, this worksession will generate a path for the return of the fishery from Upper Cook Inlet to Eklutna Lake. A vibrant salmon stream will benefit the entire community, especially the Eklutna people, as they continue to share their land and resources with our Anchorage community."
Assembly Member Kevin Cross, who represents the district that includes the Eklutna River added, “This is critical for all of Anchorage because it's a huge economic boom, but specifically, we need to pay tribute to the Native Village of Eklutna who's gotten the short end of the stick on this deal."
“The Project Owners put forward a program that leaves just a mile stretch between the lake and river unconnected. That's not river restoration. We can't just stop short of the last mile," said Assembly Chair Christopher Constant. “Not only is full restoration of the river the right thing to do to respect the vision of the people who have stewarded this land long before the municipality and the dams that we put up existed, but it also has huge economic potential with recreation and tourism opportunities in the area. We look forward to working with the owner's group to complete the last mile."
The official government-to-government relations between the Native Village of Eklutna and the Municipality of Anchorage were established in 2021. While the Federal government recognizes its unique legal relationship with tribes, Alaska only recently, through last year's HB123, recognized Alaskan tribes. The Municipality of Anchorage was the first major municipality in Alaska, and among the first nationwide, to establish a direct connection with its tribe. The Native Village of Eklutna and its sister corporation, Eklutna Inc., are the largest private landowner in the Anchorage area, and have worked with the municipality to solve some of the community's complex issues, such as schools, rights of way, recreational use, and housing.
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Contact:
Native Village of Eklutna
Brenda Hewitt, Tribal Administrator, Native Village of Eklutna, 907-688-6020 bhewitt@eklutna.org
Anchorage Assembly
Christopher Constant, Assembly Chair, christopher.constant@anchorageak.gov
Meg Zaletel, Assembly Vice Chair, meg.zaletel@anchorageak.gov
Kevin Cross, Assembly Member, kevin.cross@anchorageak.gov