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FSB proposes change to rural determination process

Federal Subsistence Board opting to determine Alaska communities that aren't rural, rather than those that are.

The Federal Subsistence Board is proposing a new way of determining the rural status of communities. Instead of trying to identify and define which Alaska communities are rural, the Board says it would be easier to identify those that aren’t.  KDLG’s Dave Bendinger has more:

Audio transcript below ...

The Federal Subsistence Boardis proposing a new wayof determining the rural status of communities, with hopes of easing some confusion. Instead of identifying which communities in Alaska are rural, the Board intends to reverse that and determine which are non-rural.

"Under current regulations, the Federal Subsistence Board defines which community or area of Alaska is rural using guidelines, which are pretty lengthy," said Deborah Coble, an outreach coordinator for the Office of Subsistence Management.

Some of those guidelines pertain to population and infrastructure, and communities like Bethel have been on the verge of becoming non-rural for years.

In Bristol Bay there has been concern about the "aggregation" guidelines, meaning if several communities were lumped together, they may cross a threshold and lose rural status. Rural communities have had the burden of proof to protect their subsistence rights.  

Nanci Morris Lyon of King Salmon is the current vice chair of the Bristol Bay Regional Advisory Council. Lyon says Bristol Bay’s RAC has been asking for the rule reversal currently proposed.

"We said, 'we've had to prove ourselves for years now to be qualified subsistence users. We're tired of having to prove ourselves over and over again. You know, it's time that you have to defend yourself and tell us why we couldn't be subsistence users anymore'," said Lyon.

Bristol Bay’s RAC is generally pleased with the proposed rule shift. Still, Lyon says they would like to see some criteria added in writing, and a guarantee of some deference given to RACs in the determination process.

"We do see burdens being taken off of the rural subsistence folks with this, but we think that it needs to be just a little bit more tight in ensuring to protect our rights as well," said Lyon.

The public comment on the proposed rule is open through April 1. The Federal Subsistence Board meets this summer.