Native Conservancy is working to form an Eyak Community Land Trust for the preservation of Eyak lands in and around the community of Eyak (Cordova). This will incorporate an upcoming transfer of a one-acre property recently acquired at 5 Mile Loop, which houses the Native Conservancy Center, and a parcel of land at Nirvana Park containing the graves of our Eyak ancestors. The preservation of Eyak lands in perpetuity via conservation easements and transfer to the land trust has garnered community interest as well; several private landowners in Cordova have made verbal commitments to Native Landback, and are willing to transfer their own properties into the Eyak Community Land Trust when appropriate.

Bering River Coalfields

Native Conservancy’s initiative to protect all 3.5 million acres of the lower Copper River Delta through permanent preservation of the 11,000 acre Bering River Coalfield region is underway. We are in the process of securing funding to hire an independent land appraiser to assess the value of the Bering River Coalfields currently held by the Seoul-based Korea Alaska Development Corporation (KADCO). Once an independent assessment is made and the land value is determined and agreed upon, we are petitioning the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council to provide funding for the purchase and permanent retirement of the coalfields.

Chugach Lands Study

Native Conservancy’s planned intervention in the ongoing Chugach Lands Study conducted by the US Forest Service, Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, and Chugach Alaska Corporation (CAC) land swap settlement will lay the groundwork to manage land acquisition, conservation, cultural easements, and co-stewardship strategies. Outcomes will include retiring the 55-mile Chugach Alaska Corporation (CAC) Road Right-of-Way and preserving 229,000 acres of CAC Subsurface Rights in the region.

Shepard Point, Cordova

The United States Department of Transportation recently endowed $40 million to the Native Village of Eyak, against the public will, to build a deepwater port and road to Shepard Point, north of Cordova, Alaska. NVE waived Eyak sovereignty with the DOT in order to get this funding to build the port. Chugach Alaska Corporation owns subsurface rights at Shepard Point, the Eyak Corporation owns surface rights and the 4.5 mile road right of way. Native Conservancy is working to stop this unnecessary and potentially disastrous extraction and road/port buildout activity.

Katalla Village Site

Native Conservancy research targets will include traveling to Katalla (Point Martin) and the Bering River Chilkat Village sites with a cultural Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping crew and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system. Mapping Eyak and Tlingit village sites, burial sites, and refuse sites will revitalize Eyak place names and strengthen landback claims with official documentation and recognition. A report on our findings with recommendations for ongoing and future research will be developed and submitted to the appropriate agencies and scholarly publications.