Office of Subsistence Management

Office of Subsistence Management
Name	Office of Subsistence Management
Formed	1990s
Jurisdiction	United States Department of the Interior
Headquarters	Anchorage, Alaska
Chief1 name	Director
Parent agency	United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Contents

Office of Subsistence Management The Office of Subsistence Management serves as a federal program office coordinating Alaska rural resource management policies, coordinating with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and tribal entities to administer subsistence harvests. It operates within the statutory framework of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, interfacing with Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act beneficiaries, regional advisory councils, and federal courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Alaska. The office's remit touches on interactions with state agencies like the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and national entities such as the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regional directors, and congressional committees including the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Overview

The office coordinates subsistence policy across agencies including National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs, advising secretaries from the United States Department of the Interior and interacting with congressional delegations such as delegations from Alaska (U.S. state), committees like the United States House Committee on Natural Resources, and federal appellate bodies including the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. It administers programs affecting Alaska Native communities represented by organizations such as the Alaska Federation of Natives, Association of Village Council Presidents, and the Metlakatla Indian Community, while liaising with conservation groups like The Wilderness Society, Sierra Club, and Defenders of Wildlife.

Authority derives from statutes and legal decisions including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, rulings from the United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and administrative orders from the United States Department of the Interior. The office implements regulations that coordinate with state statutes enforced by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and consults with tribal governments subject to laws such as the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act and precedents influenced by cases like Alabama v. Garrett-style federalism decisions and Alaska-specific jurisprudence. Administrative oversight aligns with budgetary reviews by the United States Office of Management and Budget and audits by the Government Accountability Office.

Programs include subsistence harvest regulation, community-based monitoring, data management, and education in collaboration with entities like the U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge System, and Alaska Native corporations such as Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and Calista Corporation. It supports research partnerships with universities like the University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Anchorage, and national labs including Idaho National Laboratory for wildlife telemetry and population modeling, and works with NGOs like World Wildlife Fund and Nature Conservancy on habitat conservation. Services extend to coordination with emergency response organizations including Federal Emergency Management Agency and regional health organizations such as the Indian Health Service when harvests intersect with public health advisories.

Decision-making involves regional advisory councils, administrative procedures influenced by the Administrative Procedure Act, and consultation protocols akin to those used by the National Environmental Policy Act review process, with participation from federal entities such as the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and state partners like the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Boards and panels include appointees who represent communities connected to organizations like the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, and intertribal bodies. Scientific input is drawn from agencies and institutions such as the U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, and academic centers including the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.

The office engages with Alaska Native corporations (for example, Sealaska Corporation, NANA Regional Corporation), tribal consortia like the Tanana Chiefs Conference and Kawerak, Inc., regional non-profits such as Rural Alaska Community Action Program, conservation organizations like Audubon Society, and interagency partners including the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency on issues intersecting with subsistence. It consults with academic partners including University of Alaska Fairbanks and federal science agencies like NOAA to integrate traditional ecological knowledge alongside telemetry studies from institutions like Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Funding streams originate from appropriations by the United States Congress through annual acts considered by committees such as the United States House Committee on Appropriations and the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations, with budget oversight by the Office of Management and Budget and audits by the Government Accountability Office. Financial administration interfaces with federal grant-making systems managed by the Department of the Interior and programmatic grants to tribal governments under statutes like the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Cooperative agreements involve federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and research funding routed through institutions like the National Science Foundation.

The office emerged amid policy responses to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, with early program developments influenced by legal disputes and decisions from courts including the United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Notable actions involve coordination during major events affecting subsistence, such as responses to Exxon Valdez oil spill impacts on coastal resources, interagency collaborations after Iliamna Lake fisheries assessments, and policy adaptations following scientific findings from the Arctic Council-linked research and projects involving the International Arctic Science Committee. The office has been cited in administrative records and testimony before bodies like the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the United States House Committee on Natural Resources for its role in balancing statutory subsistence priorities with conservation and community needs.