Series: The Legacy of ANILCA

The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act impacts the National Park Service in many ways. ANILCA stipulates the designation of wilderness, subsistence management, transportation in and across parklands, use of cabins, mining, archaeological sites, scientific research studies and more.

• Article 1: In Celebration of ANILCA

  

  Former President, Jimmy Carter, offers a sentimental introduction to the 25th Anniversary Edition of Alaska Park Science and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). Read more

• Article 2: A History of Science in Alaska's National Parks

  

  National park units in Alaska precede the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916. The first park unit, Sitka National Monument, was conceived in 1908, and by the mid-1920s four national monuments along with Alaska’s first national park were part of the growing park system. Discover how the early 1900s and observations of a few helped to establish the National Park Service in Alaska. Read more

• Article 3: Old is Getting Older

  

  In the last 25 years, persistent archaeological survey and improved scientific techniques have resulted in new data which confirms that Alaska sites are actually much earlier than we once believed. Read more

• Article 4: Subsistence

  

  The study of subsistence resources in parks has been a mix of long-term work and projects instigated by issues facing the Federal Subsistence Board. Read more

• Article 5: A Tribute: Dave Spirtes, 1948-2004

  

  A tribute to a lost colleague and friend, Dave Spirtes. Read more

• Article 6: ANILCA and the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Cooperative Management Plan

  

  The Western Arctic Caribou Herd at 450,000 animals is only one of about 32 herds in Alaska but is by far the largest, comprising about half of the caribou in the state (and about 10% of the world total of 5 million animals). Read more

• Lake Clark National Park & Preserve

  Article 7: K’ezdlagh: Nondalton Ecological Knowledge of Freshwater Fish

  

  The village of Nondalton lies along the shores of Sixmile Lake, which flows out of the southwest tip of Lake Clark in South­central Alaska. Most residents of Nondalton are Dena'ina Athabascans and they depend on the vital subsistence fish resources found in the area. Read more

• Article 8: Mining Legacy in National Parks of Alaska

  

  Mining is intrinsically tied to the history of Alaska as a territory and then state of the United States. Thousands of historic and active mining sites exist within national parks across Alaska - some with a rich cultural history and others with disturbed lands and hazardous conditions. Read more

• Article 9: Mining in the Parks

  

  Resource protection goals, resource data, the study areas and other decisions made in the environmental impact state-ment process held up under public scrutiny and federal appeals court review, and became an integral part of evaluating new mining plans of operations in parks. Read more

• Article 10: GOLD!

  Gold mining is an important part of the cultural and natural history of national parks in Alaska. When establishing Yukon­-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Congress included the region's gold mining history as one of the reasons for protecting it as a national preserve. Read more

• Article 11: Physical Hazards Abatement: "Look but Don’t Touch & Stay Out, Stay Alive"

  

  Given the historical significance of many mining areas, explosives management and mine closure efforts have been coordinated closely with cultural and natural resource managers to identify the best approaches for mitigating often extreme hazards and protecting public and employee safety with cultural sensitivity. Read more

• Article 12: Abandoned Mineral Land Restoration Activities in Alaska

  The National Park Service has had an ongoing Abandoned Mineral Land restoration program (AML) since the 1990s. Many mined areas remain to be restored and made safe for public use. Read more

• Article 13: Science in Wilderness Marine Reserves

  

  ANILCA establishes the largest scientific laboratory...ever! Read more

• Noatak National Preserve

  Article 14: Long–term Research in Remote Parks: Opportunities and Obstacles

  

  Science benefits in unique ways from work in regions where the human “imprint” remains less evident. Read more

• Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve

  Article 15: Balancing the Benefits and Impacts of Science in Alaska’s Wilderness

  

  Achieving consistency in permitting decisions across multiple units of the National Park System remains a constant challenge. When opportunities allow, park managers combine environmental compliance for related projects spanning several units, such as the installation of climate monitoring stations for the Inventory & Monitoring networks. Read more

• Article 16: Science in Alaska National Parks: Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st Century

  

  The need for scientific understanding of natural and cultural resources in national parks across the nation is increasing as the world continues to change around us. Nowhere in the National Park Service is this need greater than in Alaska's national parks, preserves, and monuments. Passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conserva­tion Act (ANILCA) in 1980 greatly expanded the acreage managed by the NPS in Alaska. Read more