The State of Alaska has applied to take control of the land under the Taku River. The lands the state is asking for are pictured in blue. (Map courtesy Bureau of Land Management)

The State of Alaska has applied to take control of the land under the Taku River. The lands the state is asking for are pictured in blue. (Map courtesy Bureau of Land Management)

Alaska applies for control of Taku River, a federal waterway

River should have been Alaska property since statehood, state says

The land under the Taku River may soon have a new owner: the State of Alaska.

The state has applied with the Bureau of Land Management to take possession of the land under the river, a federal waterway. An application was filed last year and was published in the federal register Wednesday ahead of a 90-day public comment period.

“The draft summary report has been published and we are requesting comments on that for the next 90 days. Then after we get them, they will make a determination or a recommendation for a determination, and that will be sent to the solicitor. Then the final decision will be published,” BLM spokesperson Lisa Gleason said in a phone interview Wednesday.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The state argues that it should have been granted possession of the Taku River at statehood as the river was navigable when Alaska entered the union in 1959. Several federal laws require that navigable waterways within a state be given to the state. But that didn’t happen with the Taku River, Gleason said.

The application is for what’s called a Recordable Disclaimer of Interest, or RDI. Federal law authorizes BLM to issue RDIs when it’s found that U.S. land holdings have been terminated by law or are otherwise invalid. In these situations, BLM basically plays referee when the federal government’s land holdings come into question. It’s a legal document through which BLM disclaims the federal government’s interest in the land.

RDIs have been applied for in seven rivers and a lake in the Southeast region.

The state’s application is for the submerged lands under the Taku River, from a point near the southern end of the Taku Glacier to the U.S.-Canada border. A final decision won’t be made before Sept. 18, 2018, when BLM has given time for public input.

Copies of the state application, supporting evidence, the BLM Draft Summary Report, and comments, including names and street addresses of commenters, will be available in Anchorage for public review at the BLM Alaska State Office. BLM’s Public Information Center (Public Room), is located in the Fitzgerald Federal Building, 222 West 8th Avenue. It’s open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except holidays.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Feb. 15

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

The Tlingit and Haida Elders Group performs the entrance dance at the 89th annual Tribal Assembly of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Trump rescinds Biden executive order expanding tribal sovereignty and self-governance

Order giving Natives more access to federal funds cited in awarding of major Southeast Alaska projects.

The House Finance Committee listens to public testimony about next year’s proposed budget on Friday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The Alaska House budget currently has a ‘full’ PFD of about $3,800. Except it really doesn’t.

Legislators on all sides agree PFD will shrink drastically before floor vote to avoid $2 billion deficit.

Dylan Court and Emily Feliciano-Soto at a rehearsal of “Necessary Nonsense,” a Theater Alaska production debuting Friday. (Photo courtesy of Theatre Alaska)
Middle schoolers bring ‘Necessary Nonsense’ to life in Theater Alaska Kids Company’s debut play

Imagine a world where “Alice in Wonderland” characters mingle with limerick legends… Continue reading

Jonathan Estes, a parent of three students attending the Dzantik’i Heeni campus, testifies for a safe playground at a special Juneau Board of Education meeting on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Juneau School District submits budget for next school year to Juneau Assembly

The plan assumes $400 BSA hike and no staff vacancies; board also advocates for DH playground.

A totem pole and visitor guide sign on the downtown Juneau cruise ship dock on Thursday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
‘Anecdotal’ signs Juneau’s tourism season may see a dropoff due to Trump’s policies, officials say

Tariffs, talk of recession causing uncertainty and ill will resulting in reports of cancellations.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, March 12, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Gabriel von Eisenstein (David Cangelosi) is pulled in two separate directions by his wife Rosalinda (Sara Radke Brown, right) and Rosalinda’s maid, Adele (Kayla Kohlhase, left) during a dress rehearsal of “Die Fledermaus” on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Juneau Lyric Opera celebrates a chorus of community for 50th anniversary

German operetta “Die Fledermaus” that launched JLO gets revival with old and new voices Friday night.

Most Read