The Bureau of Land Management has officially signed over almost the entire landmass of St. Lawrence Island to two village corporations on the island.
St. Lawrence Island, at 1 million acres, is the sixth-largest island in the United States and has been in the process of transfer since 1979, when the federal government issued a declaration of “interim conveyance” to Kukulget Inc. of Savoonga and Sivuqaq Inc. of Gambell.
The declaration was made possible by the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, but it was “interim” until the federal government completed a complete land survey. With that survey finalized, BLM Director Neil Kornze on Wednesday signed a patent to finalize the transfer.
“The people of St. Lawrence Island have been seeking formal title to their lands for decades,” Kornze said in a prepared statement. “I am honored to be here to help bring this long journey to a positive end.”
