2023-00339. Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Meetings for 2023

AGENCY:

Forest Service, USDA, Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of meetings.

SUMMARY:

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) announces the public meetings of the 10 Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils (Councils) for the winter and fall cycles of 2023. The Councils each meet approximately twice a year to provide advice and recommendations to the Board about subsistence hunting and fishing issues on Federal public lands in Alaska.

DATES:

Winter 2023 Meetings: The Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils will meet between February 22, 2023, and April 6, 2023, as shown in table 1. A teleconference will substitute for an in-person meeting if public health or safety restrictions are in effect. For more information about accessing the meetings, including start times and whether the meetings will be in person or via teleconference, visit the Federal Subsistence Management Program website, at https://www.doi.gov/​subsistence/​regions.

Table 1—Winter 2023 Meetings of the Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils

Regional Advisory Council	Dates	Location (if in person)
Southeast Alaska—Region 1	February 28-March 2	Juneau.
Southcentral Alaska—Region 2	March 15-16	Anchorage.
Kodiak/Aleutians—Region 3	March 29-30	Kodiak.
Bristol Bay—Region 4	March 8-9	Naknek.
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta—Region 5	April 4-6	St. Mary's.
Western Interior—Region 6	April 4-5	Aniak.
Seward Peninsula—Region 7	March 22-23	Nome.
Northwest Arctic—Region 8	March 6-7	Kotzebue.
Eastern Interior—Region 9	March 1-2	Arctic Village.
North Slope—Region 10	February 22-23	Kaktovik.

Fall 2023 Meetings: The Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils will meet between September 19, 2023, and November 2, 2023, as shown in table 2. A teleconference will substitute for an in-person meeting if public health or safety restrictions are in effect. For more information about accessing the meetings, including start times and whether meetings will be in person or via teleconference, visit https://www.doi.gov/​subsistence/​regions.

Table 2—Fall 2023 Meetings of the Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils

Regional Advisory Council	Dates	Location (if in person)
Southeast Alaska—Region 1	October 24-26	Sitka.
Southcentral Alaska—Region 2	October 2-3	Kenai.
Kodiak/Aleutians—Region 3	September 19-20	King Cove.
Bristol Bay—Region 4	October 24-25	Dillingham.
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta—Region 5	October 10-12	Anchorage.
Western Interior—Region 6	October 11-12	Fairbanks.
Seward Peninsula—Region 7	November 1-2	Nome.
Northwest Arctic—Region 8	October 16-17	Kotzebue.
Eastern Interior—Region 9	October 4-5	Tok.
North Slope—Region 10	November 1-2	Utqiagvik.

All meetings are open to the public. For more information, see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT , below.

ADDRESSES:

Specific information about meeting locations and the final agendas can be found at https://www.doi.gov/​subsistence/​regions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Chair, Federal Subsistence Board, c/o U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Attention: Sue Detwiler, Assistant Regional Director, Office of Subsistence Management; [phone] (phone) or [e-mail] (email). For questions specific to National Forest System lands, contact Gregory Risdahl, Subsistence Program Leader, [phone] (phone) or [e-mail] (email). Individuals in the United States who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

Reasonable Accommodations: The Federal Subsistence Board is committed to providing access to these meetings for all participants. Please make requests in advance for sign language interpreter services, assistive listening devices, or other reasonable accommodations. Please make requests to Katerina Wessels, [phone] (phone), [e-mail] (email), at least 7 business days prior to the meeting you would like to attend to give the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sufficient time to process your request. All reasonable accommodation requests are managed on a case-by-case basis.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) announces the 2023 public meeting schedule for the 10 Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils (Councils), in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2). Established in 1993, the Councils are statutory Federal advisory committees that provide a public forum for their regions and recommendations to the Federal Subsistence Board about subsistence hunting, trapping, and fishing issues on Federal public lands in Alaska, as authorized by section 805 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA; 16 U.S.C. 3111-3126).

The Councils are a crucial link between federally qualified subsistence users and the Board. The Board is a multi-agency body with representation from a chair and two public members who are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior with the concurrence of the Secretary of Agriculture. The Board includes representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and U.S. Forest Service.

Each Council meets approximately two times per calendar year, once in the winter and once in the fall, to attend to business and develop proposals and recommendations to the Board.

Meeting Agendas

Winter Meetings

• General Council business: Review and adoption of agenda; election of officers; review and approval of previous meeting minutes; Council Chair and members reports; public and Tribal comments on non-agenda items.

• Develop proposals and accept public comments on potential changes to regulations for subsistence take of wildlife.
• Review and approve Annual Report.
• Review and propose changes to the Council charter.
• Agency, Tribal governments, State of Alaska, and non-governmental organizations reports.
• Future meeting dates.

Fall Meetings

• General Council business: Review and adoption of agenda; review and approval of previous meeting minutes; Council Chair and members reports; public and Tribal comments on non-agenda items.

• Prepare recommendations and accept public comments on proposals to change subsistence take of wildlife regulations and review and prepare recommendations on wildlife closures.
• Define issues for upcoming Annual Report.
• Develop priority information needs for the Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program.
• Agency, Tribal governments, State of Alaska, and non-governmental organizations Tribal governments, and Native organizations reports.
• Future meeting dates.

A notice will be published with specific dates, times, and meeting locations in local and statewide newspapers prior to both series of meetings; in addition, announcements will be made on local radio stations and posted on social media and the Federal Subsistence Management Program website ( https://www.doi.gov/​subsistence/​regions). Locations and dates may change based on weather or local circumstances. A teleconference will substitute for an in-person meeting if public health or safety restrictions are in effect. The final draft agendas, call-in numbers, instructions on how to participate and provide public comments, and other related meeting information will be posted on the Federal Subsistence Management Program website and on social media at https://www.facebook.com/​subsistencealaska/​. Transcripts of the meetings are maintained by the program and will be available for public inspection within 14 days after each meeting at https://www.doi.gov/​subsistence/​regions.

Public Submission of Comments

Time will be allowed for any individual or organization wishing to present oral or written comments. If you are not available to submit your comments, you may have another party present your comments on your behalf. Any written comments received will be presented to the Council members by staff.

Public Availability of Comments

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifiable information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifiable information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifiable information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

(Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.)

Sue Detwiler,

Assistant Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Bridget Darr,

Director of Natural Resources, USDA-Forest Service.