During a roundtable discussion with Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning announced that the department will open approximately 27 million acres of federal lands to selection by eligible Alaska Native veterans.
Secretary Deb Haaland, whose father served during the Vietnam War, said:
“We have a sacred obligation to America’s veterans. I honor the sacrifices made by those who serve in our military, and I will not ignore land allotments owed to our Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans. I am grateful to the veterans we met with today for their patience as we have worked through the needed analyses, and to the BLM team that moved expeditiously to deliver on this promise.”
The Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Program has been championed by the Alaska Congressional delegation through which the Bureau of Land Management can provide eligible individuals the opportunity to select an allotment of up to 160 acres from available federal lands in Alaska. Currently there are 1.2 million acres of available federal lands open to allotment selection.
On March 12, 2019, President Trump signed the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, which included a provision allowing several thousand Alaska Native veterans who served during the Vietnam era to apply for their ANCSA land allotment of up to 160 acres after missing their initial opportunity due to their service.
The BLM recently completed an environmental assessment and issued a finding of no significant impact on the effects of opening of federal lands within the Kobuk-Seward Peninsula, Ring of Fire, Bay, Bering Sea-Western Interior, and East Alaska planning areas to selection under the 2019 Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment program.
BLM will now complete the legal descriptions to open the lands to selection. Lands are available for selection through December 29, 2025.
For more information on the Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Program and how to submit interest, click here.