The Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) joined Tribal partners and the United States government to secure the “Gravel to Gravel initiative” agreement at the 7th Annual Alaska Tribal Unity Gathering hosted by Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC).
This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalized the partnership between Alaska Native Tribes, Tribal Consortia, Tribal Organizations in the Northern Bering Sea Region and the Yukon and Kuskokwim River watershed areas of Alaska, and Federal agencies.
This monumental agreement outlines the foundation for continued collaboration and for Federal agencies and Tribes to build a solid partnership to co-steward and co-manage the ecosystem to support lasting “gravel to gravel” of the whole lifecycle of the Pacific salmon species.
“We are working on behalf of every single community, Tribe, and family that has been touched by the salmon crisis in Western Alaska,” commented AVCP Chief Executive Officer Vivian Korthuis in her statement at the signing event. “I’d like to congratulate the co-signors for this meaningful initial step for important conservation that will come. The impact of the salmon crash has been tremendous and unbelievable. Things are happening on the ground, and our communities and AVCP will continue to advocate for and support the fight to restore our salmon population,” Korthuis added.
This historic moment was attended by Alaska Tribal leaders and representatives of the United States Department of Interior (DOI) and it marked the beginning of integral relationships to ensure the health and well-being of our salmon, the ecosystem they thrive in, and the health and well-being of our people who depend on our salmon for generations to come.
The Signatories at the event included the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), along with the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP), Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments, Kawerak Incorporated, Nome Eskimo Community, Native Village of Eagle, Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), Kuskokwim River InterTribal Fish Commission, and the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (YRITFC).
