Group of people posing with ANCSA closure certificate for Manokotak Village.

Alaska Land Transfer Program

In Alaska, the Bureau of Land Management has been tasked with the largest land transfer effort ever taken in the United States. For more than 50 years, the BLM has been involved with the survey and conveyance of lands in Alaska under three statutes: the Native Allotment Act of 1906; the Alaska Statehood Act, and the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). The work being done to implement these laws is collectively called the Alaska Land Transfer Program. The Alaska Land Transfer Program has three distinct phases: preliminary adjudication and application approval; cadastral survey; and conveyance of lands and entitlements.

Visit our Alaska Native Vietnam era veterans land allotment page for the latest Alaska efforts under (Sect. 1119) of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (Public Law 116-9).

When Alaska became the 49th state in 1959, nearly all of its 365 million acres were under federal ownership. Since then, Alaskans have witnessed dramatic changes in land ownership. As the Secretary of the Interior’s designated survey and land transfer agent, the BLM surveys and conveys land to individual Alaskan Natives, Alaska Native corporations, and the State of Alaska. 

A person sits at a desk smiling holding an application.
BLM Alaska Chief, Section of Adjudication Services Land Transfer Resolution Specialist Candy Grimes proudly displays one of the first Dingell Act application received in Dec. 2020. If that smile doesn't indicate the dedication and commitment put behind this program, we don't know what does!

Acreages transferred/patented to Alaska Native Corporations, Native Allottees, and the State of Alaska to date1

Acreages transferred, patented to Alaska Native Corporations, Native Allottees, and the State of Alaska
Allottees Percentage of Entitlement/Parcels Filed
ANCSA Corporations 44,285,342 million acres (96.88% of entitlement)
State of Alaska 99,332,525 million acres (95.03% of entitlement)
1906 Native Allotments 16,034 parcels filed
1998 Native Vet Allotments 1,070 parcels filed
2019 Native Vet Allotments 423 applications received; 38 certificates issued; 93 applications w/draft surveys; 60 applications in survey process

ANCSA Village closures to date: 131

Progress: 2019 - 2024

The following reflects an aggregate of 4,357,127.76 acres transferred, patented to Alaska Native Corporations, Native Allottees, and the State of Alaska in the past six years.

Acreages transferred, patented in the last six years
Action 2019 Acres 2020 Acres 2021 Acres 2022 Acres

2023 Acres

2024 Acres
Patented 51,782.65 1,247,675.51 960,155.80 790,558.68 532,102.81 578,235.29
Interim Conveyed 13,814 0 44,738 0 0 1,285.00
Tentative Approval 97,653 28,770.02 8,670 1,500 187 0
Total Acreages 163,249.65 1,276,445.53 1,013,563.80 792,058.68 532,289.81 579,520.29

 

ANCSA Conveyance Summary1 Total of All Entitlement Acres = 45,709,979.15
Action Total to Date Percent Complete Remaining Entitlement
Interim Conveyance 5,054,941 million acres 11.06%  
Patent/Other Charges 39,247,071 million acres 85.86%  
Total 44,301,984 million acres 96.92%  
2024 Village Closures to Date 131 Village Closures   1,459,402.07
       

 

State Conveyance Summary1 Total of All Entitlement Acres = 104,525,001.24
Action Total to Date Percent Complete Remaining Entitlement
Tentative Approval 28,699,259 million acres 27.46%  
Patent 70,630,732 million acres 67.57%  
Total 99,329,990 million acres 95.03% 5,219,312.09 million acres

Land Survey Accomplishments from 2011-2022

Survey Accomplishments 2011-2022
Action Amount
Miles Surveyed 35,310 miles
Miles Resurveyed 5,916 miles
Special Survey Miles 737 miles
Number of Monuments Set 21,209
Approved Original Acreage 4,997,690 acres
Approved Resurvey Acreage 2,542,784
Approved Special Survey Acreage 1,093,146
Number of Plats Accepted 2,186

 

Land Transfer Entitlements

  • The total entitlement to the State of Alaska is 104.5 million acres, roughly the size of California.
  • The remaining state entitlement is 5.2 million acres, roughly the size of New Jersey.
  • The total ANCSA entitlement is 45.7 million acres, roughly the size of the state of Washington.
  • The remaining ANCSA settlement is 1.8 million acres, roughly the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

Map of the U.S. with Alaska superimposed over the top to scale spanning coast to coast with Washington, California, New Jersey. Delaware, and Rhode Island highlighted.

 

When the work is completed, over 150 million acres, approximately 42% of the land area in Alaska, will have been transferred from federal to state and private ownership.