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What is (CHS)?
AITRC administers a federally authorized Community Harvest System (CHS) for moose (and caribou when open) on federal public lands within the Ahtna Territory.
Community hunts, under both state and federal subsistence regulations, recognize community patterns of customary and traditional use that differ from individual or household patterns of use. Participants in a community harvest system pool their individual household bag limits into a community bag limit, where an individual participant can harvest more than an individual hunter’s bag limit in order to provide for the community’s needs. Since the 1980s, ADF&G Division of Subsistence research has demonstrated that on average 30% of a rural community’s households harvest 70% of the wild foods used by the community. The AITRC CHS serves to recognize this community pattern of use in federal subsistence hunting regulations.
Who can participate?
Do you qualify and are interested in becoming a participant?
Send Deanna@ahtnatribal.org an email or visit the office at Mile 187 Glenn Highway to register.
Participation is open to federally qualified subsistence users whose primary residence is within the U.S. Census Designated Places (CDPs) surrounding these communities: Cantwell, Mentasta, Chistochina, Gakona, Gulkana, Tazlina, Copper Center, and Chitina.
The CHS applies to Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) lands within the designated geographic area.
Registration through AITRC satisfies requirements for participation on BLM, NPS, and FWS lands, eliminating the need for participants to register separately with each federal agency. Participation in the CHS is voluntary and operates in full compliance with existing federal subsistence regulations (i.e. methods and means, seasons, and bag limits).
AITRC-administered Federal Subsistence Community Harvest System (CHS) – Any Bull Moose (FM1301)
Open only to federally qualified residents of the 8 Ahtna tribal communities: Cantwell, Chistochina, Chitina, Copper Center, Gakona, Gulkana, Mentasta Lake, and Tazlina within the respective US Census Designation Places surrounding each of these communities, as seen in the most current Community Harvest System Regulations Booklet.
The hunt applies only to federal public lands of Unit 11 and portions of Units 12 & 13. In some areas (e.g., Wrangell–Saint Elias National Park), eligible hunters must also meet specific customary and traditional criteria (C&T) to participate in the AITRC-administered hunt on certain federal public lands (e.g., federal C&T determinations, resident zone community requirements; see current AITRC Federal Subsistence Community Harvest System Regulations Booklet).
Participants must carry:
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State of Alaska hunting license
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AITRC CHS Registration Card & Harvest Report
Bag limits:
The CHS bag limit is the combined total of the individual bag limits of those who register as participants in the federal CHS. Participants may give their AITRC-administered harvest report to another federal CHS participant so that they might be able to take two moose instead of just the one they would otherwise be limited to take under an individual federal subsistence moose permit issued by BLM or NPS.
Reporting requirements:
Harvest reports are due back to AITRC within 5 days of take (or within 15 days of the end of the season if unsuccessful).
In early 2020, AITRC submitted Special Action Request WSA20-02, seeking a temporary federal community hunt for moose and caribou in GMUs 11 and 13.
2020
2018
In late 2018, AITRC submitted a Special Action Request and draft community harvest framework proposing eligibility limited to Ahtna Tribal citizens. The Office of Subsistence Management (OSM) determined that this approach was inconsistent with the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), which requires inclusion of all federally qualified rural residents of the named communities. Following this determination, AITRC continued to advocate for MOA implementation and requested that DOI initiate rulemaking to allow for Tribal wildlife management authority.
2016
In 2016, the Department of Interior and AITRC membership entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that allows AITRC to cooperatively manage wildlife on Federal lands within the Ahtna Traditional Use Territory.
Since time immemorial Ahtna people have stewarded these lands
12,000+
years ago
Since 2017, AITRC has worked with the Alaska Federal Subsistence Management program to develop a community harvest system for moose in Unit 11 and for moose and caribou in Units 12 and 13. This system allows AITRC to manage the community harvest system by registering federally qualified rural residents of the 8 Ahtna tribal communities, where individual federal bag limits can be pooled for the benefit of participants.
2017
Portions of Unit 12 within the Ahtna Traditional Use Territory were added the permanent regulations by action of the Federal Subsistence Board on April 13, 2022.
2022
2021
On January 27, 2021, the Federal Subsistence Board adopted and approved a community harvest system for moose and caribou for the eight Ahtna villages as outlined in that agreement.
Present
History of CHS.
AITRC continues to administer the CHS