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AITRC in the Media
These media pieces showcase our collaborative research, community events, youth programs, and stewardship initiatives, helping share the voices and priorities of Ahtna communities more broadly.
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Media coverage reflects the strength of our partnerships and the importance of Tribal-led natural resource management. We appreciate the opportunity to share our work, elevate community perspectives, and contribute to conversations that shape the future of Alaska’s lands, waters, fish, and wildlife.
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Alaska Native leaders call for a unified management approach for subsistence resources
Alaska Press Media, October 2025
AITRC was featured in an Alaska Public Media / Alaska Desk news story about Alaska Native leaders calling for a unified management approach for subsistence resources. At the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage, Tribal representatives—including AITRC’s executive director—spoke alongside peers from across the state about strengthening Indigenous co-management of wildlife and fish and elevating Alaska Native voices in subsistence policy discussions.
Tribal Highlight: Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission Safeguards Salmon, Protects Cultural Lifeways
NAFWS shared our work on safeguarding Copper River salmon and protecting Ahtna cultural lifeways. This recognition lifts up the importance of tribally led research, stewardship, and the commitment of our staff, partners, and communities.
Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, August 2025
Community-led food security solutions in Alaska’s Copper River Valley
AITRC fosters food security and subsistence resilience in Copper River communities through preservation workshops and teleconferences, strengthening traditions and addressing climate challenges with support from the Inflation Reduction Act.
By Laura Vachula, November 2024
Monitoring airborne, freshwater, and marine contaminants in coastal Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
National Park Service, 2024
The National Park Service highlighted research conducted by AITRC within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve on its “Research in the Park” page. The feature recognizes AITRC’s role in collaborative wildlife and ecological research efforts, emphasizing Tribal-led science and partnerships that contribute to long-term stewardship and understanding of lands and wildlife within the Ahtna Territory.
In Alaska, Tribal Governments Push for Larger Conservation Role
Undark, June 2023
Undark Magazine published a feature story highlighting Alaska Tribal governments’ efforts to take on a larger role in conservation and resource management across the state. The article includes perspectives from the Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission and discusses how Tribal-led stewardship, co-management agreements, and traditional ecological knowledge are shaping conversations around wildlife, subsistence, and habitat conservation in Alaska.
Changing Ice in the Copper Basin
Copper River Record, 2022
Check out this article in the Copper River Record highlighting AITRC Anthropologist Odin Miller and a collaborative publication with Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve exploring changing ice conditions in the Copper Basin. The research combines local knowledge and scientific study to better understand how shifting snow and river ice patterns are affecting travel, access, and subsistence activities across the region.
Hair Snares “Trap” Grizzly Bears
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, May 2021
The Alaska Department of Fish & Game featured the collaborative carnivore study taking place in Game Management Unit 13, led in partnership with the Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission, Ahtna Inc., and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The article highlights how the project was inspired by an Ahtna Elder’s question: “Why would we sell permits for bear-baiting when we don’t know how many bears are on the land?” The study aims to better understand bear population numbers and distribution in GMU 13 to inform responsible management decisions and support science-based stewardship across the Ahtna Territory.
Interior and Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission Agree to Cooperative Wildlife Management Demonstration Project
U.S. Department of the Interior, November 2016
The U.S. Department of the Interior issued a press release highlighting how it and the Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission signed a cooperative wildlife management agreement to create the Ahtna Cooperative Management Demonstration Project. The release emphasized the historic nature of the agreement under Secretarial Order No. 3342 and described how it will support greater Tribal involvement in managing subsistence moose and caribou hunting and wildlife habitat within the Ahtna traditional territory.
Traditional Knowledge of Changes in Winter Conditions in Alaska’s Copper River Basin
Ahtna Inc., November, 2016
AITRC was featured in a Ahtna Inc. news release announcing the signing of the nation’s first cooperative management agreement under Secretarial Order No. 3342 with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The article highlights this historic partnership, which established the Ahtna Cooperative Management Demonstration Project and formalized Tribal–federal collaboration to co-manage subsistence wildlife resources within the Ahtna Territory.