Members of the Seward Peninsula Subsistence Regional Advisory Council (RAC) opened their January meeting in Nome with tributes to longtime council member Tom Gray, who passed away earlier this month in White Mountain. Gray served 21 years on the RAC and was remembered as a tireless advocate for subsistence rights and traditional knowledge.
“Mr. Gray didn’t do things halfway,” Gisela Chapa, Council Coordinator for the Office of Subsistence Management said. “He was a very driven person and motivated to affect change in the region and ultimately benefit subsistence users in the region.”
Roy Ashenfelter, who was born and raised in White Mountain, recalled Gray’s involvement with the region’s corporations and youth, like at his annual fish camp.
“He said of all the different things he was involved in, he really enjoyed teaching young kids our traditional way of cutting and hanging fish,” Ashenfelter said. “We’re all going to miss him, and miss that loud voice that no one could ever question.”
Martin Aukongak said growing up in a reindeer herding family, he held a deep respect and appreciation for Gray, who owned the Gray Reindeer Herd for nearly four decades.
“I think he wanted to bring back the way we live off our land and the water,” Aukongak said. “I don't think a piece of paper meant anything to him. He'd share all the food we gathered, and I appreciate Tom and like I said, I grew up with the family. He will be missed."
Federal review and Safari Club petition sparks concerns
Following a series of tributes to Gray, the RAC turned to federal matters affecting subsistence management in Alaska. Kara Moriarty, Senior Advisor for Alaska Affairs with the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, addressed the council regarding a federal review of its subsistence management policies announced in December.
“This review is not a formal rulemaking process,” Moriarty said. “No decisions have been made whether to make any changes at this time.”
The RAC meeting was held almost exactly one year after President Donald Trump’s first day in office, a day on which he signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to “immediately reverse the punitive restrictions” implemented by the Biden Administration.
She told the group the review includes potentially relocating the Office of Subsistence Management from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to the Office of the Secretary. Another hot-button area is potential changes to RAC membership criteria, which currently requires residence in the region a member seeks to represent.
Moriarty said the review would also look at the composition of the federal subsistence board, inconsistencies in state and federal regulations, special action regulations and procedures for rural determinations.
While the Department of the Interior is reviewing the program, Moriarty said the executive order signed by President Trump compels the agency to “consider the cultural significance of hunting and fishing in Alaska and the statutory priority for subsistence management”.
She also addressed a petition submitted by Safari Club International last May. In the petition, the Washington D.C. based organization called for an overhaul to federal subsistence management. It asserted that Alaska’s dual management system of state and federal regulators “obstructs the state’s wildlife management efforts” and is not what the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 “intended or requires”.
Moriarty said the petition remains pending and has not been acted on.
“I think there's also a misconception,” Moriarty said. “There was a question of whether the secretaries were going to just ‘rubber stamp’ the Safari Club petition. And I think my reaction to that would be, if that was the case, we probably would have done it by now, right?”
Moriarty also clarified that the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision not to hear a challenge to federal salmon management on the Kuskokwim River was unrelated to the Safari Club petition, though the timing has caused some confusion.
Comments affirm desire to maintain current system
Lisa Ellanna, speaking on behalf of regional tribal non-profit Kawerak, Inc., voiced strong opposition to any proposals that would reduce federal oversight or rural representation.
“Considering deferring to state law creates a constitutional question. And the secretaries need to consider that it's legally required for the federal government to maintain management of subsistence on federal lands and waters in Alaska,” Ellanna said. “The Safari Club’s request to defer to state regulations would be contrary to federal law and inconsistent with ANILCA’s mandate.”
Ellanna emphasized that more consultation with Alaska Native tribes and rural residents is needed before any recommendations can be made to federal leadership.
Council member Louie Green Jr said under the current system, proposals suggested by the RAC have been listened to and implemented, and sided with keeping things as-is.
“Our advice on this, mine is strongly to keep the federal RACs in place and the Federal Subsistence Board process in place. It protects the subsistence rights of Americans, Alaskans, Alaska Natives,” Green said.
Green pointed out that in 2024, the Federal Subsistence Board added three seats for tribal members.
“There are six Alaska Natives sitting there at the table and five agency seats. Now I'm just wondering if that didn't have something to do with what the Safari Club was trying to undo. But anyway, that's my comment.”
The public comment period for the federal subsistence review remains open through Feb. 13, 2026. Comments can be submitted online, emailed to subsistence@ios.doi.gov, or mailed or hand-delivered to the address below:
Office of the Secretary
U.S. Department of the Interior
4230 University Drive, Suite 300
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
