FAIRBANKS, Alaska - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern Interior Field Office is considering a proposal to relinquish 700 acres of a federal land withdrawal currently administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) near Fox, Alaska. The BLM has scheduled a May 18 public scoping meeting to provide information and seek public input on the proposal.
On Oct. 18, 2016, NOAA filed a notice of intent to relinquish land designated as Parcel G, which is within an 8,855-acre federal land withdrawal under NOAA’s administration. The 709-acre parcel lies about three miles northeast of NOAA’s Fairbanks Command and Data Acquisition Station (also known as the Gilmore Creek Satellite Tracking Station) and adjacent to the Fort Knox Gold Mine. According to NOAA, this part of its land withdrawal is no longer needed to fulfill its mission. This land is a priority for acquisition by the state.
The BLM Eastern Interior Field Office is preparing an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to assess the relinquishment and determine whether the land is suitable for return to the public domain. The BLM seeks input from the public to identify current uses and issues within the parcel to aid in its determination. A BLM public comment period for the project started April 25 and has been extended through June 1. The public can learn more about the proposal and submit comments at a BLM public scoping meeting Thursday, May 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Steese Fire Department Station 62, 585 Steele Creek Road in Fairbanks.
To review the proposed relinquishment and submit comments, please visit the project website via BLM’s National NEPA register at https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office. Using an “Advanced Search," enter NEPA number: DOI-BLM-AK-F020-2017-0016-EA. Comments, questions, and information requests may also be submitted to the BLM Eastern Interior Field Office, Attn. Valerie Baxter, 222 University Avenue, Fairbanks, AK 99709; by email to vbaxter@blm.gov; and by phone at (907) 474-2363.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
