GOV. PALIN SIGNS BILL RETURNING EAGLE RIVER LAND TO EKLUTNA

20 May, 2009 by doug

Saturday, Aug 25, 2007
Railroad transfers culturally significant land to village corporation
The Alaska Railroad transferred a long-disputed 48-acre parcel of land near Eagle River, Alaska, commonly known as the Eklutna Quarry, to Eklutna Inc. The hills that comprise the quarry have historic and cultural significance to the area's Dena'ina Athabascan people

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin signed Senate Bill No. 103 at Eklutna Inc. headquarters on July 18, completing the transfer. The governor mentioned that this was a historic moment for the Dena'ina, and that she was pleased to be a part of transferring the quarry land. Alaska law requires any full conveyance of railroad land to be approved by the Alaska Legislature.

Also present at the signing were Michael Curry, Eklutna Inc. chairman and president; Pat Gamble, Alaska Railroad president and chief executive officer; and Alaska legislators who were instrumental in passing the bill.

The Eklutna Quarry site was originally homesteaded and then held by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The Alaska Railroad received the land from the BIA in 1955, having already been authorized to develop a rock quarry at the site in 1944. Eklutna Inc. claimed the land under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). The Alaska Railroad continued to mine the quarry until 1987, when the Native Village of Eklutna took legal action to protect the site.

The bill allows the Alaska Railroad to remove $2 million worth of previously mined and stockpiled quarry material. Eklutna Inc. will receive the surface rights to the quarry, with CIRI receiving the subsurface rights, in accordance with the provisions of ANCSA.