Letter to the Editor
Doyon land swap
Published Monday, February 25, 2008
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To the editor:
My corporation is about to do a land swap with U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Doyon Ltd. will give up 150,000 acres of land with full subsurface rights, which is prime wildlife habitat along the Yukon River. In return the USF&W will give 200,000 acres of rugged brush country, which is not navigable by water or road, 180 miles off the Yukon River. We will not have subsurface rights to all of this land.
Doyon’s supposed purpose of this swap is to have land to mine for oil development. There is no hard facts supporting any oil, and there is just as much chance of oil being under the habitat-rich land. The amount of land to be used for development is 1 percent of the 200,000 acres. If we wanted to do any development on the land, we would have to also sell 120,000 additional acres of prime habitat to USF&W and the price would be their call.
Why do we have to swap all of this subsistence-rich land for such a small amount of development land? This whole land swap is very much opposed by most Doyon shareholders, especially the Gwichin Athabascans in the Yukon flats where their subsistence land is being traded out for the Vegas odds of making money.
I believe that the government and the Doyon board members who are in support of this bogus land swap are the only ones who will benefit off this.
I believe that we, the Doyon shareholders who are opposed to this land swap, will need some sort of outside help to stop this land swap from happening. The Doyon board is not listening to the many that are in opposition, it’s as if the deal has already been done. The past meeting, like the one, which was held today on this matter, is just a stage for the forces that make this land swap look legitimate.
Community Discussion
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Yeah i also believe we are being $cr3w3d out of our land...for our subsistence living. The poor river i grew up on, the animals we lived off of, the peacefulness of the Yukon Flats will be no more
As a shareholder I don't think we have access to land subsurface rights, only the corporation has the rights
This land swap must be well thought out and extensive studies must be completed prior to any decisions being made with OUR LAND! All of us shareholders need to rise up and protect our land and the ways of life for the people and villages that will be impacted by this swap. These damn oil and gas companies could care less what happens to the land or the people when all is said and done. They are there to make as much money as quickly as possible and then they are out of there! And all the pollution and ruined ecosystems will be left to the people who depend on them staying healthy. Look to the North Slope to see how they treat that landscape before you make your decisions and watch the Board of Director's cuz something smells fishy to me!
In 1970s we the native people didn't know what land claims was all about and we gave up our rights to our land. Today the young people understand the English language and can interpet what they are being sold. We have been sorry for giving up our lands that many of us thought we were saving the land for the future only to find the people we trusted to tell us the truth deceived the native population. Now Doyon can swap our land as they please because we gave up the rights to our land.
I am proud of the people who are standing up to Doyon ltd. and U.S. Fish and Wildlife, you are the ones our parents and grandparents had hope in to help solve the problems the native people face today. Thank you.
This is such a serious issue and I hope that all Doyon shareholders are taking it seriously. For more information about down stream pollution (like the kind this type of development is sure to bring)...check out the follwoing article in the Seattle PI:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/3528...
No I would disagree with the land swap due to the fact that 5 years from now it might be said that we may not be able to access our land to hunt, fish, pick berries. We would lose the right to our own land.Im from Kaltag, AK i have no right to give Fort Yukon land away the people who reside there need to make that decision.
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