Skip to main content

Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency that manages Alaska's public lands and natural resources. It oversees mining, oil and gas leasing, forestry, parks, agriculture and water rights across Alaska's state-owned lands.

Have a story about Alaska Department of Natural Resources? Send a tip

TrendingNewTimelineMost Read

June 2026

Hilcorp, ENSTAR seek leases for three Cook Inlet gas storage sites

Hilcorp and ENSTAR filed three applications to convert depleted Cook Inlet gas fields into storage facilities, a move the state says is critical as the inlet's aging reserves decline and supply reliability becomes a concern for Southcentral Alaska.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Alaska

ConocoPhillips seeks North Slope road upgrades for Willow haul

ConocoPhillips filed an amended permit Friday to upgrade a North Slope gravel road for hauling Willow oil project modules, expanding the easement footprint by 1.6 acres. Public comment closes June 30.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: ConocoPhillips seeks North Slope road upgrades for Willow haul

Alaska proposes timber harvest in all Haines State Forest areas

Alaska's Division of Forestry proposes opening all 286,000 acres of Haines State Forest to timber sales to enable carbon-offset projects, despite 78 percent opposition from a local survey.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska proposes timber harvest in all Haines State Forest areas

Haines State Forest draft opens timber harvest in habitat areas

Alaska's Division of Forestry released a draft plan allowing timber harvest in Haines State Forest wildlife habitat and recreation areas for the first time since 2002, with public comments due by June 5.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Haines State Forest draft opens timber harvest in habitat areas

Alaska suspends burn permits in Mat-Su, Kenai, Tok, Delta

Alaska suspended burn permits in Mat-Su, Kenai, Tok, and Delta from June 1-4 due to hot, dry, windy conditions that sparked multiple fires from escaped debris burns and unattended campfires.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Alaska suspends burn permits in Mat-Su, Kenai, Tok, Delta

DNR approves North Slope easement for Hilcorp drilling expansion

Alaska DNR approved a 71.91-acre easement amendment Monday allowing Hilcorp to drill new wells from its North Slope onshore pad through existing leases to reach offshore oil reserves in the Beaufort Sea, with drilling to begin this month.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read

ConocoPhillips files amended Meltwater easement application

ConocoPhillips filed an amended application to renew a state easement for surface access to Meltwater infrastructure on the North Slope, with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources accepting public comment through its Permitting Section.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: ConocoPhillips files amended Meltwater easement application

Alaska Earth Sciences ask DNR for fuel cache permit in western Alaska Range

Alaska Earth Sciences seeks a permit to place 11 fuel caches in the western Alaska Range this summer, storing up to 55 gallons of jet fuel at each site. Public comments are due June 3 to DNR.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Alaska Range1
Cover image for article: Alaska Earth Sciences ask DNR for fuel cache permit in western Alaska Range

Alaska fire agencies open 11 wildfire investigations in four days

Alaska fire agencies opened investigations at 11 wildfire locations between June 1 and June 4, spanning the Kenai Peninsula to Interior and Western Alaska, as the National Weather Service issued Red Flag warnings for critical fire weather conditions.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska fire agencies open 11 wildfire investigations in four days

Red Flag Warning covers Southwest Alaska through Wednesday

Red Flag Warning covers Southwest Alaska through Wednesday evening due to warm, dry, windy conditions that could spread fires rapidly. Residents must avoid open burning and spark-producing work like chainsaws and lawnmowers.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Red Flag Warning covers Southwest Alaska through Wednesday

Mat-Su, Kenai burn permits suspended as fire activity surges

Alaska Division of Forestry suspended burn permits across Mat-Su and Kenai-Kodiak starting Monday, June 1, after a surge in human-caused fires sparked by escaped debris burns and unattended campfires during hot, dry, windy conditions.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Mat-Su, Kenai burn permits suspended as fire activity surges

ConocoPhillips is widening the last gravel road before Willow's modules hit ice

The Willow project takes another step forward

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: ConocoPhillips is widening the last gravel road before Willow's modules hit ice

Boyle files to challenge Holland in high-turnout South Anchorage House Seat.

South Anchorage comes out to vote. Holland and Boyle have until November to make their case.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Boyle files to challenge Holland in high-turnout South Anchorage House Seat.

May 2026

AIDEA releases $50M credit line for Cook Inlet gas drilling

AIDEA released the first draw from a $50 million credit line to HEX Cook Inlet LLC in May to drill two offshore gas wells, part of a broader state push including a royalty rate cut to 3% and pending legislation to support Cook Inlet production.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: AIDEA releases $50M credit line for Cook Inlet gas drilling

DNR advances Graphite One drilling permit near Nome

Graphite One, one step closer

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: DNR advances Graphite One drilling permit near Nome

Four new gold mining operations proposed near Central and Chicken

Four mining companies applied for permits to operate placer mines on Crooked Creek and Ptarmigan Creek near Central and Chicken, continuing gold extraction in a region that has supported Interior Alaska communities since the early 1900s.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Four new gold mining operations proposed near Central and Chicken

About Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Photo by BLM Alaska, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0

dnr.alaska.gov ↗Alaska

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the State of Alaska agency that manages state lands and natural resources. Its divisions oversee oil and gas, mining, land and water, forestry, parks and agriculture.

DNR holds oil and gas lease sales, approves drilling and seismic surveys, permits mines and sells rock and gravel. It grants leases and easements, decides land transfers to the University of Alaska, the North Slope Borough and AIDEA, and plans timber harvests in state forests.

Its land decisions draw review from the Legislature, and disputes over leases reach the Alaska Supreme Court. DNR works alongside sister agencies such as the Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Transportation, which buys material from state pits.

More from Alaska Department of Natural Resources

DNR opens public comment on Greens Creek Mine reclamation plan renewal

Alaska's Department of Natural Resources opened public comment on Greens Creek Mine's plan to close and restore the underground mine on Admiralty Island near Juneau, governing how tailings and waste rock will be managed after mining ends.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read

DNR lifts moratorium on Nushagak Bay shore fishery lease applications

Alaska lifted a three year moratorium on commercial salmon fishing leases along Nushagak Bay's east shore, reopening applications from June 1 to October 15 each year.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: DNR lifts moratorium on Nushagak Bay shore fishery lease applications

DNR grants 4.55-acre public easement through state land in Trapper Creek

Alaska DNR approved a public easement across state land in Trapper Creek, giving landowner Troy Church legal road and utility access to his property while keeping the half-mile corridor open to the general public.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom
Cover image for article: DNR grants 4.55-acre public easement through state land in Trapper Creek

Chugach Electric wins easement for power line at Community Park Loop

Chugach Electric won an easement from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority to realign a power line at Community Park Loop in Anchorage.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Chugach Electric wins easement for power line at Community Park Loop

Tanana Chiefs warns Dalton corridor transfer threatens subsistence lands

Interior Alaska tribes warn a 1.4 million-acre Dalton corridor land transfer to state control could threaten subsistence rights, as state management rules differ from federal protections.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks, Alaska
Cover image for article: Tanana Chiefs warns Dalton corridor transfer threatens subsistence lands

Alaska eyes $3B carbon revenue from 600,000 burned acres

Alaska plans to earn over $3 billion by replanting 600,000 burned acres as carbon offsets over 20 years. • Work requires 5,000 tree planters yearly plus nurseries and equipment, creating seasonal jobs. • Carbon market collapsed in 2024 but is recovering, with oversupply ending in 18 to 24 months.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Alaska eyes $3B carbon revenue from 600,000 burned acres

Alaska, Forest Service sign 20-year shared stewardship timber deal

Alaska and Forest Service signed a 20-year timber deal to jointly manage federal lands and boost restoration work. • State aims to harvest young growth forests in Southeast Alaska for 400 to 500 million board feet annually. • Current harvest is only 100 to 120 million board feet per year, down from nearly a billion three decades ago.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska, Forest Service sign 20-year shared stewardship timber deal

Alaska raises wildfire alert as dry grass fuels 63 early-season fires

Alaska raised wildfire alert to Level 2 as 63 early-season fires burn 368 acres in dry grass. • Most fires are human-caused in Interior Alaska where snow melted but plants haven't greened. • Smokeyjumpers deployed to Sawmill Creek Fire near Delta Junction after campfire start. • Agency urges caution and debris clearing as fire season starts earlier due to climate change.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska raises wildfire alert as dry grass fuels 63 early-season fires

House Finance adds feral cat spay-neuter provisions to invasive species bill

House Finance added feral cat spay-neuter provisions to an invasive species bill in a 9-2 vote, delaying the cat management rules until 2028.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Juneau, Alaska
Cover image for article: House Finance adds feral cat spay-neuter provisions to invasive species bill

DNR receives 24 placer mining applications for Interior Alaska gold districts

Alaska's Department of Natural Resources is reviewing 24 placer mining applications for Interior gold districts, part of the typical 100 to 200 statewide applications the agency processes each year.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago3 min read

State to use fish pesticide in Sucker Lake to kill invasive pike

Alaska will treat two lobes of Sucker Lake with rotenone in August 2026 to kill invasive northern pike that threaten salmon and trout across Southcentral Alaska.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Palmer, Alaska

Senate panel debates gas pipeline tax structure in 26th hearing

Senate panel debated tax rates for Alaska LNG Monday, with focus on where gas gets taxed and how the state collects revenue under a proposed volumetric system.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Juneau, Alaska
Cover image for article: Senate panel debates gas pipeline tax structure in 26th hearing

House panel advances bill to fast-track utility easements in state parks

Alaska House panel advanced a bill to let utilities replace aging power lines in state parks, but lawmakers worry the law could open parks to large new projects.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Juneau, Alaska
Cover image for article: House panel advances bill to fast-track utility easements in state parks

Interior transfers 1.4 million acres in Dalton corridor to Alaska

Interior transferred 1.4 million acres along the Dalton Corridor to Alaska, completing 96% of the state's statehood land entitlement, though some Alaska Native tribes have sued over the selections.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews6mo ago2 min read

House panel holds wildfire evacuation bill over cost, scope concerns

House panel held a wildfire evacuation bill over concerns that maintaining roads and airports in fire-prone areas could cost over $100 million statewide.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Juneau
Cover image for article: House panel holds wildfire evacuation bill over cost, scope concerns

April 2026

Alaska moves to standardize wildfire evacuation alerts statewide

Alaska is moving to standardize wildfire evacuation alerts statewide using a three-tier Ready, Set, Go system after confusion during the 2022 Clear Fire left residents uncertain about danger zones.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska moves to standardize wildfire evacuation alerts statewide

Senate Finance Advances Agricultural Leasing Reform After Farmer Cites $9,000 Annual Fee

Senate Finance advanced a bill to let farmers lease state land at agricultural rates instead of development prices, after a Homer farmer's annual fee jumped from $1,000 to $9,000.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Senate Finance
Cover image for article: Senate Finance Advances Agricultural Leasing Reform After Farmer Cites $9,000 Annual Fee

Senate Resources advances three bills on agriculture, evacuations, invasive species

Senate Resources advanced three bills Friday: one speeds up agricultural land leases for farmers, one standardizes evacuation color codes statewide, and one creates an invasive species council to coordinate control efforts. • All three passed without objection.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Senate Resources
Cover image for article: Senate Resources advances three bills on agriculture, evacuations, invasive species

Senate Panel Questions DNR Commissioner Nominee on Gas Development

Senate committee pressed DNR nominee John Crowther on Cook Inlet gas supply and oil royalty disputes as he seeks confirmation to lead Alaska's resource department.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 7mo ago2 min read
Alaska