Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the federal agency that manages public land across Alaska. It oversees oil and gas leasing, mining claims, wildland fire response, and backcountry recreation on federal land statewide. It also administers the trans-Alaska pipeline's federal right-of-way.
Photo by BLM, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
blm.gov ↗222 W 7th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99513, USA
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July 2026
Fairbanks water scoopers were on practice flight, not a new fire
Four water scoopers flew a practice mission over Fairbanks on Friday to keep pilots sharp, not to fight a new fire.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
BLM opens comment window on Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans land allotment data collection
BLM is taking public comment by August 17 on renewing approval to process Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans' land allotment claims affecting over 1,000 eligible veterans and heirs.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
BLM's Campbell Tract replanting job is open only to women-owned firms
Want to grow 1,710 plants to heal a retired Campbell Tract trail? You'll need a women-owned firm — it's a federal set-aside. Quotes due July 24.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Smokejumpers parachuted into a roadless village to save its solar array
A landfill fire jumped to the tundra and got within 100 yards of Selawik's solar array, so smokejumpers parachuted into the roadless village to save it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska is about to burn 54,000 acres on purpose, to grow more moose
Alaska plans to deliberately burn 54,000 acres of the Alphabet Hills this month to reset old spruce into the willow and birch moose need — a bet that pays off in 5 to 15 years.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Fire contained one mile from Trans-Alaska Pipeline near Livengood
A half-acre wildfire near Livengood stopped Saturday before reaching the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, one mile away, after smokejumpers and aircraft responded the same day.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
High water on Gulkana River forces raft party onto trail, triggers medical rescue
High water forced eight rafters off the Gulkana River on July 3, and one developed chest pains during the hike out, requiring a rescue helicopter to extract him to a hospital.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A new logjam on the Beaver Creek float wants your boat. Here's how to dodge it.
The 100-mile Beaver Creek float is pure Alaska wilderness — but a new debris-choked channel will grab your boat if you let it. Line or portage past it, BLM says.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska plans to burn the Alphabet Hills to grow more moose forage
Alaska plans to set the Alphabet Hills ablaze this July on purpose. Burning old black spruce regrows the willow and birch that moose, caribou, and hunters rely on.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
June 2026
Alaska opens 10 wildfire investigations in 24 hours
Alaska opened 10 wildfire investigations in 24 hours across the state, from the Kuskokwim to the Brooks Range, all under an acre and still under investigation.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A federal rule could stick Alaskans with abandoned-well cleanup costs
The BLM wants to slash the cleanup bonds oil companies post before drilling on federal land — raising the odds taxpayers, not operators, foot the bill for abandoned Alaska wells.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Jade Fire ignites near Kopshesut origin point, threatens Ambler landfill
You bought one fire was bad? How about two fires!
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Interior's First Big Smoke Event Drifts Toward Fairbanks
The season's first real smoke has arrived in the Interior, and the borough's advice is blunt: if it's hazy and smells like smoke, don't wait for the monitor's permission to head indoors.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Rain gives Canyon Fire crews window to protect Native allotments
The Canyon Fire near Rampart is at 409 acres. Crews are protecting a cabin 3 miles out — that's a hedge against the fire making a run.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Smokejumpers attack 75-acre lightning fire northeast of Fairbanks
Smokejumpers attacked a 75-acre lightning fire in tundra and black spruce 66 miles northeast of Fairbanks on Saturday morning.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Smokejumpers deploy to Star Fire near Eagle on Taylor Highway
Smokejumpers deployed to the Star Fire burning 5 to 8 acres near milepost 149 on the Taylor Highway south of Eagle, with 12 jumpers constructing fireline Thursday evening.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
About Bureau of Land Management
Photo by BLM, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0
blm.gov ↗222 W 7th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99513, USA
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the federal agency that manages public land across Alaska, with its Alaska State Office in Anchorage. It oversees oil and gas leasing, mining claims, rights of way including the trans-Alaska pipeline corridor, and recreation on federal land.
Much of its work turns on who holds Alaska's land. BLM conveys land to the state under the statehood entitlement and processes Native allotments, including claims by Alaska Native veterans of the Vietnam era, and disputes over land corridors and the ownership of submerged lands under navigable rivers recur. Leasing and permitting rules in the National Petroleum Reserve and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain raise recurring questions about subsistence protections and environmental review.
BLM manages recreation areas such as the White Mountains National Recreation Area, the Steese National Conservation Area, the Campbell Tract in Anchorage and the Beaver Creek float, setting seasonal rules for trails and access. It also takes part in wildland fire response on federal land, including smokejumper crews.
More from Bureau of Land Management
BLM closes Nome Creek road, trail for construction through August
BLM closes Nome Creek Road on weekdays through September and Nome Creek Trail from July 6 to August 31 for culvert replacement and stream restoration work, blocking the main summer access to White Mountains National Recreation Area near Fairbanks.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
The navigability question that's been simmering since Alaska statehood just got four more answers
The federal government has formally cleared its claim to submerged lands beneath four Alaska rivers and lakes, affirming state ownership in a dispute that has simmered since statehood and will likely take decades more to fully resolve.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
ANWR lease sale draws $3.74m in winning bids from AIDEA, Hex Energy
The Arctic Refuge lease sale brought in $3.7 million from two bidders, a modest showing compared with the recent NPR-A sale’s 11 companies and $163 million-plus in receipts.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
May 2026
Trump order on off-road vehicle rules could reshape Alaska federal-land access fights
Trump rescinded executive orders requiring federal agencies to minimize off-road vehicle damage to wildlife and soils, potentially reshaping access rules on Alaska's 60 percent federally owned lands.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
AIDEA approves $190 million for ANWR seismic surveys and lease evaluation
AIDEA approved up to $190 million on May 13 for seismic surveys and lease evaluation in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain ahead of a federal lease sale scheduled for June 2026.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom 
ANWR lease sale will test whether Alaska oil appetite reaches the Arctic Refuge
After eight years, two underwhelming sales, and one federal lawsuit, ANWR gets another go on June 5 — and the oil industry finally has to bid or stop being coy.
by Cale Green5mo ago4 min read
BLM Alaska to repatriate Native remains and cultural items under three federal notices
BLM is going to give some stuff back that they probably shouldn't have.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Aspect Holdings addresses $100B Alaska projection, contested Teshekpuk lease
Aspect Holdings won eight Alaska lease blocks projecting $100 billion in state revenue. • One contested block near Teshekpuk Lake faces a lawsuit from a Native organization. • Seven uncontested blocks expected to be finalized soon. • Company estimates 20 billion barrels of recoverable oil remain on North Slope.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews6mo ago2 min readApril 2026
Alaska mines release toxic metals into rivers, state data shows
Alaska's mines released over 450,000 pounds of mercury in 2018, the most in the nation, contaminating rivers that villages depend on for drinking water and subsistence fishing.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read