Can people still practice traditional subsistence?
Birch bark is used to smoke salmon for a particular flavor a the Robert Standifer, Jr. fish camp along Beshta Bay southwest of Tyonek.
NPS/Karen Gaul
Lake Clark National Park & Preserve was created in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), which also provided for continued subsistence use of the park by local residents. Today many people continue to use the area's rich resources in a traditional way. ANILCA stipulates that all rural people may continue subsistence practices on federal lands, including the park and preserve. Subsistence Resource Councils made up of local residents advises National Park Service staff on policy development and implementation. The National Park Service coordinates with other agencies and Regional Advisory Councils from across the state in federal subsistence management. 
Salmon fishing and processing is a family event. Local residents use methods that promote conservation and prohibit waste. FWS Photo The Kvichak Watershed Subsistence Salmon Fishery Ethnographic Study (Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Bristol Bay Native Association, National Park Service) documented the fishing strategies of four families within the Park's Resident Zone Communities. The communities shared information about the environmental and economic circumstances that factor into their subsistence. Also, the significance of salmon to their Cultural Values, Social Obligations, and Commitments to Community and Culture. View the Poster Presentation or Download the Technical Report... |
Did You Know?
As recently as the 1960s, dog team travel was still the best way to get around Lake Clark country in the winter. Snowmobiles are more common now, but many people still keep sled dogs.