AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE LAKE AND PENINSULA BOROUGH OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 2024 AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2025 (FY-25).
The Lake and Peninsula B ...
Ordinances no. 24-08, 24-09, 24-10, 24-11, 24-12 and 24-13
ORDINANCES APPROVING A M ...
Ordinance 24-14 re: Amending Title 6 for Federal Compliance
An Ordinance Amending Ti ...
Public Hearing on Ordinance 23-17 - 5 year lease to Veenhouwer
Public Hearing - Solicit CDBG Project Ideas
USDA Approves Major Anticipated Purchases of Alaska Sockeye Salmon
Alaska Seafood Marketing ...

News

Welcome to the Lake and Peninsula Borough News Page. Scroll down to read the news. Find out what’s going on around the region. Share news with your neighbors.

In the News Chignik Fisheries News Bristol Bay Fisheries News Public Notices

Public Hearing on Ordinance 24-07 re: FY25 Borough Budget

April 22, 2024

22 April

The Lake and Peninsula Borough Assembly will hold a public hearing to solicit comments on the above referenced ordinance on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 3:00 pm during a regular Assembly meeting at 911 W 8th Ave #101, Anchorage, AK. Interested members of the public are encouraged to attend and...

Public Hearing Ordinances no. 24-08, 24-09, 24-10, 24-11, 24-12 and 24-13

April 22, 2024

22 April

ORDINANCES APPROVING A MULTI-YEAR EXTENSION OF THE SERVICE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE BOROUGH AND LAMAR COTTEN, DEERSTONE CONSULTING, RACHEL DONKERSLOOT, HICKEY & ASSOCIATES, LLC., BOB LOEFFLER OF JADE NORTH, LLC, AND CHUCK McCALLUM

Public Hearing Ordinance 24-14 re: Amending Title 6 for Federal Compliance

April 22, 2024

22 April

An Ordinance Amending Title 6 of the Borough Code to Add Financial Procedures for Compliance with Federal Funding Requirements and Establish an Effective Date

Public Hearing on Ordinance 23-17 - 5 year lease to Veenhouwer

October 06, 2023

06 October

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

ORDINANCE NO. 23-17

AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE RENEWAL OF THE FIVE-YEAR LEASE OF REAL PROPERTY CONTAINING 1.0 ACRES MORE OR LESS TO JOHNNY VEENHOUWER FOR THE OPERATION OF A COMMERCIAL...

Public Hearing-CDBG Projects#1

October 06, 2023

06 October

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

CALL FOR PROJECTS FOR THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) APPLICATION FY2024

The Lake and Peninsula Borough Assembly will hold a public hearing to solicit...

USDA Approves Major Anticipated Purchases of Alaska Sockeye Salmon

May 08, 2023

08 May

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) is pleased to share the U.S Department of Agriculture’s recent approval of a purchase of up to $67.5 million of Alaska sockeye salmon products, with up to $37.5 million for canned and $30 million for frozen sockeye fillet portions.

Salmon Country

May 01, 2023

01 May

In rural Alaska, communities are coming together to protect a way of life that revolves around salmon

Supreme Court will consider major case on power of federal regulatory agencies

May 01, 2023

01 May

Nearly 40 years ago, in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, the Supreme Court ruled that courts should defer to a federal agency’s interpretation of an ambiguous statute as long as that interpretation is reasonable. On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to reconsider its ruling in Chevron.

Army Corps to reconsider Pebble Mine permit denial

April 27, 2023

27 April

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will review its 2020 permit denial of the Pebble Mine plan, potentially giving the project a longshot chance at survival.

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska: Cook Inlet: Public Hearing

April 26, 2023

26 April

AGENCY:

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice; public hearing.

SUMMARY:

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will...

Eastern Aleutian Salmon Fishery Debate moves to Alaska Senate

April 26, 2023

26 April

Western Alaska chum versus Eastern Aleutian sockeye: that’s how many people are framing an Alaska Senate bill that aims to temporarily close Area M, a fishery off the Alaska Peninsula and eastern Aleutian Islands.

USDA announces first-ever grants for Indigenous meat processing

April 21, 2023

21 April

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday it would – for the first time – offer grants for harvesting, processing and storing Indigenous meats such as bison, reindeer, moose, elk and salmon, offering a boost to tribes working to improve food sovereignty.

State of salmon is no rosy picture

April 20, 2023

20 April

As wild salmon stocks continue to struggle across Alaska, advances in research are creating a clearer picture of the many factors contributing to lower returns, lowers sizes and lower survivability.

Ordinance 23-05 Authorizing a 1 acre Lease to Steven Steffensen for a Set Net Operation

April 18, 2023

18 April

Ordinance 23-06 Authorizing a Five Year Lease to Hans Solie for a Commercial Set Net Operation

April 18, 2023

18 April

Ordinance 23-07 Authorizing a 13.38 acre Lease to Alex Foltz for a Commercial Lodge

April 18, 2023

18 April

Ordinance 23-09 Authorizing a Ten Year Lease to Thomas Fountain for a Commercial Set Net Operation

April 18, 2023

18 April

Ordinance 23-10 Adopting FY2024 Borough Budget

April 18, 2023

18 April

Fishery council moves toward more regulation to limit chum salmon bycatch but avoids firm cap

April 11, 2023

11 April

Responding to Western Alaska salmon disasters, a federal council agrees on concepts, leaving fisheries service to come up with details on future limits

Two Alaska Tribal Organizations Sue the Federal Government to Protect Subsistence Fishing as the Salmon Crisis Intensifies

April 10, 2023

10 April

Lawsuit takes aim at outdated studies and seeks to reexamine groundfish catch limits due to sweeping ecosystem changes.

ECONOMY & ENVIRONMENT JUSTICE Alaska tribal groups sue federal fisheries managers, seeking action on salmon crisis

April 10, 2023

10 April

If the lawsuit succeeds, it could mean new restrictions for Bering Sea pollock and cod trawlers

In unprecedented move, federal council takes no action on Cook Inlet plan

April 08, 2023

08 April

A federal council made the unprecedented decision to take no action on choosing a new fishing management plan for Cook Inlet commercial salmon fishing yesterday, after it said it was left with no good options on a tight, court-ordered timeline.

Run Forecasts and Harvest Projections for 2023 Alaska Salmon Fisheries and Review of the 2022 Season Published

April 05, 2023

05 April

Juneau) – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announces publication of the annual statewide salmon run forecast and commercial harvest projection report: Read More

ECONOMY & ENVIRONMENT ALASKA IN BRIEF Fishery expert says he is optimistic about long-term prospects for Bristol Bay sockeye salmon

March 29, 2023

29 March

The long-term outlook is bright for Bristol Bay sockeye runs, source of a thriving commercial fishery that has enjoyed record-breaking returns and harvests in recent years, a salmon expert told a conference last week.

‘Back to the Future’: Sustainability Summit keynote centers traditional knowledge as a way forward

March 27, 2023

27 March

At the Bristol Bay Sustainability Summit, keynote speaker Igiugig Village Council President AlexAnna Salmon made it clear that she doesn’t think the region’s way forward is a mystery.

“When you are of the people and of the culture, it's like, this is not a new concept. This is what we...

When Indigenous Rights, Conservation, and a Very Lucrative Fishery Collide

March 27, 2023

27 March

In the fast-changing Bering Sea, a small tribe makes a big push to save their island

No commercial Togiak sac roe herring fishery this spring, after years of a shrinking market

March 26, 2023

26 March

There will be no commercial Togiak sac roe herring fishery this spring. Fish processors have indicated they will not buy Togiak herring this season, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s outlook released March 20. It’s the first time there hasn’t been a commercial fishery there in...

SBA Loans Available to LPB

March 17, 2023

17 March

When a landslide blocked all road access to the community of Lowell Point, just south of Seward, last spring, it hit businesses hard. Now, the deadline is approaching for those businesses to apply for a loan from the Small Business Administration to help offset the economic impacts of the...

Board of Fish limits sockeye fishing to conserve Nushagak kings

March 14, 2023

14 March

The Board of Fisheries has approved an action plan to help conserve the Nushagak River’s king salmon runs, which have declined sharply in recent years even as huge sockeye returns to the district have broken records. The board voted unanimously to adopt a plan that curbs fishing time when larger...

Tustumena to make six Aleutian chain runs this summer

March 08, 2023

08 March

The M/V Tustumena is the only state ferry serving the Aleutian chain, and it will make six calls in Unalaska this summer — roughly once per month from May through September.

Governor Dunleavy Announces Bills to Pay Teachers Recruitment and Retention Incentive, Ensure Parental Rights in Schools

March 07, 2023

07 March

Alaska Governor proposes a bill to offer an incentive to provide full-time, certified classroom teachers a cash payment each July for a period of three years to encourage teachers to remain in Alaska for the entirety of the school year, thereby promoting continuity for Alaska's students and...

Alaska’s Fisheries Are Collapsing. This Congresswoman Is Taking on the Industry She Says Is to Blame.

March 03, 2023

03 March

Mary Peltola won her election by campaigning on a platform to save the state’s prized fisheries. A powerful fishing lobby is standing in her way.

Bristol Bay Superintendent Bill Hill reflects on remarkable journey at the school

February 08, 2023

08 February

Bristol Bay Borough School District Superintendent Bill Hill said leading the school system in his hometown for a decade came with pros and cons.

Minor mag. 2.7 earthquake - 4.8 mi east of Pedro Bay, Lake and Peninsula, Alaska, USA, on Sunday, Feb 5, 2023 at 3:02 am (GMT -9) - 7 weeks ago

February 05, 2023

05 February

Earthquake details

Date & timeFeb 5, 2023 12:02:59 UTC - 7 weeks agoLocal time at epicenterSunday, Feb 5, 2023 at 3:02 am (GMT -9)StatusConfirmedMagnitude2.7Depth180.6 kmEpicenter latitude / longitudeRead More

What’s next for Pebble mine, now that the federal government has taken extraordinary action to stop it?

February 02, 2023

02 February

But Pebble Limited, led by small Canadian mining company Northern Dynasty Minerals, has shown remarkable resilience for many years. The project has survived the loss of major mining partners and resistance from the presidential administrations of Democrat Barack Obama, Republican Donald Trump...

What does it take to be a Great Lakes commercial fishing deckhand or seafood processor?

January 03, 2023

03 January

The future of the Great Lakes commercial fishing industry depends on recruiting and retaining the next generation of commercial fishers and fish processors. Commercial fisheries and fish processors are a vibrant part of Great Lakes heritage and legacy, and continue to be important to the...

Bill Hill is named Alaska’s Superintendent of the Year for his work in the district he graduated from 35 years ago

October 25, 2022

25 October

“Bristol Bay Borough School District is super fortunate to have a high percentage of our own graduates working here,” he said. “I’d say 50% or greater of the people who work here graduated from Bristol Bay.”

Hill has worked as the school district’s superintendent since 2013....

Alert level raised following Semisopochnoi explosion

August 22, 2022

22 August

The Alaska Volcano Observatory reported that a short-lived explosion of the Semisophochnoi Volcano occurred Sunday afternoon at 1:47 p.m. Webcam images near the volcano show the plume of ash ejecting high into the sky, although satellite imagery showed no visible ash plume. As a result, the...

Listicle: The Murkowski earmarks proposed for Alaska

August 02, 2022

02 August

The Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee recently published the majority’s proposal for the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) appropriations bills. As a senior member of the Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, U.S. Senator Lisa...

Murkowski, Sullivan Announce Over $116 Million in Infrastructure Funding for High-Speed Internet in Alaska

July 28, 2022

28 July

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding over $116 million to improve high-speed internet access in numerous Alaska villages and communities. These grants were made possible by the bipartisan Infrastructure...

Surprise $60 million investment for Pebble

July 28, 2022

28 July

n a move that could help it push the Pebble project across the permitting finish line, Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. has entered into an agreement with an unnamed investor for US$60 million over the next two years in exchange for royalties from the gold and silver that would be recovered as a...

90K Alaska households are eligible for internet assistance - only 10K are taking advantage

July 21, 2022

21 July

White House touts a recently launched "one-stop" website to make signing up easier

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signs bill increasing rural power subsidy

July 21, 2022

21 July

Up to 82,000 rural Alaskans will see lower power bills because of legislation signed this month by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

OPINION: Research and education help renewable energy efforts for rural Alaska

July 21, 2022

21 July

How can we be sure that renewable energy realizes the benefits it promises to rural Arctic communities, especially as they face unprecedented and rapid environmental changes? One way is to take a holistic approach to renewable energy planning and be sure that it not only meets energy needs but...

Man missing after going out in a skiff on Lake Iliamna on Sunday

July 20, 2022

20 July

Alaska State Troopers are searching for a man who went missing while traveling across Lake Iliamna in a skiff Sunday evening.

Southwest Alaska wildfire sweeps through Pebble Mine site

July 07, 2022

07 July

A Southwest Alaska wildfire has burned through the site of a support camp for the Pebble Mine project as the state’s wildfire season remains on pace to be one of the worst on record.

Biologists puzzled at huge discrepancy between Port Moller Test Fishery data and actual run

July 07, 2022

07 July

Last week, there were several days of relatively low catches at the Port Moller Test Fishery. The test fishery reported the fourth consecutive day of low catch indices for this time of year on June 30.

Historic sailboat begins voyage to Naknek

July 07, 2022

07 July

For more than 60 years, sailboats dominated Bristol Bay’s commercial fishery. Motorized vessels were illegal. Then, in 1951, the federal government finally allowed motorized fishing vessels in Bristol Bay.

COVID case count increases in Bristol Bay

July 04, 2022

04 July

There has been a sharp uptick of COVID cases in Bristol Bay in mid-June. Between June 22 and 28, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services recorded 14 new cases in the Dillingham census area and 77 new cases in the Bristol Bay plus Lake and Peninsula boroughs. But Mary Swain, Executive...

Lime Complex June 29th Daily Update: Smoke continues to impact operations, firefighters implement protection measures ahead of Red Flag weather

June 29, 2022

29 June

The Lime Complex consists of eight staffed fires and ten unstaffed fires. The total size of the combined fires is 588,150 acres. There are 223 total resources assigned to the complex, including hand crews, fire modules, boats, aircraft and overhead personnel.

EPA extends comment period on watershed protections that would block Pebble Mine

June 29, 2022

29 June

The Environmental Protection Agency announced last week that it is extending its comment period for proposed restrictions on mining of the Pebble deposit. The comment period was originally set to end in July. Now, it will continue for two more months to September 6.

Float plane carrying seven people crashed in Lake Iliamna on Saturday

June 28, 2022

28 June

A float plane carrying seven people crashed in Lake Iliamna on Saturday evening, roughly a half mile from Kokhanok. Newhalen Lodge operated the plane, according to Alaska State Troopers.

EPA Announces Revised 404(c) Proposed Determination

June 26, 2022

26 June

EPA Region 10 published a Clean Water Act Section 404(c) Proposed Determination to prohibit and restrict the use of certain waters in the Bristol Bay watershed (South Fork Koktuli River, North Fork Koktuli River, and Upper Talarik Creek watersheds) as disposal sites for the discharge of dredged...

Nominations for Assembly & School Board Open

June 06, 2022

06 June

Lake and Peninsula Borough Assembly and School Board Nominations Open June 6, 2022.

Notice is hereby given that on October 4, 2022, the General Election of the Lake and Peninsula Borough will be held in accordance with AS 29.26.040, for the purpose of electing the following...

Fire Danger in LPB

June 06, 2022

06 June

FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE

FIRE DANGER IN LAKE AND PENINSULA BOROUGH

June 6, 2022

Dry weather and dry grass have produced extreme fire danger and potential for wildfires in all of Lake and Peninsula Borough. Residents, visitors, and workers...

There are too many pink salmon in the Pacific

June 03, 2022

03 June

Evidence is mounting that pink salmon, pumped by the billions into the North Pacific from fish hatcheries, are upending marine ecosystems. Climate change is making this worse.

13 Western Alaska tribal and fishing organizations ask Alaska Peninsula fishery to shut down to protect chum salmon

June 03, 2022

03 June

Thirteen organizations representing subsistence and commercial salmon fishermen in Western Alaska have signed a joint letter asking a fishery along the coast of the Alaska Peninsula to shut down during the month of June to prevent it from harvesting chum salmon bound for Western Alaska rivers....

Judge permits limited gillnet fishing for all Alaskans along Kuskokwim, for now

June 01, 2022

01 June

The judge sided with Alaska on whether, for the moment, all Alaskans will be allowed to take advantage of openings to fish on the river

Econ 919 - Divvying up Disaster Dollars

May 29, 2022

29 May

A $131.8 million package of federal relief funds is heading to Alaska fishermen and researchers to offset what are known as fishery disasters in the state.

Biden Administration Sues Alaska Over Opening of Fishing Areas Amid Shortages

May 28, 2022

28 May

When Fish numbers are low, who gets to continue to harvest fish in rural Alaska? Federal agencies say only local, rural residents. The state of Alaska says all Alaskans.

EPA Moves Once More to Protect Bristol Bay

May 25, 2022

25 May

The U.S. Environmental Protection agency has followed through on its promise of Clean Water Act protections for Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, issuing a revised proposal for public comment May 25.

The US has Spent More than $2 Billion on a Plan to Save Salmon. The Fish are Vanishing Anyway.

May 24, 2022

24 May

The U.S. government promised Native tribes in the Pacific Northwest that they could keep fishing as they’d always done. But instead of preserving wild salmon, it propped up a failing system of hatcheries. Now, that system is falling apart.

Opinion: It's time for bold action to protect our fisheries

May 19, 2022

19 May

It is hard to imagine life in the Great Land without Alaska’s healthy oceans. Our fisheries feed the world, sustain our unique cultures and communities, and underpin our state’s economy. That is why we need an effective plan to address ocean acidification and safeguard our fisheries for future...

A tasty tax benefit for processors

May 19, 2022

19 May

The Alaska legislative session has concluded, and among the bills that passed is a measure to revive and expand a lucrative tax credit for seafood processors.

Learning from Indigenous knowledge holders on the state and future of wild Pacific salmon

May 16, 2022

16 May

Pacific salmon are far more than just food for many Indigenous Peoples across the Pacific Rim. They are part of traditions that go back thousands of years, such as the First Salmon Ceremony — a celebration to welcome salmon back from their journey into the ocean, and to pay them respect.

Yukon River closed to harvest of salmon except by Federally qualified subsistence users

May 11, 2022

11 May

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) met in public by teleconference on May 4, 2022 and adopted Temporary Special Action FSA22-01 for conservation purposes. Specifically, the Board closed Federal public waters of the Yukon Northern Area to the harvest of Chinook, summer and fall Chum, and Coho...

The federal government will manage the Yukon River salmon fishery where the river passes through federal lands

May 06, 2022

06 May

The federal government will manage the Yukon River salmon fishery this summer where the river passes through federal lands. That action follows a decision released on May 6 by the Federal Subsistence Board.

Governor Dunleavy Demands Federal Recognition of State Owned Lands

April 26, 2022

26 April

April 26, 2022 (Anchorage) — Today, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy announced a lawsuit that asks the courts to recognize the State’s ownership to submerged lands within Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, an ownership granted at Statehood but not yet fully recognized by...

Chasing "The Blob", The Aftermath of a Marine Eco-Monster

April 15, 2022

15 April

The 1958 creature feature The Blob ends (spoiler alert for a movie older than Alaska statehood) with the titular monster frozen in its slimy tracks and airlifted to the North Pole, not dead but at least defeated. “As long as the Arctic stays cold,” quips Steve McQueen’s character. Well, about that….

Five People Survive Plane Crash Near Iliamna

March 06, 2022

06 March

A plane carrying five adults crashed about eight miles southwest of Iliamna around 1 p.m. on Saturday, according to a dispatch post from Alaska State Troopers.

While Chignik fishermen wait on 2018 relief funds, some look beyond the fishery to survive

February 15, 2022

15 February

Isabelle Ross from KDLG reports on the status of the fishermen from the disastrous fishery in Chignik.

While Chignik fishermen wait on 2018 relief funds, some look beyond the fishery to survive

February 14, 2022

14 February

Isabelle Ross from KDLG tells the story of fishermen from the disastrous Chignik fishery.

Development Permit for a New Store in Newhalen

February 01, 2022

01 February

The LPB Planning Commission approved a development permit for a new store on Tuesday, February 1, 2022.

8.2 Earthquake

The State of Alaska deployed an interagency damage assessment team of borough and state officials to the Alaska Peninsula Monday following the magnitude 8.2...

Murkowski