Land transfer to Alaska Native corporation preserves stretch of Nome River

The Nome River and part of the Kougarok Road on the east side of Nome are seen in the fall of 2025. Land along the river acquired by The Conservation Fund has now been transmitted to the Sitnasuak Native Corporation for preservation. (Photo by Seth Adams/provided by The Conservation Fund)

By Yereth Rosen

Alaska Beacon

When the “three lucky Swedes” discovered gold at Anvil Creek in the Bering Strait region in September of 1898, they touched off a frenzy that transformed a once-peaceful corner of Alaska.

“Imagine a long stretch of sandy beach, piled high & in confusion with freight of all descriptions & tents men unloading barges & working for dear life all the time, then a main street with stores, saloons, dance halls & gambling dens, etc. on each side crowded with people & teams pushing, joshing & shoving, then you have a pretty good description of Nome,” one of those fortune-seekers, named Edwin, said in a June 11, 1900, letter sent to a sweetheart named Clara, as reproduced in the book Nome Gold by Kenneth Kutz.

More than a century later, a patchwork of lingering mining claims and private landholdings has been cleared away and land stretching 14 miles along the salmon-rich Nome River is now in the hands of a local Native corporation, which has pledged to protect it.

A deal transferred 1,700 acres along the river from The Conservation Fund, a national nonprofit devoted to preserving habitat, to the Sitnasuak Native Corporation, the Nome-based village Native corporation.

The Conservation Fund had purchased private parcels along the river over time, and its transfer to Sitnasuak includes an agreement to preserve the land as a conservation easement, as arranged with the Interior Alaska Land Trust, another nonprofit organization that preserves lands.

For Sitnasuak, the land acquisition is an investment in the future, the corporation’s chief executive officer said.

“We are very proud to take ownership of this precious piece of land. Adding this area to our SNC Land assets ensures it will be protected in perpetuity for future generations of our Alaska Native People,” Charles Fagerstrom, Sitnasuak’s CEO, said in a statement released by The Conservation Fund. “Safeguarding these waters, land and its resources holds tremendous value to our community, Shareholders and Descendants whose ancestors have thrived in this region for thousands of years.”

Putting the land into the Native corporation’s portfolio addresses problems that persisted for decades. Subsistence food gatherers faced barriers when trying to travel to and along the river because they had to cross through parcels of private land, and mining activities had caused long-term habitat degradation for the river, which holds salmon, grayling and habitat for various wildlife species.

A community celebration of the transfer is planned for later in the summer, the corporation said.

The Conservation Fund also characterized the transaction as a happy outcome.

“Sitnasuak and its shareholders are the best possible stewards of the river and surrounding lands. We are honored to partner with Sitnasuak and Interior Alaska Land Trust to preserve wild nature and access to subsistence resources,” said John Wros, Alaska state director at The Conservation Fund.

The Nome River project is among several that The Conservation Fund has completed throughout Alaska since the 1990s. Its projects have preserved over 400,000 acres of land and water. A recent project by the organization added 24 acres of privately held land known as Herring Pete’s Cove to Kachemak State Park.

The Nome River flows about 40 miles from the Kigluaik Mountains into Norton Sound. Its outflow into the sound is on the eastern edge of Nome.

The lower part of the river was most heavily mined in the years between 1900 and 1930, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Ditches dug to support mining operations are still visible, according to the department. The river’s habitat has healed over time, and it is now important to fish, birds and mammals, according to the department.

• Yereth Rosen came to Alaska in 1987 to work for the Anchorage Times. She has been reporting on Alaska news ever since, covering stories ranging from oil spills to sled-dog races. She has reported for Reuters, for the Alaska Dispatch News, for Arctic Today and for other organizations. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.