Bristol Bay Native Corporation: Enriching Native Way of Life

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - May 29, 2014 - PRLog -- One of 13 regional corporations created when the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was passed into a law in 1971 is the BBNC or the Bristol Bay Native Corporation. For a small refresher, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act or ANCSA was formally passed to uphold the intentions of Alaska natives to give them right and ownership to their lands. When oil was discovered in Alaskan regions, it was obvious that there will a lot of interest in its excavation and export. To extinguish the chaos and the different interests that will surely be drawn to the oil in this region, natives then made sure that all of their land will be rightfully named to them and their heirs.

As of this writing, BBNC has a total of 14 subsidiaries under its wing with specialties primarily on oil field, government services, construction, petrol distribution and administration. The BBNC was incorporated in 1972, June 13 with a total of 5,401 Alaska native enrolled as shareholders. Application to become shareholders ended on the same year, which means shareholder status is either passed on as a gift or by virtue of blood relations. This exclusivity was projected to keep Bristol Bay answering solely to Alaskan natives' interests. BBNC has its headquarters based in Anchorage. A total of 7,800 shareholders are enrolled in BBNC and they are of Aleut, Alutiiq and Dena'ine descent.

Aside from oil, one of the striking features of Alaskan land is the minerals hidden deep into the ground. Minerals such as gold, silver, molybdenum and calcium have been the center of interest of outside corporations regardless of the fact that should there be any interests served, it has to be that of the Alaskans first and foremost. However, given the many forces that infiltrates the system, a debate sparked whether an open pit mining in Bristol Bay should commence or not.

It is important to note and how great it is to see how the interests of the Alaskan natives supercedes any form of interest especially those that are outside the said agreement. Since an open pit mining is always a form of danger to the environment, the BBNC was quick to save the interests of countless Alaskan natives, whose form of livelihood is the sockeye salmon, which is abundant also in Bristol Bay.

An open pit mining not only causes pollution, damages and disasters on land, but also on water, which will greatly affect the robust sockeye salmon fisheries.

There are more jobs that can be provided by a land that is untouched and free from damage than an open pit mining that will only provide very finite opportunities to a select number of people.

For more news on BBNC, please visit their website at http://www.bbnc.net.