John Crawford
President

2008 proved to be a good year for Seldovia Native Association, Inc. in many aspects; our primary business, the Dimond Center Hotel LLC, had its best year since it began business. In addition the Seldovia Bay Ferry project, which we manage for the Seldovia Village Tribe, saw construction begin on the new KACHEMAK VOYAGER, an 83 foot catamaran that is planned to begin       operating from Seldovia in 2010. Our small business 8(a) subsidiary, Red Mountain LLC, has regrouped its efforts to secure government contracts, and has adopted a new business plan to strategically target opportunities in general contracting as well as in hospitality and maritime management.

While there are exciting opportunities ahead for Seldovia Native Association, Inc. we still have not received our final land entitlements promised under the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). Passed by Congress in 1971, ANCSA promised to grant 44 million acres of land in order to    settle long standing claims and to promote the economic and social well being of Alaska’s Native People. Nearly three and a half decades later, only 37 million acres of land have been conveyed.  SNAI has ANCSA entitlement rights to approximately 187,000 acres of land of which about 109,015 acres have been conveyed.  Nearly all of the SNAI lands conveyed to date are located in three geographic areas:  the Seldovia vicinity, and the Cresent River and Iniskin areas on the west side of Cook Inlet.  Additional land holdings held by SNA are located in nine separate parcels on the Kenai Peninisula.

As I reported to shareholders in last year’s annual report, we have yet to gain our conveyance of 65,909 acres remaining under section 12(b) of the Claims Settlement Act. In addition, we still seek conveyance of approximately 6000 acres of lands under section 12(a) remaining from our original selection.   These lands, along with those due to five other CIRI Village Corporations, actually have been conveyed to CIRI to hold for the Villages by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.  The CIRI Villages have met repeatedly over the past year in an effort to devise a process acceptable to all, for the purpose of choosing these lands.  Despite reaching agreement with 5 of the 6 affected CIRI Villages, we have been unable to agree on a unanimous   process.  The consequence of this is that CIRI has now filed action in federal court known as an “interpleader complaint” seeking an administrative judicial ruling to determine a binding process to bring about a conclusion to this impasse.  While we are troubled by the action taken by CIRI, we are determined to keep working with the other CIRI Villages to reach a fair resolution.

Seldovia Native Association, Inc. continues to play a leadership role in coordinating and conducting meetings of the affected CIRI Villages in efforts to gain our remaining conveyances.  Over the years, as President of SNAI, I along with longtime Director Fred H. Elvsaas, and the entire Board of Directors have committed to the Shareholders of SNAI our unrelenting efforts to achieve our full land entitlement. SNAI has a unique perspective that ties the lands, the resources and the environment to our very existence as a people and Corporation.  We value the land as the ultimate provider for our people as it represents our inheritance from our forbearers and our legacy to our descendants, and as such must be safeguarded and nurtured to support future generations.  As Seldovia Native Association, Inc. develops, we remain mindful of our stewardship commitment by striving to balance environmental protection, cultural integrity and profitability. You have my commitment that until we gain our full land entitlement we will continue to fight for what is rightfully ours; in order meet the expectations set by our culture and our ancestry.

 

 

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