This agreement is to support alaska nannut CO-management council (ancc) in its base operations for the CO management of polar bears in alaska as well as implementing a CO management agreement…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Region 7, awarded a five-year cooperative agreement totaling $499,999 to the Alaska Nannut Co-Management Council (ANCC) under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance Program (CFDA 15.664), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2030. This agreement supports ANCC's base operations for polar bear co-management in Alaska, including maintenance of staff, procurement of legal counsel, arrangement of travel and logistics for co-management council meetings, and coordination of ANCC representation at domestic and international polar bear management forums. The agreement funds outreach activities and community relationship building initiatives essential to implementing a cooperative management framework between ANCC and USFWS.

The cooperative agreement specifically advances the finalization and implementation of a harvest management plan for polar bears in the Chukchi Sea through collaborative efforts between ANCC—a tribally owned non-profit representing 15 Alaska Native tribes engaged in subsistence polar bear harvest—and federal wildlife management agencies. Deliverables include establishing formal co-management agreements and supporting the operational infrastructure necessary for ANCC to serve as the primary interface between Alaska Native communities and federal wildlife agencies in polar bear conservation and sustainable resource management activities.

This agreement is to support alaska nannut CO-management council (ancc) in its base operations for the CO management of polar bears in alaska as well as implementing a CO management agreement between the ancc and U.S. Fish and wildlife service and finalization and implementation of a harvest management plan for the CO management of polar bears in the chukchi sea. This will involve maintaining staff for ancc and securing legal counsel as needed arranging travel and logistics for ancc meetings arranging ancc representation at both domestic and international meetings related to polar bear management and conducting outreach and building community relationships and further efforts related to the CO management agreement and draft chukchi sea polar bear harvest management plan.