Applicants Sought for Non-Voting Young Leader Membership on Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils

From January 9 through February 16, 2025, the Federal Subsistence Board (Board) will be accepting letters of interest from young adults ages 18 to 25 to fill non-voting young leader seats on the 10 Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils (Councils). Non-voting young leader membership appointments are for 2-year terms. Each Council has one young leader seat open for the 2025 appointment cycle.

Letters of interest must answer two questions:
1. Why is subsistence important to you?
2. Why do you want to serve as a non-voting young leader member on a Council?

Applicants must also supply names and phone numbers of two references.

Young leader applicants must reside in the region represented by the Council to which they are applying. Additionally, the applicants must participate in subsistence activities, be knowledgeable in matters related to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife, or be engaged in a resource management-related field of study.
The Councils meet at least twice a year to provide recommendations to the Federal Subsistence Board on subsistence management issues. Council meetings serve as a forum for regional public involvement in Federal subsistence management.

The non-voting young leader seats were established in 2024 by the Secretary of the Interior, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Agriculture, following the Board’s recommendation to establish such seats. The Board wants younger subsistence users to gain firsthand experiences with the Federal subsistence regulatory process so that the new generation of leaders can better understand the complex proceedings and maximize the Councils’ effectiveness moving forward. The Board and the Councils encourage the next generation of leaders to become involved, especially given the substantial challenges that subsistence users across Alaska face. Youth representation on a Council will be beneficial in understanding the younger generation’s reliance on resources and would help predict future needs for subsistence users.

Individuals that are interested in applying for a young leader non-voting seat must submit a typed or handwritten letter of interest by midnight on February 16, 2025. Mailed letters must be postmarked on or before that date. The letters can be emailed to subsistence@ios.doi.gov or mailed or hand delivered to:

Federal Subsistence Board
Attn.: Katerina Wessels
c/o Office of Subsistence Management
1011 E. Tudor Road, M/S 121
Anchorage, Alaska 99503-6119

Additional information is available by contacting Katerina Wessels, Council Coordination Division Supervisor at the Office of Subsistence Management, at (800) 478-1456 or (907) 444-1376 or katerina_wessels@ios.doi.gov.

Information on the Federal Subsistence Management Program may be found on the web at www.doi.gov/subsistence or by visiting www.facebook.com/subsistencealaska.

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