The following public notice has been issued by the Bureau of Land Management regarding submerged lands in the Goodnews River system. Local residents may submit comments by February 6, 2026.
Notice is hereby given that on November 2, 2017, the State of Alaska finalized an application with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a Recordable Disclaimer of Interest (RDI) pursuant to section 315 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1745), and the regulations in 43 CFR Subpart 1864, which authorize the BLM to issue an RDI. The BLM casefile for the RDI application is AKAK1 066571 11 / AKAA-93319.
The RDI application includes the eligible submerged lands for the following land descriptions:
- East Fork Arolik River, including Arolik Lake
- All submerged lands between the ordinary high-water lines of the left and right banks of the East Fork Arolik River, starting at the outlet of Arolik Lake within Section 24, Township 8 South, Range 70 West, Seward Meridian, downstream to the east boundary of Section 10, T. 8 S., R. 71 W., S.M.
- All submerged lands below the ordinary high-water line of Arolik Lake within Sections 23, 24, and 25, T. 8 S., R. 70 W., S.M., and Sections 19, 30, and 31, T. 8 S., R. 69 W., S.M.
- Arolik River
- All submerged lands between the ordinary high-water lines of the left and right banks of the Arolik River, within T. 7 S., R. 71 W., S.M.
The BLM is seeking additional information regarding the water bodies in the State’s RDI application. Examples of additional information include:
- Photographs or videos capturing boats being used on the waterbodies
- Historical or present-day use of diaries
- Specific verbal knowledge passed down through the region
- Information on the type of boat or watercraft used, and the time of year boats are or were used
- Hydrological data or photographs capturing waterbody characteristics such as depth, width, obstructions, or shallow stream sections
To view the Federal Register notice for this RDI application, please visit https://www.federalregister.gov/ (Search Term: 2026-00034).
Public comments may be submitted through February 6, 2026, by:
- Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Bettie Shelby, Acting Branch Chief, Lands and Realty, 222 W. 7th Avenue, Suite #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513
- Email: bshelby@blm.gov
- Hand-delivery: BLM Alaska Public Room, 222 W. 7th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99513, during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alaska Time)