U.S. District Court instructs review of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge border

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - Another land dispute between Alaska and the U.S. government has reached the court system.

The state of Alaska argues that the western border of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) was incorrectly surveyed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Specifically, the state alleges the boundary for the area was set at the Canning River when the refuge was created.

However, the state says the BLM in 2016 mapped the boundary at the Staines River, miles west of the Canning, withholding 20 thousand acres from the state of Alaska.

The matter reached the U.S. District Court, which instructs the Department of the Interior Board of Land Appeals to consider maps from 1951 to find the proper boundary.

The court had previously ruled in favor of the BLM in 2020, before Alaska asked for a review in March 2022.

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