Click link below for full press release:

NPFMC Takes Limited Step on Chum Salmon Bycatch, Ignores Tribal Knowledge and Urgent Calls for Meaningful Limits

About:

Association of Village Council Presidents: Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is a regional non-profit tribal consortium comprising 56 federally recognized tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. AVCP’s region is approximately 55,000 square miles, with a population of 27,000 residing in 48 communities along the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Bering Sea coast. The residents of the region are primarily Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan. AVCP is dedicated to supporting the interests of its member tribes, including through community development, education, social services, culturally relevant programs, and advocacy. AVCP promotes self-determination and protection and enhancement of cultural and traditional values. As part of its mission, AVCP has long been committed to advocating for the protection of the Bering Sea and its resources.

Bethel, Alaska — In the wake of catastrophic damage caused by the remnants of Typhoon Halong, the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) has formally requested President Donald J. Trump to declare a national emergency and deploy immediate federal assistance to Western Alaska.

Representing 56 tribes across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AVCP reports widespread devastation, including entire communities flooded, homes destroyed, power outages, and families stranded. While Governor Mike Dunleavy has issued a state disaster declaration, AVCP emphasizes that the scale of the crisis demands urgent federal intervention.

In a letter submitted to the White House on October 12, AVCP urged the President to:

• Declare a national emergency;
• Deploy federal aid and personnel to the region;
• Establish a Western Alaska Response Center in Bethel;
• Fund public safety officers in every village;
• Invest in permanent federal infrastructure in the Arctic.

“Western Alaska needs your intervention immediately,” said Vivian Korthuis, AVCP CEO. “we are ready to work with you to support our communities. We urge you to declare a national emergency. Send federal aid. Help us protect lives and rebuild our communities and our future.”

AVCP stands ready to partner with federal agencies to implement solutions outlined in its 2024 Public Safety White Paper and ensure no Alaskan is left behind.

Click link below to see letter sent to President Trump on October 12, 2025:

AVCP Typhoon Halong’s Disaster Declaration Letter to President Trump

Click link for Press Release:

AVCP Urges President Trump to Declare National Emergency for Western Alaska

About:

Association of Village Council Presidents: Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is a regional non-profit tribal consortium comprising 56 federally recognized tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. AVCP’s region is approximately 55,000 square miles, with a population of 27,000 residing in 48 communities along the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Bering Sea coast. The residents of the region are primarily Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan. AVCP is dedicated to supporting the interests of its member tribes, including through community development, education, social services, culturally relevant programs, and advocacy. AVCP promotes self-determination and protection and enhancement of cultural and traditional values. As part of its mission, AVCP has long been committed to advocating for the protection of the Bering Sea and its resources.

Bethel, Alaska — The Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is calling on Governor Mike Dunleavy to expand the disaster declaration statewide and expedite emergency response efforts following the devastating October West Coast Storm and Typhoon Halong.

While AVCP appreciates the initial and expanded declarations, the storm’s impact, hurricane-force winds, record floods, and widespread destruction demands broader action. Entire villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta have suffered severe damage, with homes destroyed and residents missing.

AVCP has activated its Bethel-based Control Center and is coordinating with tribal governments to assess needs and deliver aid. The organization urges deployment of mobile response units, establishment of shelters, fuel and generator support, and other services.

AVCP also calls on Alaska’s Congressional Delegation to support federal coordination and long-term recovery funding.

“We are doing all we can to support our communities,” said Vivian Korthuis, AVCP CEO. “We urge state and federal partners to join us in ensuring no Alaskan is left behind.”

Click link below to see letter sent to Governor Mike Dunleavy on October 12, 2025.

AVCP Typhoon Halong’s Disaster Declaration Letter to Dunleavy

Click link for Press Release:

AVCP Disaster Declaration Typhoon Halong Dunleavy

About:

Association of Village Council Presidents: Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is a regional non-profit tribal consortium comprising 56 federally recognized tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. AVCP’s region is approximately 55,000 square miles, with a population of 27,000 residing in 48 communities along the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Bering Sea coast. The residents of the region are primarily Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan. AVCP is dedicated to supporting the interests of its member tribes, including through community development, education, social services, culturally relevant programs, and advocacy. AVCP promotes self-determination and protection and enhancement of cultural and traditional values. As part of its mission, AVCP has long been committed to advocating for the protection of the Bering Sea and its resources.

Bethel, Alaska — As the remnants of Typhoon Halong continue to batter the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta with hurricane-force winds and catastrophic coastal flooding, the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) stands in unwavering solidarity with our communities across the region.

This storm, described by the National Weather Service as potentially the strongest to strike Alaska’s west coast since Typhoon Merbok in 2022, has already caused significant damage in Kipnuk, Kwigillingok, and Napakiak. Reports confirm that homes have been displaced, infrastructure compromised, and residents are in urgent need of assistance[1].  We are continuing to receive updates from other communities and will continue to monitor.

Click link below for full press release:

AVCP Statement – Typhoon Halong’s Impact on Y-K Delta Region

About:

Association of Village Council Presidents: Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is a regional non-profit tribal consortium comprising 56 federally recognized tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. AVCP’s region is approximately 55,000 square miles, with a population of 27,000 residing in 48 communities along the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Bering Sea coast. The residents of the region are primarily Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan. AVCP is dedicated to supporting the interests of its member tribes, including through community development, education, social services, culturally relevant programs, and advocacy. AVCP promotes self-determination and protection and enhancement of cultural and traditional values. As part of its mission, AVCP has long been committed to advocating for the protection of the Bering Sea and its resources.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

08/13/2024 – Deadline for receipt of Solicitation of Acknowledgement Form in Section IV.
08/20/2024 – Deadline for questions, comments
09/13/2024 – Submission Deadline. RFP closes, no proposals accepted after this time

Proposals must be received by 4:00 PM AST, Friday – September 13, 2024

See link below for full details.

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:3e90c875-4ffb-44c2-af5f-d423de44af55

April 26, 2024

For More Information, contact:

Dendra Chavez                                                                                          Bob McNaney

Phone number: (907) 903-4195                                                                 Phone number: (651) 249 -7718

Email: dlchavez@avcp.org or Communications@avcp.org                       Email: bob@themcnaneygroup.com

The Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) continues to oppose the continued development of the Donlin Mine project

Bethel, Alaska- The Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) continues to oppose the continued development of the Donlin Mine project and recognizes the impact that a project like this would have on the destruction of natural resources. AVCP is disappointed by the Alaska Congressional delegation’s unanimous support for the project in an ongoing lawsuit.

The Orutsararmiut Native Council et al v. United States Army Corps of Engineers et al., lawsuit was filed earlier this year by several Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Tribal Governments who are seeking to undo Donlin Mine’s federal environmental approvals and permits to protect subsistence rights and the natural resources of the region.

Click Link below for full story:

https://tinyurl.com/ydez4f9v

About:

Association of Village Council Presidents: Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is a regional non-profit tribal consortium comprising 56 federally recognized tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. AVCP’s region is approximately 55,000 square miles, with a population of 27,000 residing in 48 communities along the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Bering Sea coast. The residents of the region are primarily Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan. AVCP is dedicated to supporting the interests of its member tribes, including through community development, education, social services, culturally relevant programs, and advocacy. AVCP promotes self-determination and protection and enhancement of cultural and traditional values. As part of its mission, AVCP has long been committed to advocating for the protection of the Bering Sea and its resources.

April 6, 2024

For More Information, contact:

Dendra Chavez                                                                                                  Bob McNaney

Phone number: (907) 903-4195                                                                 Phone number: (651) 249 -7718

Email: dlchavez@avcp.org   or Communications@avcp.org       Email: bob@themcnaneygroup.com

AVCP Calls for Innovative Thinking to Fight the Ongoing Salmon Crisis

Anchorage, Alaska- The Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) leadership brought powerful testimony to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) meeting today to bring attention to the dire salmon crisis which is impacting thousands of Native Alaskans.

This crisis has reached an historic level impacting the physical well-being, cultural well-being, and rights of Natives. In a show of unity, AVCP ‘s Chief Executive Officer Vivian Korthuis jointly testified with Brian Ridley, Chairman and Chief of Tanana Chiefs Conference and Melanie Bahnke, Chief Executive Officer of Kawerak.

Click Link below for full story:

https://tinyurl.com/ydez4f9v

About:

Association of Village Council Presidents: Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is a regional non-profit tribal consortium comprising 56 federally recognized tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. AVCP’s region is approximately 55,000 square miles, with a population of 27,000 residing in 48 communities along the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Bering Sea coast. The residents of the region are primarily Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan. AVCP is dedicated to supporting the interests of its member tribes, including through community development, education, social services, culturally relevant programs, and advocacy. AVCP promotes self-determination and protection and enhancement of cultural and traditional values. As part of its mission, AVCP has long been committed to advocating for the protection of the Bering Sea and its resources.

AVCP Calls for Innovative Thinking to Fight the Ongoing Salmon Crisis

Anchorage, Alaska- The Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) leadership brought powerful testimony to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) meeting to bring attention to the dire salmon crisis which is impacting thousands of Native Alaskans.

The AVCP Subsistence Committee members were joined by AVCP Chair Thaddeus Tikiun Jr.  and AVCP Chief Executive Officer Vivian Korthuis. The testimony included:

Julia Dorris

“I cannot imagine a life without salmon in my smoke house and in my freezer. We used to live at our fish camps all summer, now we are luck if we are fishing for a month.

Gas prices and food prices are so high right now. We depend more on fish and moose for our food like our ancestors have done before us. The fishing industry came and negatively impacted our way of life and the food we eat.

Sometimes I feel like aI speaking to deaf ears. We travel from our small villages and testify pleading for our fish, then return home and continue to be regulated. That cycle has to stop. Listen to us, help us so we all have fish forever.”

Martin Andrew

“We use subsistence fishing to connect with our families and our elders. The story is much more than that. It is a story of our families, communities, our togetherness, our resilience.

We depend on our salmon for our native communities. For our cultural identity, and well-being and our food security. Costs of living are high in rural Alaska. We rely on the water and land for our survival.

For generations we have been stewards and protectors of our natural resources.

The priority should be to reduce or eliminate bycatch and protect salmon.

We are not asking for anything more and less than for what a human being needs for survival. We are asking for the right to protect our food sources and to do the best we can within our control to preserve and rebuild stock.

As a council you have a responsibility to us and our communities. You were entrusted with listening to us and to help us protect our food sources.”

Christina Changsak

“We haven’t fished for 4 or 5 years and that is hurting all of us subsistence ushers who rely on the land.

We gather by the seasons and it in our freezers to support our families. This has been our tradition for years and I would like to pass this down to my children and grandchildren.

We live in a community which has no road system, so everything comes in by plane and if the weather is bad the local stores run out. We rely on subsistence.”

Ray Oney

“We are not in support of any one alternative, more goals and objectives are needed to rebuild the chinook and chum stocks in the AYK region.

Native communities have relied on the subsistence way of life for generations. We follow the seasons.

The salmon shortage is a dire situation-a crisis which is threatening who we are as a people. Salmon is a main source of sharing in our culture as well.”

We are asking to protect out food sources and protect our food source.”

Joseph Joseph

“Growing up at our fish camp, our parents limited our subsistence catches just enough to sustain us through the winter. Now, there are no such subsistence activities in the Yukon River.

The by-catch reports are just numbers, they do not take a full look at the full picture.”

Thaddeus Tikiun, Jr.

“It is up to you all sitting at the table to make the right decision something that is fair for all the users. Sometimes I feel like the only time I am recognized is during my three minutes at hearings like this.”

At some point someone must make a call. We have sacrificed along the rivers allowing and conserving salmon voluntarily to let salmon pass to the spawning grounds.

We, the subsistence users bear the burden in the use of all natural resources. and we have to fight both the state and federal authorities just to subsists.”

Vivian Korthuis

Our communities rely on the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers and the Bering Sea for food.  Salmon is our way of life. We are Salmon people.  It is our cultural identity.

Right now, our cultural identity is under attack. Our subsistence way of life is being questioned. We will not sit silently and watch this happen.

The situation is dire.  In my opinion, we are witnessing a humanitarian crisis in our own State of Alaska.

This crisis is not fast acting like a war, but a slow elimination of not only people and unique indigenous cultures, but a whole ecosystem that supports salmon on the North American Continent.

We are asking that you make transformative decisions to help our communities-just as the Council should help any other stakeholder that comes before you.

In our review of the report, we did not see engagement with our communities. I did not see conversations with our Elders and Tribes.

I did not see use of our Indigenous Knowledge to help support or defer any alternative presented. This cannot continue.

My ask is that the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council meet and come to Bethel to hear directly from our tribes and communities about the Salmon Crash including the EIS.

Change needs to happen. The status quo cannot be continued. Our communities are suffering and hungry, our resources are wasted, and our cultural identity is dying.

As a Council, please do not ignore what you hear from even the smallest of villages.  I am asking that you take everything we are saying into consideration when you make your decisions.

In closing, our villages in the AYK region are experiencing a devastating salmon crash.  It has touched every household and every family in our region.

Spring Breaking Up is just a month away.  This time of the year is when we start preparing to put salmon away for food. Are we going to see another fishing season with not enough salmon?”

April 4, 2024

AVCP Applauds Governor’s Appointment to Board of Fisheries

Bethel, Alaska- The Association of Village Council Presidents’ (AVCP’s) Executive Board and AVCP’s leadership are pleased with Governor Mike Dunleavy’s appointment of Curtis Chamberlain and reappointment of Marit Carlson-Van Dort to the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

The appointments come as Western Alaska continues to endure an unprecedented salmon crisis which is creating extraordinary hardship for the Native communities who depend on salmon for their physical, and cultural well-being.

Click Link below for full story:

https://tinyurl.com/ydez4f9v

About:

Association of Village Council Presidents: Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is a regional non-profit tribal consortium comprising 56 federally recognized tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. AVCP’s region is approximately 55,000 square miles, with a population of 27,000 residing in 48 communities along the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Bering Sea coast. The residents of the region are primarily Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan. AVCP is dedicated to supporting the interests of its member tribes, including through community development, education, social services, culturally relevant programs, and advocacy. AVCP promotes self-determination and protection and enhancement of cultural and traditional values. As part of its mission, AVCP has long been committed to advocating for the protection of the Bering Sea and its resources.

April 1, 2024

Association of Village Council Presidents and Allies Win Federal Court Case Which Protects Subsistence Fishing Rights.

The Federal District Court for the District of Alaska has ruled in favor of the United States, the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP), and our allies, rejecting the State of Alaska’s attack on federally protected subsistence rights and has issued a permanent prohibition ordering the State of Alaska from repeating its recent unlawful actions on the Kuskokwim River.

Click Link below for full story:

https://tinyurl.com/ydez4f9v

About:

Association of Village Council Presidents: Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is a regional non-profit tribal consortium comprising 56 federally recognized tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. AVCP’s region is approximately 55,000 square miles, with a population of 27,000 residing in 48 communities along the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Bering Sea coast. The residents of the region are primarily Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan. AVCP is dedicated to supporting the interests of its member tribes, including through community development, education, social services, culturally relevant programs, and advocacy. AVCP promotes self-determination and protection and enhancement of cultural and traditional values. As part of its mission, AVCP has long been committed to advocating for the protection of the Bering Sea and its resources.