When the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was passed on December 2, 1980, the lands contained within Alaska's National Wildlife Refuges (refuges) increased from 22,022,683 acres to almost 100 million acres. Approximately 77 million acres are owned by the United States, while the remaining 23 million acres are owned, or will be owned, by Alaska Natives, the State of Alaska, or private parties.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which manages Alaska's refuges, has been mandated by Congress to identify lands with important wildlife habitats for possible acquisition. This required that detailed maps be produced that would identify all of the land owners within the refuge boundaries.
The Division of Realty (Realty) within the FWS realized that the traditional methods of manual cartography would not efficiently depict the intricate land ownership patterns within the refuges. It was decided to implement a Geographic Information System (GIS) using a powerful software called ArcInfo, which has extensive database capabilities.
Beginning in August 1989, the Division has been digitizing all of the small parcels (down to .001 acre) within townships inside refuge boundaries. Using Master Title Plats, which are produced manually by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), land status has been "automated" within 8 of the 16 refuges thus far.
This report was written to document and detail the processes necessary to automate land status on a township level. The evolution of refuge mapping that led to Realty's land status GIS is documented in the Appendix.
The Realty GIS is a model for other agencies (such as BLM) that can be used for automating land status for all of Alaska.
This report was written to describe the step-by-step process of automating the land status within the National Wildlife Refuges (refuges) in Alaska. The evolution of refuge mapping in Alaska that led to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) land status Geographic Information System (GIS) is documented in the Appendix.
This report is intended for the future FWS Division of Realty (Realty) Cartographers for orientation and reference purposes. It is also written for the benefit of mapping departments within other federal agencies in Alaska that have not yet developed their own automated land status system. It is the authors hope that this report will encourage these federal agencies to adopt this methodology used to build the FWS GIS.
The author has used a variety of historical documents as well as ArcInfo manuals in the preparation of this report. Oral communications with FWS Cartographers and Computer Programmers were also used. A complete listing of these sources is provided in the references section.
This report was intended to document and detail the general processes necessary to automate land status on a township level. The methodology described is specific to land status patterns in Alaska. This paper presents one way of creating a land status GIS. The process used by Realty may not be appropriate for agencies outside Alaska or other FWS regions because of the difference in priorities and/or land status. There are many ways of creating a GIS. This paper presents just one of them.
The Realty GIS is in a continual state of evolution. The processes described in this report reflect the most current methods used by Realty. Realty continues to revise, refine, and in some cases rewrite the ArcInfo programs used to execute the various actions. Individual computer programs written to more efficiently execute the variety of ArcInfo commands required to complete a particular step are not included in this report.
The Region 7 (Alaska has been designated Region # 7 of the FWS) Realty GIS uses ArcInfo and PC ARC/INFO software to automate the land ownership patterns within Alaska's refuges. ArcInfo is a GIS used to automate, manipulate, analyze, and display geographic data in digital form.
Realty is currently using ten work stations, eight of which are manufactured by "SUN". The other two are of the "Compuadd" and "Opus" brands. These work stations are used by either a cartographer or a biologist. To run ArcInfo Version 6.1 in a UNIX environment, a minimum of 16 megabytes of random access memory is required per hard drive. All of the combined Realty hard drives equals approximately 16 gigabytes of storage space.
By using GIS, different layers of information, such as land status on one layer, refuge boundaries on another, or hydrography on another, can be entered into the computer system and combined in a variety of ways. The different combinations are limited only by the layers available and imagination. The task of inputting the different layers is arduous but worthwhile for the versatility obtained.
FWS computer programmers as well as cartographers have written a variety of programs to more efficiently execute the ArcInfo commands necessary to complete a particular action. Simple Macro Language (SML) is the programming tool used to tailor the PC ARC/INFO interface. Similarly, ARC Macro Language (AML) is the programming tool used to tailor the ArcInfo interface. Programmers use SML on the PC and AML on other platforms to set ArcInfo start-up parameters. The AML's and SML's combine multiple actions and develop applications and application-specific user interfaces.
The Realty GIS currently consists of primarily three layers within our ArcInfo data base:
Other layers Realty is currently building or intends to build in the future include:
The following is a step-by-step description of the processes used by the Realty cartographers to automate the land status within a particular refuge.
The question of "which refuge ?" is determined largely by the Realty Biologists who are aware of critical wildlife habitats that are possibly endangered or threatened by human development (see Appendix). Once the refuge has been identified, the Realty cartographer can proceed with the first step.
STEP #1: Digitize the Refuge Boundary
This process is described in further detail in the Realty document "Refuge Boundary Digitizing Procedures".
After all of the refuge boundary segments on each ITM are digitized, the resulting refuge boundary "coverage" is complete. The refuge boundary coverage will be used in a later stage along with the land status and biological layers.
This is done by reviewing the refuge land status mylars (see Appendix). Those townships with shade patterns can be assumed to have land status, some of which might need to be digitized. It is recommended, however, to review all of the Master Title Plats associated with the particular refuge to ensure that all townships with status are identified. Master Title Plats
The land status layer is dependent upon the interpretation of the BLM land status records, specifically the Master Title Plat (MTP).
An MTP depicts land ownership and selection patterns within a township (36 square miles). The MTP is at a scale of one inch equals 1,980 feet, and are on a single matte mylar base. They are regularly updated by cartographers within the Title and Land Status Section (T&LS) of BLM based on decisions handed down from the BLM Land Law Examiners/Adjudicators.
Most townships in Alaska are "unsurveyed", meaning that while some section corners might be monumented on the ground, most are not. Also, any hydrography shown on an unsurveyed MTP is "protracted", meaning that any water reflected is based on the QMQ's, which were not field checked.
When a township is "rectangularly surveyed" by the BLM Division of Cadastral Survey, section corners in two mile increments are monumented, and the correct hydrography is determined using the latest available high altitude color infrared photography. Any small parcel surveys (United States Surveys or USS) within the township are "tied" to the section lines and the photo-interpreted hydrography.
The Realty office has a copy of every MTP that corresponds to every township within a refuge. The MTP's are in microfiche form, or "aperture cards" that reflect the latest land status as updated on the original MTP mylar at BLM. Using a "reader/printer" machine, the cartographer uses the aperture cards to make a paper copy duplicate of the MTP. Although some scale distortion occurs during the printing process, ArcInfo makes adjustments at a later stage.
Once a township has been identified for digitization of land status, coordinates must be assigned to register the MTP. Barry Dearborn, a former BLM computer programmer, who currently works for FWS, wrote a program using FORTRAN that calculates the required coordinates. Using the latitude and longitude of the four outer corners of the township, the program produces a five to seven digit "tic" number for each corner based on the Albers Equal Area Conic (Albers) projection of the earth. The program then mathematically projects the 36 section grid for a total of 49 tic numbers: one tic number for each section corner. This process is known as "tiling". The first three to five digits identify the township, and the last two digits identify the section.
The projections of the four exterior township corners and the section grid are then made into ArcInfo coverages using the BUILD command. The coverages are then used to generate a "tic template" for the township.
Thus, the cartographer assigns the four outer corners of the MTP their respective tic number using the township tic template. In addition, four interior section corners are also identified for registration. These four corners are chosen based on where the highest density of land status (small parcels) occurs on the MTP.
Where land status is very dense and congested with a lot of parcels in one or more sections, T&LS will supplement the MTP with an additional plat. The tic numbers that correspond to the section corners of these "supplemental plats" must be utilized, in that the supplemental plat itself will be digitized.
A fundamental understanding of land status as depicted on the BLM MTP is required to accurately complete this step.
Basically, the cartographer digitizes all of the small parcels (less than 640 acres in size). In fact, any land status that doesn't completely cover a full 640 acre section must be digitized. This would include any land selected or conveyed that could be described using aliquot parts (eg. Section 24: S 1/2). Similarly, when water bodies divide a section on a surveyed township, the shorelines need to be digitized.
The only land status that does NOT need to be digitized are selected or conveyed lands that encompass entire sections (those not divided by surveyed hydrography). This is because a program was written that adds "section level land status" as a separate layer unique from the "digitized" layer (see STEP #12).
Once the cartographer has identified the land status that needs to be digitized, the actual digitizing can begin.
After taping the MTP paper copy to the digitizing tablet, the cartographer enters the ARCEDIT environment and initializes the "&run parcel" SML. The SML asks the cartographer to identify the township by the 5 digit index number (adding D1 at the end), and then instructs him/her to register all 8 of the corners by their respective tic numbers.
Once registered, the ARCEDIT command ADD is used to digitize the land
status "polygons". All polygons begin with a "node", and the arc that
extends from the node is traced from the lines as depicted on the MTP.
The digitizing "puck" cross-hairs are positioned at the center of the
thicker land status lines. Any straight lines depicted on the MTP are
added using just the ends of the line; any status lines intersecting
this continuous line are added later using the SPLIT command.
If the particular township is surveyed and has a lot of hydrography, it is advisable to digitize from a paper copy of the rectangular survey plat of the township. This gives the cartographer the advantage of digitizing from shorelines that are absent of status lines, resulting in a possibly more accurate digital coverage. Rectangular survey plats also reflect any U.S.surveys existing at the time of the township survey. Any land status not shown on the rectangular survey plat can be added from the MTP.
Any small parcels (polygons) that extend into an adjoining township must also be extended into that particular township. That is, the arcs forming the polygon must be digitized beyond the township borders. ArcInfo will "clip" the polygon with the township template at a later stage.
When finished, the cartographer then plots a paper copy of the land status polygons digitized.
This step is accomplished using the SML "&run plot" in the ARCPLOT environment. The SML asks the cartographer the township identification number as well as the legal name of the township (eg. T. 30 N., R. 15E. - FM). All tics used to register the MTP, the digitized polygons, and the township legal name all appear on the resulting plot.
Realty uses a Hewlett Packard DraftPro and .25 or .35 size ink pens to plot the coverage. The resulting plot is then placed over the MTP or survey plat on a light table to check the plot for accuracy.
The MTP was digitized in "table inches" (1" on the MTP = 1" on the
digitizing tablet). The resulting coverage needs to be "transformed" so
that the tics are once again registered to the Albers projection. This
is called "rubber sheeting", whereby any distortion that occurs on the MTP
paper copy is corrected. Thus, the tics used to register the MTP, and the
polygons digitized to create the coverage are re-positioned to correspond
to where the tics exist in the ArcInfo database. This is accomplished
using the PROJECT command in the SML "&run trans". The cartographer
enters the name of the tic template (eg. F30N15E) and the digitized
coverage name (12345D1).
Once transformed, the digital coverage is made into an EXPORT file, and is ready to exit the PC ARC/INFO platform.
Normally, a cartographer will digitize, plot, and transform a number of
coverages before "sending them to the SUN". The transformed coverages are
made into export files and then combined into one batch file using the
Norton Editor. They are then electronically EXPORTed to an already
existing directory in the UNIX database. The name of the UNIX directory
corresponds to the subject refuge. The coverages are then IMPORTed,
making them ready for the next stages.
This is accomplished with the AML "Close_Poly". The cartographer selects the "Close Poly" option from a command option box. The digital land status "D1" coverage (digitized parcels) is displayed on the screen along with the township boundary. The township boundary at this point has "closed" all ofthose polygons that extend into an adjoining township using the CLIP command.
NOTE: Even if an MTP does not have parcels that extend into another township, Step #10 is performed on all "D1's" for the sake of consistency.
Using the computer mouse, the cartographer then selects the exterior township lines not needed to close the polygons for deletion. Once completed, the AML distinguishes the polygons form each other using a variety of color shades. This allows the cartographer another chance to verify that all of the relevant polygons are indeed being reflected in the digital coverage. The AML then CLEANs the coverage, which creates nodes at arc intersections and prepares the polygons for labeling of attributes (see STEP #11).
Once the D1 coverage has been clipped and cleaned, it becomes a "D2" coverage, and is ready for land status attributes.
The digitized polygon coverage must now be labeled or "attributed" with
the appropriate BLM designated land status serial number. This is
accomplished with the AML "label". The cartographer selects the "label
township" option from the command box. After the digitized polygons
appear on the screen, the cartographer then selects the individual polygon
targeted for labeling using cross-hairs controlled by a "mouse".
Serial Numbers
To interpret an MTP is to partially understand the methods used by the BLM to identify land ownership in Alaska.
Basically, a parcel of land, regardless of size or type of selection, is
assigned a serial number at the time the selection is formally made.
Generally, depending on where the required paperwork was filed and where
in the State the parcel is located determines the serial number assigned.
For example, if the paperwork was filed in Anchorage, the serial number
would begin with the letter "A" or "AA", followed by a 1 to 6 digit
number. Whether one or two "A's" were used depended on what year the
selection was made (the "AA" designation came into use during the State
and Native land selection years when all of the single "A" plus six digit
number possibilities were exhausted). Quite similarly, an "F" or "FF"
followed by a 1 to 6 digit number indicates that the paperwork was filed
in Fairbanks. Old serial numbers (before statehood) reflect the old land
offices in Juneau ("J"), Nome ("N"), and Sitka ("S").
The actual type of selection is also separated by group or "case type". This is also a 6 digit number that further distinguishes the type of selection made. For example, the Native allotment case type is a 256100, while a village selection is a 265101 or 265102. Assign Attributes
The serial number must be entered into the GIS exactly as it appears within the BLM land status database. This is accomplished by having a printout of the serial numbers from the BLM land status data base refuge window (see STEP #12). This is to accurately relate the serial number to the case type. This is critical to ensure that the land status is correctly color shaded when thefinal map is plotted.
Serial numbers used as attributes that do not correspond to a case type
number in the BLM land status data base are known as "zero" case types.
The appropriate case type number must be identified using a current BLM
case type list and then added to the Realty data base. This ensures that
the serial number will be correctly related to the type of land status it
represents. (See STEP #14)
Three separate AML's are used to accomplish this step. The first AML is "casefile_extract", which retrieves all of the land status records associated with the particular township from the BLM database (see below). The second AML, "create_twp_status", relates the land status records with the township grid coverages to create the section level land status layer. The third AML, "twp_status", displays the section level land status layer with the digitized layer for attribute editing. Development of the Section Level Land Status Layer
The section level land status layer became available when FWS acquired the BLM land status data base in 1989. Refuges in Alaska had already been identified by BLM and each refuge was assigned a "window". Each window contained a record of all townships within or intersecting the specific refuge. In this manner, all of the land status records within the BLM Alaska Automated Land Records System (AALRS) were brought over on computer tape to FWS, segregated by refuge window. These windows and their associated land status records were first stored in the FWS Data General MV 8000 computer. The records now reside in an INFO relational data base on the Realty UNIX system. The land status records are in a text file format that ArcInfo can read and relate.
In 1991, the BLM replaced their land status computer with a Prime. AALRS has evolved into the Land Information System (LIS). Using the Section Level Land Status Program
The section level land status AML uses ARC commands to retrieve the AALRS landstatus records from the BLM AALRS file for the specific township. The AML uses the ARC command RESELECT to create a separate land status coverage, which will eventually be merged with the digitized coverage. Both the section level land status coverage and the digitized coverage use the BLM-originated unique township index number as identifiers. Coverage names using these numbers are distinguished from each other by adding different alpha and numeric combinations (eg. 12345D1 = a digitized coverage; T12345_2 = a section level coverage).
It is not recommended to digitize along section lines to segregate section level land status. This is to prevent "slivers" from forming where section level land status inaccurately abuts with any section lines that were digitized. A sliver is formed when two separate lines (one digitized, the other generated programmatically) exist in a coverage where in reality only one line is needed. The lines formed by the section level land status program correspond to where the section corners really are. In contrast, there is an error factor involved when digitizing section lines from an MTP paper copy.
The twp_status AML gives the cartographer the option of having the polygon coverage clipped with the refuge boundary. If the refuge boundary indeed traverses the particular township, he/she answers "Yes". Those portions of the township, including any polygons that extend beyond the refuge boundary, are clipped with the boundary which was previously digitized from the USGS ITM's. The AML also asks the cartographer "Clip section level land status with refuge boundary?". The cartographer responds with the same "Yes" or "No" as was entered for the digitized coverage.
What appears on the screen are two coverages: the digitized polygons and the section land status. If the township is traversed by the refuge boundary, both coverages reflect the boundary "clip". Only one layer can be edited at a time. The digitized polygon layer is usually the first layer edited. The individual polygons are selected using the mouse-controlled cross-hairs, and the attributes that were entered during the labeling stage appear in a window at the bottom of the screen. This gives the cartographer the opportunity to correct/revise any of the attributes for the particular polygon.
When editing the section level land status layer, the cartographer
will usually use the "Select All" option in the command window. This
command allows the cartographer to select all of the individual
sections that are selected by or conveyed to a specific entity
(village, region, or State). In this manner, the sections involved are
edited or re-labeled at one time. The serial number (or numbers) are
entered, as well as the field (selected or conveyed) and whether it
involves the surface or subsurface, etc. The
current MTP date is
also entered.
An AALRS record that reflects a small parcel within a certain section can be "inactivated", assuming the small parcel was digitized directly from the MTP.
The cartographer then leaves the EDIT environment. The now edited D2 coverage becomes T12345_1.
All of the townships with land status must be periodically edited to reflect updates in land status. Only the twp_status AML is used when further updating the coverage.
The "merge" AML uses the INTERSECT command to create one coverage from the two separate land status layers. The AML combines the ARC coverages representing the digitized parcels (T12345_1) and the section level land status (T12345_2). The resulting merged coverage is identified as simply T12345.
The merge AML can be used with just one township (such as when updating a particular township coverage), or all of the townships within the entire refuge.
Completion of this step prepares the data to be joined with the other townships within the refuge.
This essential step allows the cartographer to review the land status attributes after the merge process. The merged coverage reflects both of the land status layers as a combined layer. The cartographer selects the polygons as well as the section level land status to ensure that the attribute labels are correct as entered.
It is also during this step that the cartographer reviews the entered serial numbers with the most current BLM case type list. This is to ensure that any "zero" case types are identified. A serial number that wasn't in the original BLM AALRS data base, or that is associated with an old case type number (a number that is no longer used by BLM) needs the corrected case type number added to the Realty data base.
At this stage, all of the merged coverages are ready to be joined together to form the unified refuge coverage, known as the "parcel" coverage. The "join" AML uses the MAPJOIN command to append the adjoining townships to each other. The AML also converts the Albers coordinates (relating to the merged coverages) to UTM coordinates (relating to the refuge boundary).
The "wrap" AML assigns codes to the attributes that were used to label the land status coverages. The AML then relates the BLM serial and case type numbers to each other and creates "attribute tables" for data retrieval purposes. This ensures that the AML used to produce the refuge map will retrieve the applicable information and color shade the land status accordingly (eg. red shade = all conveyed native allotments; green shade = all selected native allotments).
The "plot" AML uses the attribute tables created by the wrap AML. The wrap AML has already "pre-digested" the land status information, allowing the plot AML to report (graphically display) the desired plot layers.
Realty uses a Xerox Versatech 8944 model of electrostatic plotter to plot the refuge GIS maps.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 7 Division of Realty (Realty) has automated land ownership patterns within Alaska's wildlife refuges using ArcInfo software. This was done out of necessity to satisfy requirements of the Submerged lands Act of 1988 (see Appendix).
Realty has created a very detailed land status data base by digitizing directly from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Master Title Plats. In addition, Realty has used BLM land status serial numbers as attributes to identify the land ownership.
The Realty land status Geographic Information System (GIS) can be used as a model for the other federal agencies in Alaska (such as the BLM) that have not yet developed their own automated land status system.
Recommendations
1.) Realty needs to continue to build their land status GIS to include all 16 total refuges in Alaska.
2.) Realty needs to continue to develop additional GIS layers to more efficiently meet the mapping needs of the Region, such as:
3.) BLM (and other federal agencies in Alaska) should adopt the Realty GIS methodology as a way of automating land status on a statewide basis. This would save the federal government the money required to develop "from scratch" a BLM automated Master Title Plat.
Wildlife Refuges in Alaska Prior to 1980
On February 27, 1909, the first six wildlife "reservations" were created in Alaska. Five of them, named Bering Sea, Pribilof, St. Lazaria, Tuxedni, and Yukon Delta were reserved to provide "...protection of Native Birds", while Fire Island was designated a reserve "...for protection of Alaskan moose." During the next 71 years, a total of 16 wildlife refuges would be created in Alaska. Bering Sea, Pribilof, St. Lazaria, and Tuxedni are now part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. (Fire Island was revoked on March 26, 1921).
The Mapping of "Old Refuges"
The maps needed to illustrate these refuges were designed and drafted manually, not in Alaska, but in Washington, D.C. The first maps were basically drawings that depicted the basic shape of the refuge and gave the best estimate of its latitude and longitude.
Alaska's wildlife refuges were included within the boundaries of "Region 1" of the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (Bureau). The Bureau managed Alaska's refuges as well as refuges in all of the western United States. The Regional Office, located in Portland, Oregon, set about to more accurately mapthe far-off refuges in Alaska.
Using United States Geological Survey (USGS) maps at the scale of 1:250,000 (quarter million quadrangle or QMQ) for geographic "details," the Portland cartographers enlarged the scale to 1:63,360 (one inch = one mile or ITM). They then drafted the refuge and any wilderness boundaries on a mylar base for reproduction purposes. Included on these maps were township and range lines and more precise latitude and longitude figures. These maps were in use up until the early 1980's.
Wildlife Refuges in Alaska after 1980
In 1974, the Bureau became the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Alaska was still included within the vast boundaries of Region 1.
Meanwhile, many things were happening on a political level that would keep Alaskan cartographers busy revising maps for years. For example:
With the signing of ANILCA, President Jimmy Carter more than quadrupled the acreage contained within the refuges in Alaska. From approximately 22 million acres contained within 19 refuges, to almost 100 million acres consolidated into 16 refuges, the ANILCA made Alaska the State with the most refuge lands by far.
In 1979, in anticipation of the signing of ANILCA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to give Alaska its own Region to more effectively manage its wealth of refuge lands. Alaska was designated "Region 7", and the new Regional Office in Anchorage was provided with maps from the Washington, D.C. office (again!). These ANILCA refuge maps were simply modified black and white USGS 1:250,000 scale topographic maps (quarter million quadrangles or QMQ's), with refuge boundaries drafted on them. In addition, a light blue color shading was applied to depict the refuge lands. A darker blue color shading depicted the designated wilderness areas within the refuge boundaries. Many separate QMQ's were required to cover these refuge lands. In the case of the Alaska Maritime Refuge, it required 76 QMQ's to cover the distance from Barrow (in the north), out to Attu Island (at the western tip of the Aleutian Islands), down to Forrester Island (near Ketchikan).
Located within the boundaries of the 16 refuges are approximately 23 million acres of "inholdings". These inholdings consist of lands either selected by or already conveyed to:
The cartographers working within the Division of Realty (Realty) at the Regional Office were assigned the task of mapping these inholdings. It was decided to first splice together the QMQ ANILCA maps of each refuge. Using a 24 x 36 inch sheet of single-matte mylar as a base, the refuge boundary, townships, and major geographic/hydrographic features were traced onto the mylar. Using this method, several ANILCA refuge QMQ's could be shown on just a few 24 x 36 sheets. (Kodiak refuge, for example, was reduced from five ANILCA QMQ's to just one sheet.)
Next came the project of displaying the land status. The cartographers consulted the "Master Title Plats" (MTP's) which are produced manually by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The MTP's depict land status at the townshiplevel for all of Alaska. Using stick-on shading of various patterns, the refuge mylars now illustrated:
Due to the small scale, it was impossible to accurately show the size or shape of the small parcels. Consequently, a section size block (640 acres) was used. An empty circle in the middle of the block indicated a selected parcel existed somewhere in the particular section; a solid circle indicated the parcel had been conveyed.
As the BLM adjudicated selected lands, issued decisions of conveyance, and revised MTP's, the Realty cartographers would "update" the refuge mylars. A Diazo blueprint machine made "blueline" copies for general distribution.
Of particular concern to the FWS was that these 23 million acres of inholdings included some of the best wildlife habitat found in the refuges. Historically, Alaskan Natives inhabited areas of fish and wildlife concentrations, migration corridors, or areas with easy access to good hunting and fishing grounds. These areas were quite naturally the lands selected by the Natives for conveyance under ANCSA.
A quick look at a map of Alaska reveals two things: There is a lot of mountains, and a lot of water. Many of the lands selected by the Natives were covered with large lakes and rivers. Under ANCSA, a village can receive title to as much as 161,280 acres depending on the 1970 population census for the particular village. (However, a village can receive no more than 69,120 acres fom within a National Wildlife Refuge.) It was decided to exclude the largest lakes (50 acres or larger), and the largest rivers and streams (198 feet wide or wider), from the selected acreage total. Subtracting the largest water body acreage from the land acreage provides the villages the total acreage they are entitled to.
The Submerged Lands Act of 1988 required that these large water bodies be identified within the particular Conservation System Unit (CSU), be it a Refuge, National Park, National Forest, or National Recreation Area. The Act also required the Secretary of the Interior to set acquisition priorities for inholdings within the Alaskan CSU's.
Although the FWS has a national priority system, known as the Land Acquisition Priority System (LAPS), the large number of inholdings within Alaskan refuges made LAPS inefficient as a means of ranking resource values.
As stated earlier, the scale of the Realty land status mylars does not depict the size or shape of the small parcels. Nor do the mylars identify Native village or region lands by their respective names. Identifying ownership patterns is critical in establishing resource protection and acquisition priorities.
It was decided to computer-automate the resource and land status information and develop a Geographic Information System (GIS).
The Realty biologists developed the Alaska Priority System (APS) in order to assess acquisition priorities. The biologists assign a numerical value to each wildlife species population density. The GIS model then numerically ranks the acquisition priority levels.
APS is dependent on the automated land status end of the GIS for mapping the refuge inholdings and the associated acquisition priorities.
In April of 1989, four Realty cartographers began digitizing the land status of the Yukon Delta refuge. Containing over 26 million acres, it is the largest refuge in the entire wildlife refuge system. It also contains 56 active villages within its boundaries, all of which are entitled to lands under ANCSA.
In August of that same year, after five months of digitizing MTP's, it was decided to put Yukon Delta refuge "on hold" (Yukon Delta has over 600 townships with land status), and work on a smaller refuge to use as a "model". Kodiak was the first refuge completed, with Kenai following shortly after.
To date (1994), land status has been automated (to a degree) for 8 of the 16 total refuges in Alaska:
ALASKA LAND LAWS (in order of enactment)
- Bering Sea Reservation; Executive Order 1037. (February 27, 1909).
- Fire Island Moose Reserve; Executive Order 1038. (February 27, 1909).
- Tuxedni Reservation; Executive Order 1039. (February 27, 1909).
- Saint Lazaria Reservation; Executive Order 1040. (February 27, 1909).
- Yukon Delta Reservation; Executive Order 1041. (February 27, 1909).
- Pribilof Reservation; Executive Order 1044. (February 27, 1909).
- Alaska Statehood Act; Public Law 85-508 (72 Stat. 339) as amended July 7, 1958.
- Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; Public Law 92-203 (85 Stat. 688). December 18, 1971 and amendments 1973-1988.
- Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act; Public Law 96-487 (94 Stat. 2371). December 2, 1980 and amendment of August 16, 1988.
- Submerged Lands Act of 1988; Public Law 100-395 (102 Stat. 979). August 16, 1988.
ARC Command References. (May, 1992). Redlands, CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
ARCEDIT User's Guide. (1989). Redlands, CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
ArcInfo User's Guide. (1987, July). Redlands, CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
Jerry, Danielle G. (1993, December). Alaska Priority System. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
The following computer programmers wrote SML's and AML's for the development of the Realty GIS, 1989 - 1994:
The following cartographers have contributed to the Realty GIS data base, 1989 - 1994: