CIRI Lands

The Alaska Native people of the Cook Inlet Region have spent generations in accord with the land, growing with it, harvesting plants and animals from it, acting as its stewards. The land, with its abundant resources, is the reason CIRI exists today. With 529,500 acres of surface estate and 1.6 million acres of subsurface estate, CIRI is one of the largest private land owners in Southcentral Alaska. Its Shareholders, Descendants of those who benefited from and protected the region for hundreds of years, understand implicitly the importance of acting as responsible custodians of our lands and its resources. 

While CIRI was granted land selections through the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), the acreage offered included primarily mountainous, remote areas. CIRI’s early leadership fought for and negotiated the historic Cook Inlet Land Exchange, passed by Congress in 1976, which profoundly affected CIRI’s future success. The land exchange allowed CIRI to trade its ANCSA selections for undeveloped resource-rich lands with great potential. 

Entrusted with some of the richest and most delicate lands in Alaska, CIRI prioritizes striking a balance between sustainably developing resources to improve opportunities for CIRI Shareholders and Descendants, while protecting the land for future generations.