John Sturgeon v. National Park Service

The three members of Alaska’s congressional delegation, the State of Alaska, Native corporations, and several Alaska trade associations, including RDC, have filed amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Alaskan John Sturgeon, who is suing the National Park Service over being forced off the Nation River for using a hovercraft to hunt moose, something he had been doing for decades.

The Park Service claimed it controlled that stretch of the Nation River because it is part of the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. The State of Alaska claims regulatory jurisdiction under the Statehood Act and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA).

After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit sided with the federal government, giving the Park Service expansive rights over state and Native land, Sturgeon sought review by the Supreme Court. The high court announced in October that it would hear the case, which was heard on January 20, 2016.

Donate to help support Mr. Sturgeon in this public interest lawsuit:
Alaska Outdoor Council (tax deductible) 
Go Fund Me

John Sturgeon v. National Park Service. 
Amicus brief
Sturgeon Reply Brief

Further background information on the case can be found in our December 2015 Resource Review newsletter:
Delegation, RDC file briefs in Sturgeon ANILCA case

Press release from Alaska Delegation:
Alaska Delegation files supreme court amicus brief in support of John Sturgeon case

YouTube video with additional background information:
Game Changer on The Yukon

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ANILCA Hearing, December 3rd:
Archived Webcast

Sturgeon v. Frost
RDC response to Supreme Court ruling

Media:

Washington Post: A moose-hunter and his hovercraft tell the Supreme Court Alaska is different
The Atlantic: A Constitution Right to Hovercraft?
The Guardian: Moose hunter v national parks: federal overreach case headed to supreme court
Outside: Who Controls Alaska's Waterways
KTVA: Alaska Turf Wars