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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2001

The Alaska Native village of Angoon is opposing the transfer of a 2.3-square-mile property on Admiralty Island to a conservation group headed by a personal friend of Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).

In a $60 billion transportation appropriations bill the Senate passed earlier this month, Stevens inserted a measure to transfer the 1,505-acre property at Point Retreat to the Alaska Lighthouse Association. The association is headed by David Benton, a longtime friend of the Senator.

Stevens is asking for the large parcel despite a government recommendation that only 10 acres be transferred.

Angoon is the only village on the island.

In past Department of Interior spending bills, Stevens has inserted special funding for Alaska Native-headed organizations such as a reindeer preservation group. He has been criticized for being overly friendly to Alaska Native corporations and for pushing through questionable deals through Congress and various government agencies.

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Alaska Land Transfer Puts Senator on Spot (The New York Times 8/22)
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