Yukon Flats Exploration

When Doyon, Limited was established, early leaders, and village leaders focused on selecting lands for local and traditional uses, historical-cultural sites, and economic potential through natural resource development that could provide employment, training, and contracting for villages and Doyon. 

Doyon’s early leaders, in partnership with Beaver, Birch Creek, Chalkyitsik, Circle, and Fort Yukon leaders focused on allocating 400,000 plus acres of Doyon’s land entitlement within the Yukon Flats region for oil and gas potential that had been identified in the 1970s. Land agreements were signed to focus on providing this benefit and to accommodate for more local land use for a project. The specific land types in this allocation were lands that could have been equally distributed to all Doyon villages throughout the Interior, so the partnership was an integral collaborative effort. 

To continue building on over 50 years of history, in 2019, Doyon and Hilcorp Alaska signed an agreement for exploration on 1.6 million acres of Doyon land in the Yukon Flats subregion. 

Of that initial exploration area, roughly only three percent (or less than 60,000 acres) was selected by Hilcorp for continued exploration in 2024. Hilcorp’s expectation is to confine future activity to a focused area in Birch Creek. That area is currently less than five acres total across two project sites and a staging location – roughly the size of a few football fields – which is a minor fraction of the initial lease exploration area. Further work by Hilcorp in the remaining subregion would require re-engagement between Doyon and Hilcorp. Doyon has worked with Hilcorp to ensure no limitations on subsistence activities near the project sites.

The Yukon Flats exploration project has strong support in the region, including Birch Creek, the community immediately adjacent to the project, and from Alaska Native leaders across the state. The Yukon Flats exploration project will create jobs for generations of Doyon shareholders and benefit the region’s economy in the long-term. In addition:  

• This project could strengthen the economy of the region, with the potential to increase the Upper Yukon’s employment base by up to 15%.  
• The Yukon Flats exploration project will enhance Alaska Native self-determination, allowing us to invest in our communities and create the economic engine to enhance our journey to self-determination.  
• This project will provide our communities with the economic empowerment to support our schools, health care, infrastructure, and more—and provide us with financial support to ensure that our culture aligns with the long-term goals of our communities.  
• This project will provide us with the revenues needed to preserve our cultures and communities. From the preservation of Alaska Native languages, traditions, and cultural practices, our communities are reliant on communities that can sustain themselves and future generations.

From 2019 to 2024, exploration tests and surveys were completed while adhering to the strict environmental regulations and timing restrictions negotiated by Doyon regarding subsistence activities. Plans for specific activities for the remainder of 2024 and 2025 are still in progress, but Hilcorp and Doyon will continue providing regular status updates to leaders in the region. Hilcorp anticipates the planning and engineering phase will be active until late winter or early spring 2025. Overwinter 2024-2025, Hilcorp is intentionally anchoring a barge in position of Birch Creek with low current and an even bottom. With the barge landing in close proximity to the project sites, this will enable operational efficiency in spring 2025 and beyond when the currently planned development of two drill sites begins.

 The Yukon Flats exploration project will operate under the strictest regulations in the country. Doyon will remain focused on the balance of responsible resource development and protecting the resources our people rely on. Hilcorp is engaged in a robust permitting and approval process with state and federal agencies, as well as Doyon, which will continue well into 2025, ensuring that all required permits are submitted to ensure robust contingency planning, minimal environmental and subsistence impacts, and a transparent process. 

• Press Release
• Hilcorp Fact Sheet
• Doyon and Hilcorp Agreement Fact Sheet