News from Senator Begich: October 26, 2009

Thanks, AFN. Another Great Convention!

I am just back from a long weekend in Anchorage where I had many great opportunities
to connect with Alaskans at the 2009 Alaska Federation of Natives Conference. I
attended Quyana Night and the banquet, spoke to the convention Saturday afternoon,
held a roundtable with officials from USDA, HUD, and the Department of Interior, and
participated in a series of other meetings. From the thousands of people at the
Dena’ina Center and throughout downtown, along with busy transactions at the Native
crafts sale, it was an incredibly successful convention. There was meaningful
discussion about subsistence, energy issues, the need for more infrastructure and
water and sewer improvements in rural Alaska and more. I was also pleased to
announce the White House has cleared the nomination of Joel Neimeyer as the new
federal co-chair of the Denali Commission. Once through the formalities of
appointment, Joel will be the first Alaska Native to head the commission. As always,
the AFN Convention was a unique opportunity to connect with old friends, make new
ones, and discuss the many important issues facing our state.

Sincerely,
Senator Mark Begich

News from Senator Begich-October 26, 2009