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Pat Pourchot

Pat Pourchot came to Alaska in 1972 from Denver, Colorado. He worked for the U.S. Bureau of Outdoor Recreation on land issues related federal conservation units (known as D-2 lands) as outlined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and the subsequent Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). His primary duties included the study of areas for possible designation as Wild and Scenic Rivers and National Historic Trails. He also has worked as a land planner for the Alaska Federation of Natives, legislative aide to Senator Mike Gravel, legislative director for Governor Tony Knowles, Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources during the Knowles administration, served as a representative in the Alaska legislature, and was Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior for Alaska Affairs during the Obama administration. While working for Senator Gravel, in 1977, Pat helped draft and initiate the legislation for national historic trail designation for the Iditarod Trail. Pat is an avid hiker, cross-country skier, and river traveler, and has explored many of Alaska's wild places.

Pat Pourchot appears in the following new Jukebox projects:

Iditarod National Historic Trail

Interview Title	Abstract	Archive #: Oral History	Project	Date of Interview
Pat Pourchot	Pat Pourchot was interviewed on November 2, 2021 by Karen Brewster in a conference room at the Office of History and Archeology, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, in the Robert B. Atwood Building in downtown Anchorage, Alaska. In this interview, Pat talks about his involvement with the designation of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. He discusses working on the 1977 gold rush trails study for the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation (The Iditarod Trail (Seward-Nome Route) and other Alaskan Gold Rush Trails), and the role Joe Redington played in getting the trail recognized and protected. Pat also talks about working for Senator Mike Gravel in Washington, D.C., negotiating with other senate staff, and helping to get the legislation passed that officially designated the Iditarod Trail as a national historic trail. Pat also talks about his other work on D-2 lands legislation, review of Wild and Scenic Rivers in Alaska, public land issues under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), serving in the Alaska legislature and as Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, as well as other trail and conservation advocacy work.	2021-04-03	Iditarod National Historic Trail	Nov 2, 2021