Email  Print  Feed

Make Sure the Native Art you Buy in Alaska can go Home With You!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alaska State Council on the Arts
recently produced an updated Customs Guide on Alaska Native Arts. Long
recognized as an excellent tool for the Alaska Native art market, the
online guide helps artists, arts patrons, and retailers interpret the
complex wildlife laws that affect the international trade of some of
Alaska’s most unique products.

Information in the guide can help visitors determine what artwork they can
legally purchase and lawfully transport through Canada or across another
national border. It leads well into the second paragraph and has a positive
tone. The guide lists wildlife materials commonly used in traditional
Alaska Native art. A corresponding table of federal requirements enables
residents, visitors, artists, and shops to identify those gifts that can be
legally carried home or shipped to various countries.  The guide is a
critical resource that answers many frequently asked questions about the
legitimate use of various wildlife materials in artwork for sale, and
includes the most current wildlife law fact sheets available.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alaska State Council on the Arts
collaborated to update and provide this reference publication to meet four
public service goals:

   Support the conservation and sustainability of Alaska’s unique natural
   resources based on established wildlife management laws;

   Ensure visitors that art pieces were legally created, sold, and
   transported; and can be carried home as a memory of their trip to
   Alaska;

   Strengthen the ability of Alaska Native artists and Alaska business
   owners to support international visitors’ patronage of Alaska Native
   artists and their distinctive work;

   Expand the general public’s knowledge of the laws that govern the
   purchase and market transportation of protected wildlife materials.

Go to www.bit.ly/NativeCustomsGuide to view or download the guide. To
request a printed color copy of the guide call 1-800-858-7621, email
permitsR7LE@fws.gov, or write the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at: U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service Import Export Office, P.O. Box 190045, Anchorage,
AK 99519.



The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to
conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats
for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and
trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific
excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated
professionals, and commitment to public service. For more information on
our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov. Connect with
our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/usfws, follow our tweets at
www.twitter.com/usfwshq, watch our YouTube Channel at
http://www.youtube.com/usfws and download photos from our Flickr page at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq.