The Alaska Federation of Natives will hold its annual convention in Fairbanks for the first time since 1988.

The AFN board voted in favor of moving the convention to Fairbanks in 2005. The board will meet in May to decide whether to make the move permanent.

This year's convention will be held in Anchorage, where city and tourism leaders feared the loss of an estimated $4 million in revenues. But some within AFN felt Anchorage was no longer welcoming for Natives.

The convention, held every October, draws about 4,000 people. The move to Fairbanks is expected to allow even more to attend.

Get the Story:
AFN board moves 2005 convention to Fairbanks (The Anchorage Daily News 3/18)
AFN moves convention to Interior (The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 3/18)

Relevant Links:
Alaska Federation of Natives - http://www.nativefederation.org/flash.html

Related Stories:
Anchorage fears loss of Alaska Native convention (3/15)
AFN considers moving annual convention to Fairbanks (3/12)
Stevens unapologetic in speech to Alaska Natives (10/27)