Panel to consider renaming Interior river with Gwich’in name

The Alaska Historical Commission has been asked to consider renaming a 344-mile river in Alaska’s Interior from Birch Creek to its Gwich’in name.
The commission also is expected to take up whether to rename one of the river’s side channels when it meets Nov. 16.
The Fairbanks Daily News reports that Birch Creek flows from near Central to the Yukon River, with 110 miles in its upper section designated as a federal wild and scenic river.
Under the proposals, the main body of Birc