Senators Murkowski (R) and Begich (D) of Alaska came out Friday on an
Alaska radio station announcing their intent to reintroduce S 3561
from the last session that would give 80,000 acres of public land in
the Tongass National Forest to a private corporation, Sealaska Native
Corp. This is the first time this session either Senator has committed
themselves to reintroduction.
Under ANILCA (1980), SA bargained for 280,000 acres of land for
logging, of which only 80,000 acres have not been clearcut. Now
Sealaska wants to break the deal and the Murkowski/ Begich bill will
do just that by giving them land on Northern Prince of Wales Island
where half of the old growth trees have already been clearcut.
Residents there have sent both Senators a petition signed by virtually
all the community members dead set against this land give way on
Northern Prince of Wales.
The Senators have yet to contact the community. If it comes to pass, Sealaska will log all the remaining old growth trees exporting by ship the majority of unsawn Red and Yellow Cedar logs to Asia without sawing them first, thus providing little economic benefit to Alaska. The bill is being sold as an economic stimulus. Meanwhile, last Sunday the South East ALASKA
Conservation Council passed a resolution opposing logging on the N end
of POW Island. The resolution instructed staff, Lindekugel lawyer, to
negotiate with Sealaska specifically to not allow logging on the N end.
See attached for pic of what logging now looks like at Pt Baker/ Port
Protection before Sealaska gets it.
Simulated elevation of 9000′. sat. data. Look W. The pic covers only 16 square miles. The northern part of the island is well over 100 sq miles. The 9200 year old man was discovered in cave in this pic and the deepest cave in N America is suspected of being in this area as well. In addition, in the Sierra
Club’s Alaska Report Vol 35 n1, Feb 2009, the Club noted that it ‘does
not support privatization of our national forests” as this bill would
do.