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Mr. Chairman, Goldbelt believes it has paid its 

 environmental dues and strongly opposes the treatment it would 

 receive under the House bill. We ask that the proposed Chuck 

 River and Port Houghton-Sanborn Canal Wilderness Areas be 

 eliminated or redefined so that the viability of the five Forest 

 Service sale areas and our $17 million investment in Hobart Bay 

 are not destroyed. 



It is argued that the Chuck River is a "million dollar" 

 fishery. It is certainly an important spawning area for pink 

 salmon, which are the predominant salmon species in this area. 



The Chuck River drainage, and the proposed Forest Service 

 sale within it, is also important to us, or anyone else who 

 successfully bids on these sale areas. The values and volumes of 

 timber in the Chuck River drainage are significant because of the 

 topography and road system connections. It is the proximity of 

 the proposed Chuck River timber sale which is critical to the 

 overall development of the other surrounding sale areas. 



Goldbelt is not unmindful of the importance of Southeast 

 Alaska's salmon fisheries. Many of our own shareholders are 

 commercial and sport fishermen. We have for the past two years 

 been logging on our own lands along a two-mile stretch of the 

 Chuck River. We are leaving buffer strips along the Chuck River 

 which exceed the requirements of Alaska's Forest Practices Act. 



