354 



(Sea Otter Sound), Point Baker, Petersburg, Wrangell, Sitka, Tenakee Springs, and Pelican. 



In every community the meetings were well publicized and participation by "Alaskans from all 

 walks of life" was specifically encouraged in posters and radio announcements. Meeting 

 participants invariably included loggers, fishermen, local business people, hunters, trappers, and 

 recreationists. At seven of the meetings local Mayors or council members attended and 

 participated. 



The subject of the local workshops was fish and wildlife habitat. The goal was twofold. First, 

 SEACC encouraged public discussion of the role of fish and wildlife habitat in local hunting, 

 fishing, and subsistence. Second, SEACC provided copies of Forest Service base maps of the 

 Tongass, and topographic maps of the immediate local area, so that local residents could 

 identify and mark areas of particular importance for local use. 



The resulting maps and map notes, all developed by Alaskans who actually use fish and 

 wildlife resources on the Tongass, were presented to the SEACC board of directors and were 

 used as guides in developing both the SEACC Lands Protection Proposal and the foundation of 

 the Tongass Timber Reform Act. The hand drawn public use maps really helped focus 

 SEACC's attention on the community level and on those who directly use. fish and wildlife 

 resources. 



The maps developed at the "Habitat Conservation Workshops" led directly to the identification 

 of many key areas in the SEACC Lands Protection Proposal: the Outside Islands, Calder- 

 Holbrook, Lisianski River, Kadashan, Hoonah Sound, the Chuck River, Naha River-Lakes, 

 Sarkar Lakes, South Etolin Island, Karta, and West Duncan Canal. 



In 1986, based upon our community work, SEACC submitted a list of 281 VCUs for "interim 

 Protection" to be deferred from logging until the TLMP Revision was completed. The Forest 

 Service refused to protect many of the most important and most threatened areas via the 

 "planning process." 



We knew we had to seek Congress* help to protect key areas. Thus, we were forced to embark 

 upon constructing a legislated lands protection/Wilderness designations package for the some of 

 the most important areas. 



Built on the earlier foundation of habitat workshops in 1983-85, SEACC took a draft map for 

 Wilderness around to over a dozen Southeast Alaska communities, meeting with interested 

 public and community officials. Some boundaries were expanded, some were reduced. All this 

 occurred in 1987-88. Public meetings in Yakutat resulted in our change in position from 

 Wilderness designation to Special Management for the Yakutat Forelands. More meetings and 

 work sessions in 1988 and 1989 led to additions of Anan, Point Adolphus, Port Houghton, Trap 

 Bay, and South Kuiu. In 1990, we added Salmon Bay Lake watershed -- at the request of 

 commercial fishermen and subsistence users dependent on the area's fish and wildlife. 



Also, back in 1988, SEACC was requested to participate, along with the timber industry, in 

 over 6 months of intense negotiations in the U.S. House regarding Tongass reform. One of the 

 most fought over discussion points was lands protection. We met with timber industry officials 

 day in and day out. The result was proposed protection for 7-10 key watershed areas, which 

 was never finalized because the Senate refused to accept the language. 



2d. Did you consult with other multiple use resource groups, including the timber industry in 

 making your land use allocations? What consideration did you give to the needs of timber- 

 dependent communities? 



On the Tongass National Forest, "multiple uses" include recreation-tourism, timber, wildlife, 



