no 



Senator Murkowski. Mr. Chairman. 



Senator Wirth. Senator Murkowski. 



Senator Murkowski. May I just enter briefly into the record a 

 statement with regard to return on Federal treasury for every 

 dollar spent by the Forest Service for the years 1987, 1988 and 

 1989. The comparison is the Tongass return for 1987 is 41 cents. 

 Colorado national forests are 39 cents for 1987. 



For 1988, the projected Tongass is 88 cents, for Colorado, 39 

 cents. 



The 1989 projected Tongass dollar plus Colorado is 39 cents. 



The source is the United States Forest Service. 



Senator Wirth. I would be delighted to look at those figures. You 

 are making my case altogether both for Alaska and for Colorado. I 

 appreciate it. 



Senator Murkowski. I think we interpret them a little different- 



ly. 



Senator Wirth. Thank you, Mr. Leonard. Thank you for coming 

 down and for your patience. 



Mr. Barton, thank you very much for being here. 



Our next witness is Mr. Eric Laschever, the Governor's Special 

 Assistant for the Tongass. Thank you very much for coming down. 



Senator Murkowski, you had indicated to Senator Bumpers your 

 willingness to continue to chair the hearing, and I hope we can per- 

 suade you to do so. 



Senator Murkowski. I will be happy to do so. 



Senator Wirth. Mr. Laschever, if you would summarize your 

 statement we would be eternally grateful. 



STATEMENT OF ERIC LASCHEVER, GOVERNOR'S SPECIAL 

 ASSISTANT FOR THE TONGASS, STATE OF ALASKA 



Mr. Laschever. I would be happy to do so. 



Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, my name is 

 Eric Laschever, and I am Governor Cooper's Special Assistant for 

 the Tongass National Forest. 



I think so far there have been two themes that have come out as 

 far as the Federal Government's involvement in setting policy for 

 the Tongass. One is the desire to create communities that were 

 stable and had secure sources of employment. The other dominant 

 theme has been growing recognition of very special wildland values 

 and the protection that has been accorded especially during 

 ANILCA to those wildland values. 



Since the 1970s, Congressional deliberations on management of 

 the Tongass have really reflected a difficult search for a policy 

 which would allow no one use or set of values to dominate the plan 

 for or management of the forest. 



Today you will hear from some speakers who will say that the 

 long-term contracts in certain provisions of ANILCA have elevated 

 the timber industry to a position of preeminence as a user of the 

 forest. 



You will hear others argue that the designation of wilderness 

 has elevated the retention of wildland values to a preeminent use. 



I think when you look at it in this context, your bill is yet an- 

 other attempt to strike a very elusive balance. In this regard, the 



