33 

 Senator Wirth. Mayor Gregory. 



STATEMENT OF RALPH C. GREGORY, MAYOR, KETCHIKAN 



GATEWAY BOROUGH 



Mr. Gregory. Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity to address 

 your organization this morning and good morning and welcome to 

 Ketchikan. 



I came to southeast Alaska twenty-three years ago on a working 

 vacation. Like many others, I stayed and raised a family here be- 

 cause the level of economic activity allowed a working man to 

 make a living wage. I believe that the Ketchikan Gateway Borough 

 and Prince of Wales Island, with a combined population of seven- 

 teen thousand, has the most vibrant economy in the state. This is 

 no accident but is due to a multiple-use balance which has emerged 

 among the basic industries of timber, fishing, tourism and mining. 

 To keep this reasonable level of economic activity we must main- 

 tain equal access to natural resources. 



During this session of Congress, legislators will consider bills 

 which could dramatically alter this economic balance. As debate 

 proceeds in Washington, D.C. to re-structure access to the Tongass, 

 my community is torn apart by the debate. Loggers believe that 

 soon there could be no place for them to work. Fishermen are told 

 that they must take a stand against timber harvesting to assure 

 survival of their industry. Miners worry about reaching their 

 claims and tour operators are caught somewhere between. 



The Tongass contains over 16 million acres, half the coastline of 

 the entire United States, and yet only 64,000 persons live here. 

 This vast expanse of land is both a blessing and a curse. On the 

 one hand, wilderness is available to anyone; on the other, the out- 

 standing natural beauty of the area invites congressional interven- 

 tion. 



Federal legislation to re-allocate resources must be done careful- 

 ly. Multiple-use management of the Tongass is successful where it 

 has been fully implemented. For example the Ketchikan Region 

 allows all four industries to exist in close proximity and to share 

 access to resources. This may be the one area in the southeast 

 where it is possible to experience a life of relative simplicity and 

 solitude with reasonable social contact and access to most basic 

 services and work opportunities. 



Multiple-use means that industries are working side by side. 

 These industries demand and have produced the transportation, 

 utility and supporting infrastructure to meet their combined needs. 

 Participation by each spreads the costs of maintenance and oper- 

 ation over a broader base. For example, cruise vessels and fishing 

 processing ships all tie up at the same dock and some 25,000 RVs 

 travel scenic wilderness roads, roads provided by the timber indus- 

 try. 



In the Tongass we have an inter-dependent, fragile economy. 

 Legislation should not weaken this fabric. It should be crafted to 

 avoid starting a chain reaction which would result in multiple-use 

 areas becoming one-industry towns. 



