53 



STATEMENT OF 



SENATOR LLOYD JONES 



SENATE DISTRICT A 



Before the 

 Subcommittee on Public Lands, Notional Paries and Forests 



April 24. 1989 



Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: 



Thank you for the opportunity to present my views on the various Tongass 

 Timber Reform bills. You hove heard, and will continue to hear, the pros and 

 cons of wilderness versus development in Alaska. The subject is certainly in the 

 limelight these days. I ask you to put aside what you ha^/e read and hea.^d in 

 the notional medio and concentrate on the testimony you will hear today. 

 These ore the people whose livelihoods will be affected by your decisions. 



According to the Alaska Department of Labor, there is on overage of 

 3,450 direct jobs in the timber industry. This is a conservative number and does 

 not include the self-employed in the industry or transportation firms directly tied 

 to logging. 1 



Many people come to Alaska for its unique beauty. The state is also a 

 land of rich natural resources. Producing these resources is a way of life, and 

 you'll find loggers and fishermen who'll fight very hard to keep this lifestyle. I 

 believe protecting these jobs is as important as protecting our natural beauty. 

 I contend we can do both. Without jobs these communities, Ketchikan, 



1 The Alaska Loggers Assoctatlon estimates ttiere are 4,538 people wortdna In the Tonaass 

 S'ror^'!!'^ ':!^"^^' ' -^ '°SSers. 415 sawmill work^. M4 pu°p S worice-s a?(??00 

 trn^grCr2Srron;reS.*^'^"^'^"^^^°^^^^^ 



