63 

 Senator Wirth. Fern Neimeyer. 



STATEMENT OF FERN NEIMEYER, MAYOR OF WRANGELL 



Ms. Neimeyer. There are no roads leading to Wrangell. The only 

 access to the outside world is by air or water. I am here today as 

 the spokesperson for the people of Wrangell because we are all con- 

 cerned about the future of our town. Our lifestyles and economic 

 base revolves around the fishing and timber industries. 



We live in the Tongass National Forest and are very much aware 

 of the natural beauty of our surroundings and we understand the 

 sensitivity of our ecosystem. To us it is our way of life. We under- 

 stand that if we are to maintain our life style and provide a viable 

 future for our children it is essential that the management of our 

 natural resources be implemented in a prudent manner. We are 

 committed to the wise use of these resources because they repre- 

 sent our life blood. 



The Tongass Timber Reform legislation proposed by Senator 

 Wirth and Representative Mrazek — Senate Bill 346 and House Bill 

 987 — are viewed by my constituents as a serious threat to our eco- 

 nomic future. This legislation would place constraints upon the 

 timber industry that would cause irreparable damage to the econo- 

 my of our region and would result in permanent closure of our 

 sawmill. 



This is a frightening prospect. We have had mill closures in the 

 past and experienced the mental and economic trauma of an imme- 

 diate 30 percent unemployment rate. It would be grossly unfair to 

 the people of Wrangell and southeast Alaska if they are subjected 

 to hard line legislation that poses the prospect of economic depre- 

 dation. Radical legislative proposals that cater to special interests 

 will solve nothing. There is room for compromise. 



The Southeast Conference has developed a policy position regard- 

 ing legislation and management of the Tongass National Forest. I 

 believe that all members of the congressional committee have re- 

 ceived copies of this document. The southeast policy position ad- 

 dresses the concerns of a broad cross section of the people living in 

 the Tongass. 



The city of Wrangel has endorsed the Southeast Conference posi- 

 tion paper because we believe it is an honest compromise. To us 

 this document represents a conscientious approach to the needs 

 and wise utilization of all the resources in the Tongass including 

 the people. We ask that you utilize this document as a reference to 

 create Tongass Legislation that we can all live with in harmony. 



Thank you. 



[The prepared statement of Ms. Neimeyer follows:] 



