97 



/- 



COUNCIL ANNETTE ISLANDS RESERVE 



Harris L. SfKrN§ON.^MAYi 



ROSEBELLE G. NPff nur^ 



Bonnie G. Scud^o.' Treasurer 



/^i^4,/;_ K.^'^^. 



*>KvN -''W "^ — ^Ttr^i^MCTMKATLA^lNDfctN Community 

 -^A '^ Established 1887 3,^.:^ -S~r^ i^^^^^lZI^ " ^°^ * 



"^=:^^^-— MKTtfftferfeAFALSSKA 99926 



April 24, 1989 



Test i mony Of 

 °° HARRIS L. ATKINSON, MAYOR °° 

 Metlakatla Indian Community 

 Before The 

 SENATE ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE'S 

 SUBCOMMITTEE ON PUBLIC LANDS 

 Ketchikan, Alaska 



Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee. My name is Harris 

 L. Atkinson. I am Mayor of the Metlakatla Indian Community. I 

 am here to state the Community's opposition to S.3'+5, a bill en- 

 titled the Tongass Timber Reform Act. We oppose the bill because 

 it could savage the economic welfare of our citizens. Moreover, 

 it will continue the efforts of outsiders to lock up Alaska's 

 resources without regard to the welfare of Alaska's citizens. 



At the same time, I'm here to offer our Community's support 

 for S.237, which offers a sane alternative. In an honest and 

 direct manner, it would halt an automatic appropriation for 

 timber sale preparation on the Tongass National Forest and stop 

 potential fiscal waste. It does not use the need for this 

 housekeeping measure to justify plundering our economy. We 

 believe in wise use of resources. We believe in conservation. 

 We believe in sound fiscal management. We oppose intrusion into 

 our lives that promises economic ruin. 



The Metlakatla Indian Community is a federally recognized 

 Indian tribe, organized under the Wheeler-Howard Act of June 18, 

 1934. Our reservation consists of several islands southeast of 

 Ketchikan, including our largest island, Annette Island, which 

 contains nearly 90,000 acres. The town of Metlakatla lies 



