230 



Senator Wirth. Ms. Kautzer. 



STATEMENT OF JOAN KAUTZER, REPRESENTING ALASKA 



WOMEN IN TREES 



Ms. Kautzer. Welcome to the Tongass, thank you for your inter- 

 est in my homeland and America's largest public forest. 



My name is Joan Kautzer and I am a commercial fisherman and 

 wildlife artist from Point Baker, Alaska. I am speaking in behalf of 

 Alaska Women in Trees. 



We formed our group because we could no longer stand silently 

 by and watch as our national forests were mutilated beyond their 

 condition or passively watch as hundreds of miles of new logging 

 roads to nowhere dissect our wild islands each year. We strongly 

 support S. 346 and feel the original intent of the Forest Service has 

 gone haywire. Instead of protecting America's forests from being 

 looted by large corporations they now act as timber brokers for the 

 multi-nationals, moving to timber at the expense of the taxpayer, 

 environment and all of the forest uses. 



I can liken this management policy to selling great paintings for 

 the value of the canvas; it is wrong and it must be stopped. 



The only criteria for timber sales here is corporate economic fea- 

 sibility. Under the constraints of the 50-year contracts and the 450 

 mandate we are experiencing one-time timber stripping, not forest 

 management and Tongass public participation in forest planning 

 consists of commenting on foregone conclusions, wading through 

 reams of incomprehensible graphs and documents and studying 

 EISs that always turn out the same findings, with no significant 

 impact. The attempt is to placate us by allowing us to submit plan- 

 ning alternatives that are never chosen. 



After voicing our concerns at a recent public meeting at Point 

 Baker Forest Service, biologists admitted that deer habitat on the 

 North Prince of Wales would "Be in shambles in the next 20 

 years", yet in the next breath the Forest Service showed residents 

 jumbo clearcuts planned for the next ten years which would clearly 

 impact habitat further. 



While sound environmental policies are not a criteria in the Ton- 

 gass Management scheme neither are sound economics. An exam- 

 ple is a spectacular island that has abundant fish and wildlife. The 

 Forest Service will spend four million taxpayer dollars to receive a 

 meager return of $262,000 from the APC pulp mill per timber cut 

 in 10 years but the APC was convicted of monopoly fraud and anti- 

 trust. There is no sustained yield or fiscal responsibility in a time 

 of growing federal budget deficit. He said the 23 areas as priceless 

 intrinsic environment are far outweighing the value of production 

 but these 23 years has been brought to the attention of the Forest 

 Service by different use groups as needing permanent protection, 

 always to no avail. 



We cannot affect this change at the local level, they told us so, 

 TLMP will not do it. This 30 day Dead Eagle Sound and Lab Bay 

 Dump will not fly again, the Tongass will not be the same if we do 

 not protect these areas 



Alaska Women in Trees supports S. 346 with permanent protec- 

 tion for the 23 areas. 



