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eventually eliminate a total of 400 jobs directly and 

 indirectly associated with the timber processing industry. 

 The seriousness of this possibility is further amplified by 

 the fact that Southeast Alaska will experience a significant 

 loss of jobs as harvesting by the Native Corporations 

 declines . " 



As a personal note, I have lived in the northwest all my life. 

 As a Boy Scout I grew up loving the forest, hiking and camping, 

 observing the wildlife. 



The forests were both publicly and privately owned. To this day 

 one of my favorite camping spots is a meadow that was created as 

 the site for a logging camp long since torn down. I never 

 thought much about it. Yes, I knew that the area had been clear 

 cut thirty years earlier, but that didn't make the under brush 

 less dense as we scavenged for dry fire wood. Old logging roads 

 made access to most of the areas possible. The trees grew tall 

 and strong. 



Sometimes when I'd sit around the campfire talking with my dad. 

 He'd tell me how he had grown up enjoying the out of doors, 

 spending the summers hiking and fishing in the wilderness. Like 

 his father, he was concerned about clear cutting of the forests. 

 My dad was a highway contractor, he saw lots of logging, and 

 built hundreds of miles of roads. But, he was always amazed at 

 how fast the forest grew back after harvesting the trees. He 

 knew that with management suited to the region the forests would 

 come back to be harvested again in the future. 



I work for a local bank that serves Southeast Alaska. I didn't 

 move here for the job, I moved here to be close to the out-of- 

 doors, to live and work with people who enjoy the forests, rivers 

 and ocean as much as I do. My neighbor has a kayak, I have a 

 power boat, we both use the same ocean, we get along as friends 

 and neighbors. Alaska is big enough for a variety of vocations 

 and avocations. 



After 4 years I have stopped being concerned about how few non- 

 Alaskans understand this state, its size and its people. But I 

 continue to be frustrated by how so much of our lives are 

 affected by people who don't live here. 



If the Valdez oil spill had happened of the coast of Long Island, 

 New York I bet it would be cleaned up by now because the 

 politicians in New York would know how to take care of their 

 constituents. Similarly, the Alaska Congressional delegation is 

 best suited to work with the people of Alaska. I support them. 



In conclusion, the Tongass National Forest Legislation issue 

 impacts all of Southeast Alaska. Our economy and life style 

 depends on a balance of the factors involved. To alter the 



management plan for the Tongass without careful consideration to 



the economic impacts is not a viable option. 



