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 Jeffrey Sloss* Alaska Discovery April 2^, 1989 



There is still tremendous growth potential for a long 

 term visitor and resident recreation industry on the 

 Tongassj if we can reform management of the Tongass. 

 Current policy has our tourism business paying 3'/, of its 

 adjusted gross income up front to the Forest Service in 

 permit fees, while a ^O + million dollar subsidy to the 

 timber industry helps log some of our key recreational use 

 areas. In fact? the Forest Service now charges us more to 

 take one person into the forest to look at the trees for one 

 day than it charges the pulp companies for 1,000 board feet 

 of virgin timber (roughly *3.00 versus *H.OO). 



Our industry can last forever, as the demand continues 

 to grow for the. Alaska wilderness experience, as long as we 

 have an adequate supply of the rapidly disappearing high 

 volume old growth forest on which our business depends. 

 These are the areas that support the most vital fish, 

 wildlife and recreation habitat, which visitors and 

 residents come to see and this is why S. 3^6 should be 

 strengthened to grant permanent protection for the S3 key 

 areas. 



Our company has also suffered directly from large-scale 

 timber harvesting and road building activities, as in the 3 

 examples that follow: 



1 ) Alaska Discovery had to abandon one of the best 

 paddling trips in southeast Alaska, between the communities 

 of Tenakee Springs and Hoonah, following large-scale clear- 

 cutting of the forest along the shore in the mid to late 

 1970s. The visible and audible impacts of large clearcuts, 

 logging roads and operations adjacent to this water route 

 made the trip unenjoyable, ^^hence we ceased it's operation. 

 The Tenakee Springs town council has since passed several 

 resolutions opposing additional timber harvests, yet council 

 members sre repeatedly told by Forest Service staff that 

 they have "no choice;" ANILCA dictates that new timber must 

 be offered each year. 



S) In 198A, Alaska Discovery joined as a plaintiff in the 

 suit Sierra Club et al . to prevent the Forest Service from 

 pre-roading the Berners Bay area north of Juneau. This area 

 is of prime recreational importance to residents of Juneau, 

 visitors and tourism businesses like our company. As 

 documented in the affidavit of our company president, the 

 Forest Service repeatedly admitted that the timber was of 

 such low quality that it would probably not sell, even with 

 *5 million of pre-roading dollars from the Tongass Timber 

 Supply Fund. When asked why these pre-roading dollars were 

 being spent, Juneau District Ranger Jack Blackwell stated 

 "Quite frankly, we have no choice, or flexibility, not to 



