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 Jeffrey Sloss, Alaska Discovery April E4, 1989 



factors increased the desireabi 1 ity of their services, the 

 respondents unanimously gave the highest rating to 

 "designation as Wilderness". 



Tourism and particularly recreational tourism is the 

 fastest growing industry is southeast Alaska; an overall 

 growth rate of 5% annually ('86 grew 12%j and '87 too!) 

 Tourism is the #S industry statewide, second only to oil for 

 probably less than 10 years. Alaska Dept. of Labor 

 statistics reveal that visitors to southeast Alaska have 

 been steadily increasing as have the number of direct jobs 

 in tourism. Since ANILCA was passed, employment in 

 recreational tourism has more than doubled. In fact, jobs 

 in tourism have surpassed timber jobs by an increasing 

 margin each year this decade. 



Summary; 



The tourism and recreation industries are growing and 

 are paying their own way on the Tongass National Forest. 

 Ours is a stable and sustainable industry over the long 

 term, and presently returns 354 of adjusted gross income to 

 the Treasury for acqess to Federal lands. The current 

 timber industry is heavily subsidized by the taxpayers and 

 is largely regarded as a sunset industry. After the best of 

 the old growth is logged over the next 5—15 years, it is 

 unlikely the current subsidized timber and pulp industry 

 will remain in southeast Alaska. In the mean time, federal 

 subsidies and mandates impair the growth potential of 

 tourism and threaten to remove the "wild" image which bring 

 visitors to southeast Alaska. Alaska Discovery supports S. 

 3^6 and the permanent protection as Wilderness of the 23 key 

 special value areas. 



