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COMMENTS BY THE CITY OF YAKUTAT 



ON TONGASS REFORM ACT LEGISLATION 



iEING CONSIDERED BY THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS 



APRIL 25, 1989 



My name is Larry E. Powell, Mayor for the City of 

 Yakutat, located at the northwestern extremity of the 

 Tongass National Forest. I have held my present position 

 for the past 18 years a.ndhave been intimately involved in 

 similar past land designation processes. These include 

 formation of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and 

 Preserve, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Russell 

 Fiord Wilderness Area, Situk Wild & Scenic River Study 

 plus current ongoing efforts to create the Yakataga- 

 Suckling Hills Game Refuge (Alaska State Legislative 

 process) and the present Tongass reform efforts, as it 

 relates to the Yakutat Forelands. I have witnessed and 

 attempted to modify or mitigate logging activities by 

 both the U. S. Forest Service, State of Alaska-Division 

 of Forestry and private lands logging by Koncor Forest 

 Products for 23 years. My tenure has allowed me to first 

 hand evaluate the effects of high-liner logging operations 

 and it's positive short term economic advantages versus 

 the long term negative aspects, which will be with us for 

 decades. 



