433 



The Tongass has been termed the "jewel" of the National Forest 

 system. And so it is. That is why we have built a "jewel" of a 

 community here, in the heart of the Tongass. There is enormous 

 community pride in Sitka — and justifiably so. The retail businesses 

 of Sitka play a major part in what makes this community so special. 

 It is the business community that sustains the Sitka Summer Music 

 Festival, the Historical Society, the Raptor Rehabilitation Center. It is 

 the business community that buys Christmas lights in the winter and 

 flower baskets in the summer; that makes sustaining pledges to 

 support public radio; that contributes to support the multitude of 

 programs for citizens with special needs -- our young, our elderly, 

 our disabled. 



Sitka is a place where the local pharmacist knows your first name 

 and the dress shop owner knows your wife's sizes. It is a place 

 where you can walk safely and count on your neighbor in time of 

 need. 



Legislation being considered in Congress — those bills to terminate 

 the timber contracts and extend wilderness still further — come with 

 an extraordinary price tag. I am not talking about the investments 

 of the pulp mills or the possible costs to buy out contracts. I am 

 talking about my home. I am talking about the small shop at the 

 corner of Lincoln & Lake Street which represents both years of hard 

 work and the future security of my husband, myself, and our six 

 children. I am talking about all of the other homes and small 

 businesses and families in Sitka, Alaska. 



We need and ask for the protection of the United States Congress. 



Thank you very much for your willingness to come to Sitka, to listen 

 with open minds, and to recognize our value and importance in your 

 decision process. 



