476 

 Senator Wirth. Mr. Hammond. 



STATEMENT OF AUSTIN HAMMOND, CHILDREN'S CULTURE CAMP 



Mr. Hammond. My name is Austin Hammond from Haines and 

 in Tlingit they call me Chief of the Walks. I head a children's cul- 

 ture camp; I am working with the children. 



I would like to see all the loggers stay away from Chilkoot, be- 

 cause that is where the fish spawn, all the sockeye, in the lake. If 

 you clearcut I know it will end. I try to do all I can for my grand- 

 children. They need someone to do something for them. 



I have been trying to talk to them for five years now, and they 

 told me they are going to cut the trees down. And I told them, "No, 

 you have got to keep away from it, 300 feet from the lake when the 

 fish spawn." After that they asked me, "What about way up 

 there?" I told them no. I know what was going to happen if they do 

 cut from way up they are going to keep cutting it down to the lake 

 again. In the winter time, they have to come down to shelter, the 

 deer. They come down to the shelter in the winter time, and where 

 the grass is still green and they eat it. Now, when you do clearcut, 

 you will have nothing left in Chilkoot for the brown bears that are 

 up there. I told them the brown bear is going to come close to us if 

 they do not watch, and the brown bear is going to walk around our 

 houses. It happens, it comes around. 



Thank you. 



Senator Wirth. Mr. Hammond, thank you. 



To all on the panel, we thank you. 



Senator Murkowski? 



Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My first com- 

 ment is to Mr. Bremner of the Alaska ANB. Now, is it your wish 

 that no further Forest Service sales be put up in Yakutat? 



Mr. Bremner. Senator Murkowski, we see on the map there is a 

 Tongass Land Management Plan there, that acreage of 232,952 

 acres is beyond the Dangerous River Bridge to the Alsat River. 

 Northwest of that, there are Forest Service lands, and I believe 

 some of it is available for sale. What we are trying to prevent is 

 the land that is beyond the Dangerous River Bridge. 



Senator Murkowski. Is that Forest Service land? Do you want 

 all Forest Service sales in that area cancelled? 



Mr. Bremner. Beyond the Dangerous River Bridge. There are 

 Forest Service lands that have been cut over, and it is already up 

 for sale. 



Senator Murkowski. I will ask the witness to identify for the 

 record the specific areas that he is talking about. Identify what the 

 ANB/ANS camps do not want cut up for sale. 



Mr. Bremner. Senator, I have the map that we speak of here 

 and it is right on the public document, the Tongass National Land 

 Management Plan map, and we have that available here, but I did 

 not make copies. 



Senator Murkowski. Well, we can get that. Do you know offhand 

 the acreage that would be eliminated from proposed Forest Service 

 sales by your recommendation? 



Mr. Bremner. It is 239,962. 



