585 



I have with me evidence of some 21 people from Petersburg who 

 wish to support Senator Wirth's bill for protection. 

 I thank you for this opportunity. 

 Senator Wirth. Thank you very much. 

 Mr. Murray. 



STATEMENT OF JOHN MURRAY 



Mr. Murray. My name is John Murray. I reside in Sitka, Alaska 

 where I commercially fish. I have been interested and somewhat 

 active in Tongass National Forest management plans since 

 ANILCA or the so-called Alaska Lands Bill days. 



I support Mr. Wirth's S. 346 and wholeheartedly agree with SEC 

 201, Findings and Purpose as a good outline of problems on the 

 Tongass. I would like to reinforce these in my own words. 



Since ANILCA's passage in 1980 many changes have come about, 

 with fishing, tourism, subsistence use and native logging operations 

 becoming more important to our southeastern communities and vil- 

 lages. With their continued growth and usage more conflicts and 

 frustration with current land use practices occur. Many feel as I 

 do, that these important values are being compromised. By "com- 

 promised," I mean that it is harder and I think not possible for the 

 U.S. Forest Service to manage, under the constraints of the long 

 term contract and the mandate cut, true multi-use, sustained yield 

 forest practices. The Forest Service is hard pressed to protect other 

 forest user groups to the extent necessary, thereby compromising 

 other values. 



I would like to bring up some points which are important. Fish- 

 ing and fish processing is a large employer in southeast Alaska, 

 somewhere in the range of 4,000 to 6,000 jobs. 



Mr. Wirth mentioned value added products. Job security in the 

 timber industry could be helped by it, with finished products, spe- 

 cialty lumber, filling our local needs. Instead, we send out cants 

 from Wrangell sawmill and let Japan's mills have the jobs. Then I 

 go to the hardware store and buy lumber from Oregon, while the 

 Wrangell mill stands idle. No saw logs, they say. Does not make 

 sense to me. 



In closing, I feel the amendments in S. 346 will move us toward 

 better management and offer the Forest Service much greater 

 flexibility. 



Senator Wirth. Thank you. 



Page Else. 



STATEMENT OF PAGE ELSE 



Ms. Else. I am Page Else and I am the editor of a publication 

 entitled "A Manual for Oyster Farmers in Alaska." I am currently 

 living in Sitka and working on a mariculture research project. 

 Mariculture is a subject of controversy in Alaska. Many environ- 

 mentalists oppose it because they feel there are insufficient sites 

 available. Fishermen oppose it because they feel their livelihood is 

 threatened, but in this controversy lies the first point I would like 

 to make to this committee. 



The Tongass should be managed for multiple resource use. We 

 must achieve balance. Current management is biased towards rape 



