587 



investment. The true cost of supporting timber must include the air and water pol- 

 lution caused by the industry. I support Senate bill 346, sponsored by Wirth. 



Senator Wirth. Carolyn Servid. 



STATEMENT OF CAROLYN SERVID 



Ms. Servid. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Good afternoon, Senators. My name is Carolyn Servid. I have 

 been a resident of Sitka for nine years and have chosen this com- 

 munity as my home because of the opportunity it provides to live 

 in concert with the natural world. I have held jobs here in busi- 

 ness, education, and tourism and have been active in several com- 

 munity nonprofit organizations. 



Senator Murkowski, as one of your constituents, I wish I could 

 support your Bill S. 237. However, I do not believe it is in the best 

 interests of the forest and the many people who live here and use 

 its varied resources. While S. 237 sustains the timber industry, it 

 does so at the cost of fisheries, wildlife, recreation, and tourism, for 

 if the current Tongass management practices continue, including 

 the 450 cut and the 50-year contracts, the degradation of these 

 other resources is guaranteed. The vision at the end of that narrow 

 road is frightening. 



That is why I am grateful to you. Senator Wirth, for introducing 

 S. 346, which offers a more balanced approach to managing the 

 Tongass. By replacing the 450 cut with appropriate planning, by re- 

 placing the $40 million subsidy with annual appropriations, and by 

 replacing the 50-year contracts with short term timber sales, we 

 can sustain the timber industry in a way that is beneficial to more 

 people and reasonable for the forest. At the same time, we can 

 move toward true multiple use of the forest by granting special 

 consideration to critical fish and wildlife habitat and areas of high 

 recreation and subsistence use. The 23 areas listed in your bill are 

 particularly important in this regard and deserve not temporary 

 but permanent protection. I urge you to strengthen this provision. 



In closing, I would like to acknowledge the delicate balance that 

 maintains life on the earth. We have come close to violating it 

 beyond repair. Political and economic motives will not save us. 

 They must be balanced by the internal dictates of the natural 

 world itself. We must use our intelligence to ensure that the 

 earth — and the Tongass National Forest — will continue to sustain 

 us. 



Thank you for the opportunity to express my views. 



Senator Wirth. Thank you. 



Linda Waller. 



STATEMENT OF LINDA WALLER 



Ms. Waller. Good afternoon, Senators. My name is Linda 

 Waller, I have lived in Sitka for 15 years and for 11 years have 

 been involved with various aspects of the fishing industry. 



Senator Wirth, thank you for listening to the people of rural 

 southeast Alaska who do not want clearcuts and roads infringing 

 on their communities, and for introducing positive steps to bring 

 true multiple use to the Tongass. 



