588 



Of all the wonderful things that came out of the 1950s, should we 

 be stuck with these archaic 50-year contracts? In fairness to the 

 native corporations and independent loggers, timber sales must be 

 competitive. Repeal of the $40 million subsidy, which has been 

 proven to be a waste of taxpayers' money; and repeal of the 450 

 requirement would allow the Forest Service to manage the Tongass 

 as they do all other national forests. 



The fishing industry is southeast Alaska's largest private indus- 

 try, employing 3,993 people as compared to the timber industry's 

 1,781. Protecting lands from logging is comparable to the closing of 

 fishing areas to protect a species or a specific run of salmon. It is 

 just sensible management. Ninety percent of the salmon harvested 

 in southeast come from Tongass watersheds; seventy percent of this 

 high value habitat is not protected. The Forest Service does not 

 even require buffer strips along streams. 



In the face of the Prince William Sound disaster and the Taiwan- 

 ese fishing fleet's interception of Alaskan salmon, please mandate 

 more than a moratorium on logging the fragile habitat of southeast 

 Alaska's rainforest. I would like to request this committee to 

 amend Senate Bill 346 to designate 22 areas as wilderness now, 

 with the Yakutat Forelands getting special consideration for its 

 present commercial and subsistence uses. 



Thank you for all your time and consideration. 



Senator Wirth. Thank you. Yesterday Senator Burns and I 

 awarded two green medals. You get the first one today. 



Senator Burns. And I was wondering, if you have any spare 

 time, I have a lot of work for you making 1 minute and 30 second 

 commercials. 



Senator Wirth. Christine Pool. 



STATEMENT OF CHRISTINE POOL 



Ms. Pool. My name is Christine Pool. I support Senate Bill 237. I 

 am originally from the State of Colorado and I moved to southeast 

 Alaska 12 years ago. I have lived in Ketchikan and Juneau and 

 with my family I am in the process of moving to Sitka. With the 

 uncertainty of the mill's future, we really do not know if we will 

 see some differences in the Sitka housing market or not. 



As a family we have been involved with the fishing industry, the 

 tourism industry, and the timber industry in southeast Alaska. 

 Having traveled through the region, I see that all three of those 

 industries are critical to southeast Alaska and to the survival of 

 many of our towns. We rely on renewable resources for our income. 

 Just as the loss of the fishery in Prince William Sound will impact 

 30 communities beyond that region, loss of the timber industry can 

 impact many cities beyond just those with mills, like Wrangell, 

 Sitka, and Ketchikan, et cetera. I am concerned about their future 

 as well as our own 



As you contemplate legislation, please do not forget that we Alas- 

 kans respect our land. Please keep in mind that we are using only 

 a small percentage of the national forest for timber harvesting. On 

 the other hand, we should not issue an industry blackjack to oper- 

 ate. We need to hold them to accountability. We have a God given 

 responsibility for the stewardship of our planet and wise manage- 



