Sealaska Corporation seeks Tongass lands

Mon, February 9, 2009
Posted in Alaska News

Southeast’s regional Native Corporation will get another shot at land it wants in the Tongass National Forest.

Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska – Juneau

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Comments

pt baker

Sealaska currently to select land on Northern Prince of Wales Island and some of the islands further to the southwest, around Edna Bay, was heavily logged during WWII through the 90s.

The residents of Pt Baker and Port Protection signed petitions to Sen Murkowski completely in opposition to any selection of public land on northern Prince of Wales Island. The residents of Edna Bay is also in opposition. And in fact many of Sealaska's shareholders are also in opposition to Sealaska logging near their communities.

In 1980 Sealaska agreed to a deal which gave it 280,000 acres of land, most of it around the communities of its tribal members at Hoonah, Hydaburg, and Klawock. Many of its members are upset by how Sealasak logged-- from the ridgetops of mountains down to near the sea. The result is drops in deer populations.

While there are villages up north who cannot supply themselves with food this year, Senator Murkowski's bill last year would enable Sealaska to break its 1980 deal with Congress by going into the back yards of Pt Baker and Port Protection.

We hope Senator Murkowski will show the wisdom to tell Sealaska they made a deal and they should live with it or else not try to impact Pt Baker, Port Protection, or Edna Bay