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Tongass Advisory Committee (TAC) members compiled work-group draft recommendations for the Tongass National Forest’s timber management plan amendment at their Nov. 19-21 meeting in Sitka. Present at the recent meeting was USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Bonnie; Beth Pendelton, the U.S. Forest Service Alaska regional forester; and Forrest Cole, the Tongass National Forest supervisor. Bonnie emphasized the importance of TAC’s opportunity “to find a solution that works for everybody [so] we ca...
An agreement is currently being worked out between the Alaska Mental Health Trust (AMHT) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) that could see the transfer of between 18,000 and 20,900 acres of state and federal lands. “I’ve been working on this personally for seven years,” said Paul Slenkamp, resource manager for the AMHT Land Office. He is currently working with Forrest Cole, USFS forest supervisor for the Tongass National Forest. “We’ve been moving through this administrative exchange...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The U.S. Forest Service has awarded a contract for a timber sale in southeast Alaska to the region's last mid-size mill, Viking Lumber Co. Lawsuits were filed over the Big Thorne sale before the contract was awarded, and Tongass National Forest spokesman Kent Cummins said no ground work would be done by Viking until the courts decide the case _ likely next spring. Cummins told the Juneau Empire in a story Thursday that he couldn't comment on the size of the contract or on how many companies had bid until the contract w...
WRANGELL — Though the comment period officially ended Sept. 15, the Wrangell Ranger District of the United States Forestry Service is still seeking public input for an upcoming dock project in Anan Bay. “To me it’s kind of an open process,” said Ranger Bob Dalrymple. “We’re open to input pretty much any time.” The district uses this input as it prepares an environmental assessment, which should be available for public comment later this fall. The wildlife observatory is located about 23 miles southeast of Wrangell on the mainland, par...
The Tongass Advisory Committee (TAC) heard presentations from Forest Service and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials and discussed the challenges and opportunities associated with an impending transition to young-growth forest management at their meeting this month in Juneau. The presentations given by the Forest Service and DNR officials helped give committee members a better sense of how difficult the transition process can be, Lynn Jungwirth, committee co-chair, said via e-mail. “You can’t ‘speed up’ young growth sustainable mana...
Marine mammal expert Kate Wynne presented at Rainforest Festival in Petersburg Sept. 6 on a topic that affects all coastal Alaskan communities: sea lions and harbor seals. Wynne works with the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and studies pinnipeds, the classification for seals and sea lions, as well as other marine mammals like whales. Most of the Steller sea lions in Alaska, those found north of Cape Suckling, are part of what is called the Western stock, Wynne said. This stock extends...
A Kake-Petersburg Intertie (KPI) project update was given during this week's Southeast Conference held in Wrangell. The KPI includes a proposed electrical transmission line that would connect Kake to a SEAPA (Southeast Alaska Power Agency) substation in Petersburg. Kake, a community of just over 550 people, is situated on the northwest coast of Kupreanof Island and is working to find cheaper alternatives to costly diesel, which provides the bulk of their power currently. “The Kake-Petersburg Intertie would transmit power at either 69 or 130 kil... Full story
Trimming trees would improve outdoor experience To the Editor: I like trees but I think its time to start thinning out some of the jungle that is now covering Mitkof Island. We used to have a beautiful cemetery that was such a scenic spot to view from boats going by. Because of high trees blocking sunlight the once beautiful lawn is now never dry and moss has taken over. One now cannot use the benches for taking in the spectacular views because of the advancing jungle. Wrangell Narrows is one of the most scenic waterways on earth but unless you...
Naked Truth - World class fisheries depend on clean water and Southeast Alaskans are stripping down to make that point. “Water quality issues are becoming the biggest issues we have to deal with in Southeast. Long ago it was forestry, but as that industry has slowed down and mining and industrial tourism via cruise ships has sped up, our relatively pristine waters face more threats than they ever have,” said Malena Marvin, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council which has advocated for protecting the world’s largest temp...
In the August 14 issue of the Pilot it was erroneously stated that For the next 10 to 15 years, the newly formed Tongass National Forest Advisory Committee (TAC), under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture, will advise the U.S. Forest Service's (USFS) timber sale management program in the transition from old-growth to new-growth timber management. In fact, the committee will advise the timber sale management program for the next two years and the transition itself will take 10-15 years....
To the Editor: True Tongass ‘transition’ would increase local jobs per log cut. In its latest statement on the direction of the much-awaited Tongass transition, the Forest Service says the future is now for the Tongass National Forest. We couldn’t agree more, and we’re happy to see the agency working with local people to chart a course toward a more prosperous and sustainable future for Southeast Alaskan communities. But if local stakeholder consensus is the goal, the Forest Service’s decision to include industrial-scale old-growth timber sa...
For the next two years, the newly formed Tongass National Forest Advisory Committee (TAC), under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture, will advise the U.S. Forest Service's (USFS) timber sale management program in the transition from old-growth to new-growth timber management. A transition that will take 10 to 15 years. With nearly 17 million acres, the Tongass is one of the world’s largest intact rain forests. USFS announced its intention to form the federal advisory committee back in January. “The Committee will be expected to provid...
Patricia "Pat" Lee Walden (Ray) of Sedro-Woolley, Wash., died suddenly on Thursday, July 24, 2014, in Mount Vernon, Wash. Pat was the first of three children born to Lee Ray and Shirley Menne. She was born on August 28, 1955 in Redding, Calif. Pat grew up in the Concrete and Newhalem area of Washington State and graduated from Concrete High School in 1973. In 1978, Pat married Douglas Lawrenson of Burlington, Wash. During their marriage they had three children. At the time of their marriage,... Full story
Four past and present Petersburg artists will have their work on display in the Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council’s Main Street Gallery from July 4-25. Artists Joe Viechnicki, Susan Christensen, Pia Reilly and John McCabe are all transplants to Petersburg but have lived here for decades. Their work explores themes common to island living and the Pacific Northwest including community, isolation, solitude, beauty, strength and loneliness. Christensen recently returned to Seattle after living in Petersburg for many years. She currently p...
Keep moving, Petersburg To the Editor: Petersburg Mental Health staff is grateful for the generous people that made the second annual Pedometer Challenge happen. We couldn't have done it without Mark Kubo’s amazing tracking skills, Erin Michael and Colleen Jaeger at Public Health serving as the distribution center, local businesses (Hammer and Wikan and Skate of Gear) for their contribution, and the Petersburg Indian Association for providing amazing grand prizes. Thanks to you and to all the participants. Petersburg's entire step count during...
JUNEAU (AP) — The Native regional corporation for southeast Alaska has reported losses of $35 million, with blame going to a subsidiary in Hawaii. CoastAlaska reports Juneau-based Sealaska is reporting the net loss for 2013. Sealaska says 75 percent of the loss was from a construction company based in Hawaii, which had underestimated two federal projects. The managers of the subsidiary have been fired, and it is no longer bidding on similar projects. The other losses were related to efforts to lobby Congress to transfer timber lands in the T...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will discuss the impacts of the University of Alaska timber sale on South Mitkof Island after two members of the community shared their concerns last week. Dave Beebe represented the City of Kupreanof and spoke before the assembly. He cited studies by Geologist Dr. Douglas Swanston from the 1970s regarding unstable slopes and potential landslide issues posing threats to public safety. “Essentially the whole state holding is documented as unstable slopes within a half mile of pubic roadways,” Beebe said. “If... Full story
In the face of declining funding for the Tongass National Forest, Petersburg Ranger District managers are looking to the public for help to figure out which type of recreation programs and facilities will stay and which will go. “We’ve come up with a general niche that we think would be suitable for the community, suitable for the district to continue to maintain in the future,” Petersburg District Ranger Jason Anderson said. “But it does leave stuff off the map. There are certain things that aren’t going to get addressed and the idea was...
JUNEAU (AP) — The threat of fires in the nation's largest national forest has subsided. CoastAlaska reports Tongass National Forest Fire Information Officer Seth Ross says a fire warning has been rescinded. Continued dry, warm weather last week prompted the warning. Hunters, hikers, boaters and campers were asked to be extra careful in extinguishing fires because conditions were right for fire activity. Ross says it appears the area is now coming out of that warm, dry period into normal Southeast weather and that prompted the cancellation of t...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ Continued warm, dry weather has prompted a fire warning for all of Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. Fire Management Officer Seth Ross tells CoastAlaska that he isn't predicting large blazes. But he says hunters, hikers, boaters and campers sure be extra careful because conditions are right for fire activity. People should attend their fires at all times and make sure they are completely out when they are no longer being used. Fires are not common in the Tongass rainforest. But Ross says there's an average of...
JUNEAU (AP) — A divided federal appeals court panel has sided with the state of Alaska in reversing a decision that reinstated the roadless rule in the Tongass National Forest. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision Wednesday, found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had articulated ``a number of legitimate grounds'' in a 2003 decision to temporarily exempt the Tongass from the roadless rule. A lower court judge, in 2011, had found the decision to be arbitrary and capricious. The appeals court panel sent the matter b...
JUNEAU (AP) — House Democrats have confirmed Sam Kito III as the newest member of the state Legislature. He was sworn into office on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Gov. Sean Parnell last week chose Kito from among three candidates forwarded by the Tongass Democrats to fill the House seat vacated when Juneau Democrat Beth Kerttula resigned for a fellowship at Stanford University. Kerttula resigned Jan. 24. Under the law, the appointment must be confirmed by members in the same chamber and of the same political party as the person who previously held the s...
The Tongass Democrats announced yesterday its process for selecting three nominees to fill the Juneau House District 32 seat vacated by Rep. Beth Kerttula. Interested individuals should send a cover letter and resume to tongassdemocrats@gmail.com no later than January 27, according to a Tongass Democrat press release. The organization has elected a committee that will review the prospective candidates. It will then send Gov. Sean Parnell a list of three candidates by February 4. Parnell will select one of the three individuals proposed by the...
