No Plastic Bag Tax
Dear Editor: Since we live in a rain forest, and probably one of the rainiest cities in the state if not the country, it seems to be simple common sense that people need plastic bags in certain situations. I love to walk and do nearly all my errands on foot. This means I have a VERY small carbon footprint, and, as you may imagine, plastic bags are invaluable for bringing my groceries and other items home. I recycle vigorously, and I encourage others to do the same.
As a business owner, I am proud that we have received a Green Business Award, Platinum level, every year since the award began because of our vigorous green practices and encouragement of others to do the same. Since my business sells computer and office supplies, plastic bags to protect people’s paper and electronic purchases are often a necessity.
Please, let’s have some common sense prevail – let’s encourage people to be careful with their bags with a positive approach. Reward people for good behavior. Perhaps grocery stores will give people a nickel off their purchase for every bag of their own they bring. Maybe the money saved by NOT instituting another tax could be used to pay a fee to anyone who collects/turns in a pound of plastic bags. We could hold a contest for creative ways to recycle. By the way, who exactly is going to cover the costs for the software and manpower involved in having to collect, track and turn over another tax?
I cannot state strongly enough that I think responsible plastic bag use and re-use should remain a choice of the individual, NOT a regulation of the government.
Karen Parker, Sitka
Brady Log Haul
Dear Editor: The Sitka Sound Science Center would like to thank Bill and Nancy Yaw Davis, Holland America, Birch Equipment and Sitka Ready Mix, as well as Steve Clayton, Mark Guilllory and Thad, James and Rebecca Poulson for supporting the effort to restore the Brady Log Haul.
The Brady Log Haul is a winch originally used by Alaska Governor John Green Brady at his sawmill, located near the present Thomsen Harbor, in the late 1800s, to pull logs from the water up to the mill. In 1934, Peter Simpson, who had once worked for Brady, led Sheldon Jackson School staff and students to salvage and rehabilitate the machinery for a school sawmill on this site. Les Yaw, then president of Sheldon Jackson was gung ho about the project that was made from salvaged, beachcombed wood. That sawmill burned down in 1940 and was rebuilt in 1941. The log haul survived the fire, and it and the mill were in use until the late 1960s.
The sawmill provided wood for fishing boats, homes, and Sheldon Jackson School and College buildings, many still around today. In 1976, the machinery was removed to make room for the Sheldon Jackson College aquaculture program. During the Sheldon Jackson Campus revitalization, the rusty log haul was scheduled to go to the dump when it was saved by Thad, James and Rebecca Poulson, who recognized the historical importance of the machinery and some of our community’s biggest historic preservation advocates.
This past year, with financial support from Bill and Nancy Yaw Davis, the log haul was restored by two volunteers Steve Clayton (SSSC Board member) and Mark Guilllory. This time the tool was refurbished not for function but as a link to our history of “can do” spirit and education. Birch Equipment and Sitka Ready Mix donated equipment to help us move the winch. Precision Boatworks helped with fashioning bolts. Holland America funded the creation of a sign for the project. Rebecca Poulson helped to validate the history of the equipment. SSSC building committee member Tim Doggett advised with math calculations of the gear ratio. Gil Truitt provided us with some great stories about the use of the winch by Peter Simpson who in addition to teaching at the SJ training school and boat building also was a co-founder of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and a Alaska Native civil rights activist.
The Brady Log Haul and the sign were recently installed by SSSC staff Blake Conaway and Angie Bowers. It’s now on display on the Seawalk side of the Sitka Sawmill down at the Science Center. We are extremely appreciative of the effort by history enthusiast volunteers and generous businesses to help us preserve Sitka’s special history. In gratitude,
Lisa Busch,
Sitka Sound Science Center,
Executive Director
