Thanks, Air Station Sitka
Dear Editor: Sitka Trail Works would like to express our sincere gratitude to Commanding Officer Semke and the entire crew at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka for their invaluable support in transporting gravel and lumber along the Kaasda Héen (Indian River) Trail. This generous contribution of flight time is instrumental in our ongoing trail maintenance efforts.
The partnership between Sitka Trail Works and the Coast Guard is a perfect example of how collaboration can benefit both parties. The Air Station’s sling loads provide essential training opportunities for helicopter crews while simultaneously addressing a critical need on trails.
We applaud Commanding Officer Semke for continuing a proud tradition of community service at the air station. Their support is deeply appreciated by Sitka Trail Works and everyone who enjoys our beautiful local trail system.
Ben Hughey, Executive Director
Sitka Trail Works
Cruise Ship Scrubbers
Dear Editor: There is a little known industrial pollutant being injected into the water column by the most cruise ships visiting Alaska. The poisons that the government has forbidden vessels to emit into the air are being harvested and injected underneath the water as the ships sail throughout our precious fishing grounds.
Cruise ships burn two types of fuel here in Alaska. The first is a low sulfur diesel. The exhaust from this fuel goes up the stack into the air. The second type of fuel is intermediate fuel oil. After it is burned in the engines the exhaust must be washed with high-pressure water to remove some of the pollutants before it is exhausted into the atmosphere. This does cut down the air pollution released to legal levels. The problem comes the wash-water is extremely toxic and is injected into the water column approximately 10 to 20 feet below our waters surface. Chemicals such as sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide and other harmful chemicals and heavy metals are being injected into our water. This is where our Alaska seafood and its food sources lives. This loophole that allows cruise ships to burn the dirtiest and cheapest fuel possible are not legal in Washington or California, but they are in Alaska.
We in Alaska take great pride in our sustainable and natural fisheries. Every dollar made in the fishing industry has a great economic benefit for your average Alaskan with most of it, staying in the state. In contrast every dollar made by the large multinational cruise ship companies has little positive economic impact on your average Alaskan. We cannot continue to allow the cruise ships to jeopardize the future of our most important industry.
The cruise ships do bring some money into the state, but they could run exclusively on diesel fuel with no scrubbers at all, therefore causing almost no negative effects on our seafood. They could do this and still Alaska would be the most profitable location in the world for them to operate. We cannot continue to harm our fisheries on the altar of large publicly traded companies who care nothing about your average Alaska resident or the seafood industry that sustains us.
Garrett Johnson, Ketchikan,
USCG Unlimited tonnage
ocean masters license,
Graduate of U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with a degree in ship
operations and technology
