Climate Resolution
Dear Editor: These were my comments to the Assembly in support of Climate Emergency Resolution coming before that body Feb. 20.
Dear Assembly: Comments on supporting this resolution. I’ll offer some support evidence and thoughts.
1) Sen. Murkowski says impact of climate change in her state “is real, it is happening, it is now and almost none of these changes are for the better for us.”
2) Defense Department spokesman Johnny Michael, “What I can tell you is that the effects of a changing climate are a national security issue with potential impacts to Defense Department missions, operations, plans and installations.”
3) NOAA 2020 “In the span of 141 years of climate records, there has never been a warmer January (2020) than last month. January 2020 marked the 44th consecutive January and the 421st consecutive month with temperatures at least nominally above 20th century average.”
4) NOAA Arctic report card 2019 ‘‘Arctic ecosystems and communities are increasingly at risk due to continued warming and declining sea ice.”
5) NOAA- Climate.gov 2-13-2020 “more then 90% of the warming that has happened on Earth over the past 50 years has occurred in the ocean.”
6) Unprecedented response to low numbers of Pacific Cod Gulf of Alaska is closing for the 2020 season. Mike Litzou, NOAA ecologist (Kodiak), “What the climate scientists are showing us, our best understanding is that this is going to be the new average within a short timeframe.”
Kodiak cod fisherman Frank Miles “I’m more worried about my son and his generation, the younger guys coming up. ... I simply don’t know where we’re going here.’’
On a more personal note, as a 40-year commercial fisherman I have seen and expect “change” but I (we) are seeing wilder variations in the last 10 seasons. The BLOB, pink salmon run failures, Alaska king salmon stocks hurting, lack of snow pack in many years, generally warmer winters. These thing are having an effect on my (our) livelihoods. Like the guy from Kodiak said, “I’m more worried about my son. ... I simply don’t know where we’re going here.”
It is a climate and ecological emergency that threatens our city, region, nation, civilization, humanity and the natural world. Please support this resolution. Declaring a climate emergency, coming up at next Assembly meeting.
John Murray, Sitka
Roadless
Dear Editor: The entire state of Alaska is in crisis. We are losing residents and jobs all over the state. We have lost our ability to maintain our infrastructure and services. There has been a slight increase in a few jobs here and there, but those few jobs are not enough to save our economy. Costs are going up, and with fewer residents to support the system it is getting worse. The lack of services along with the higher costs will continue to drive more people away.
The anti-logging group is claiming that the very thing that has brought Southeast to its knees is what we need more of. These people are using lies to sell their utopian daydreams, and they don’t have any science to back up any of their claims.
They want us to believe that the Tongass is going to be clearcut from Skagway to Hyder with six-lane paved freeways cris-crossing the Tongass, and all of that done in a few short years. The truth is, after 70 years with two pulp mills, several saw mills, and various other enterprises being supplied with timber only 2% of the entire Tongass was logged. They also want us to believe that the biggest and best trees will be cut down and shipped in the round to foreign markets. Some trees were shipped in the round, but those trees came from private land, and had nothing to do with the management of the Tongass. All of the trees harvested from Tongass Forest Service lands were processed in Southeast in the pulp mills and sawmills. When we lost our timber industry we lost thousands of well-paying jobs.
We can’t support a 12-month economy with a 4- to 5-month season. We don’t have to give up tourism, fishing, or hunting for logging. We can have all of it. The Tongass is 16.8 million acres. So far about half has already been locked up in wilderness areas never to be touched. In addition there are 200-foot stream buffers, and 1,000-foot beach buffers. There are areas set aside for recreation and subsistence use. There are areas that can’t be logged because of growing or topographical constraints. In what is left and with 70 years of logging, just 10% (which amounts to 2% of the entire Tongass) has been logged. The plan is in the next 50 years another 10% (or 2% of the entire Tongass) would be made available for logging. That will leave 96% of the Tongass or 80% of available logging areas left untouched. After those 120 years the trees replacing the first ones logged will be huge and ready for harvesting again. Tourism, fishing, and hunting can co exist with the timber industry. They are compatible. But, this is not good enough to satisfy the anti-logging mafia. They want 100% for just their activities alone.
This special interest group claims the timber industry was being subsidized through the Forest Service. That is not true. With the stumpage fees collected, and the large number of tax paying jobs maintained, it was a net money-maker for the federal government, the state, and our communities. Instead of a win-win for all of us they now want the Forest Service (federal government) to subsidize their operations and desires. That’s a terrible deal, and it’s a lose-lose for everyone.
It is possible to have our infrastructure, our needed services, and our well-paid, tax-paying, year-round jobs. We can have a future in Southeast for our children and grandchildren, but only if we stand up to this elitist and exclusive group that has been ruining our Southeast economy for far too long.
The Forest Service, our congressmen in D.C., Juneau, and our city council need to hear from us that this special interest group don’t speak for the majority. We desperately need to put our corner of the world back to work. We need to rescue our economy and services while giving our children a future they can look forward to. It is time to say NO! to these elitists. Enough is enough. After 25-plus years they have proven they have little to offer.
Theresa Helem, Sitka
