Roadless Rule
Dear Editor: The Sitka Conservation Society applauds the U.S. Forest Service for reinstating the Roadless Rule on the Tongass National Forest. Over the last four years, thousands of individual Southeast Alaskans spoke up alongside Tribal governments, local organizations, small businesses, fishermen, tourism operators, and many communities across the region – including Sitka – to ask the Forest Service to reinstate the Roadless Rule. Those voices were heard, and the USDA has responded.
The reinstatement of the Roadless Rule is part of a larger policy shift announced by the USDA, and we are eager for the Forest Service’s future projects and activities around Sitka to continue to work with their many partners in the community. This includes Sitka Conservation Society, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Spruce Root Inc., Sitka Sound Science Center, Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, Sitka Trail Works, and the City of Sitka. We also hope that this policy shift will lead to additional USDA investments and partnerships that help create the local assets and resource management programs that will benefit Sitka and our community’s future in ways that build shared prosperity, collaboration, and support the ways that the people and communities of Southeast Alaska use and depend on the Tongass.
The Roadless Rule has never meant “no development on the Tongass.” Sitka’s Blue Lake renewable energy project is built in a Roadless area. We believe in a working forest and are looking to the Forest Service to continue to maintain the road systems we have for use and access, while making sure that culverts and stream crossings don’t block salmon from upstream habitat.
On the Sitka District, this includes the Kruzof road and trail system, the dock and road system at False Island, and the Saint John Baptist road system. Our work in partnership with Tenakee Logging Company and TM Construction to provide wood for Sitka High School’s Career Technical Education Program depends on the Forest Service continuing to put out small timber sales and keep those roads maintained.
We look forward to the Forest Service working to strengthen opportunities for people to be out on the land through cabin maintenance, improvements, and trail investments. The outfitter and guide permits for bear guides, small boat operations, and land-based guides are also very important for Sitka businesses and we hope that the policy changes bolster these programs to maximize opportunities and minimize user conflicts.
We also look forward to continued salmon habitat restoration on watersheds, forest thinning for timber stands and deer habitat improvements, and management and monitoring of sockeye runs so that the ways of life of this region may remain intact.
Sitka is a Lingít place, which it has been for thousands of years, and will continue to be. The resources we use and depend on exist today because of that deep rooted legacy of stewardship decisions made in respect for our collective future. The reinstatement of the Roadless Rule is an investment in our current generation and the many more to come. How we manage the Tongass National Forest and what policies and programs come next is equally important for our community and the long-term health of this region.
Andrew Thoms, Executive Director,
Sitka Conservation Society
Gratitude
Dear Editor: Brave Heart Volunteers is grateful for people who serve. We very much appreciate our volunteers, and all the ways they show up. Recently we held annual trainings for our end-of-life and new volunteers. We appreciate the professionals who presented: Bridget Hitchcock, Frederick Olsen Jr., Jennifer Klejka, Skye Workman, Brooks Olesek, Chuck Miller, David Voluck, Dr. Ellie Jansen, Joel Warner, Jude Reis, Julie Keating-Platson, Mary Beth Palof and Sandra Rudd.
BHV also enjoyed a volunteer appreciation lunch on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, hosted by Sitka AmeriCorps. We are grateful to them for creating a fun, meaningful day, celebrating our volunteers. MLK Day is designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Ten AmeriCorps members used this day of service to provide lunch and activities: Alden Lee, Anastasia Stefanowicz, Elli Veer, Katie Amidon, Mamie Ziegler, Marnie Reidell, Michele Stuart Kellrooney, Jerry Kellrooney, Rachele Quarnaccio, Program Director Sarah Lawrie, and her daughter, Stevie Jarvill.
Thank you to all who volunteer, for uplifting one another and serving our community. With gratitude,
Kathryn Winslow,
Brave Heart Volunteers
Program Manager
Youth Trafficking
Dear Editor: January is a month full of celebration and renewal, marked by holidays celebrated across different cultures and regions. While this time of year is a joyous time for many, January is also Human Trafficking Awareness Month. While there are many misconceptions about human trafficking, one of the biggest information gaps lies in public awareness about human trafficking in youths.
Youth trafficking can be difficult to identify because it can manifest in covert ways. A child can be exploited by a stranger, a trusted adult (e.g. caregiver, teacher, coach, or a family member), and even other youths. These individuals often take advantage of their authority and trust with a child and force them into performing sex acts or providing illegal services, like drug dealing and labor. Under the eyes of the law, sex acts performed by individuals under the age of 18 in exchange for goods, with or without force, is considered human trafficking.
Homeless youths are particularly more vulnerable to sex trafficking, as many of them are forced into “survival sex” where minors perform sex acts in exchange for basic needs like food, shelter, and safety. LGBTQ+ youths, Alaska Native and other minorities, girls, youths with disabilities, and impoverished youths tend to be at higher risk of being sex trafficked. This is due to societal inequities which can result in higher rates of unstable housing, low-self esteem, and history of abuse and trauma for many of these populations. Migrant youths, seasonal workers, undocumented children, and impoverished youths are more vulnerable to labor trafficking, as well.
Some lesser known warning signs that may indicate a child is a victim of human trafficking can differ depending on the type of trafficking. Youth victims of sex trafficking may have multiple sexually transmitted infections (STI’s), a controlling partner, change in personal hygiene, age-inappropriate promiscuity, signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, physical injuries, and more. Youth labor trafficking victims may have a controlling employer, make minimal to no wages, carry a large amount of debt, have age-inappropriate job duties, and more.
What many people don’t realize is that human trafficking in youths happens everywhere, even in Sitka. As a rural community, individuals may find themselves in trafficking situations due to rural poverty and fewer job opportunities. In tight-knit communities, traffickers may be friendly faces which makes disclosures of trafficking complicated and difficult.
It is the community’s responsibility to help combat human trafficking. Connection to a healthy and trusted adult, a strong sense of self, knowledge about trafficking, and social support are all factors that can prevent a child from being trafficked or help a child come out of a trafficking situation. Adult allies are particularly important in the efforts to stop youth trafficking. Adults who work closely with youths have the ability to form close relationships with children and are in a position to recognize signs of trafficking by having conversations, reaching out, and creating safe spaces.
By strengthening our community ties and uplifting our youths, we can win the fight against human trafficking and work toward a happier and healthier world.
Sitkans Against Family Violence
