Education Support
Dear Editor: The second grade students and teachers at Keet Gooshi Heen would like to thank the Sitka Sound Science Center, Sitka Police Department, Sitka Fire Department, Alaska State Troopers, and the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka.
Our second grade English language arts unit on community workers was enriched beyond measure thanks to the community workers who volunteered their time to teach or welcome our students into their facility.
We feel so fortunate to live in a community that supports our children’s education year after year.
All our thanks,
Second Grade Teachers and
Students, and Keet Gooshi Heen
Roadless Rule Meeting
Dear Editor: Today the Forest Service will be hosting a public meeting and Subsistence Hearing on the Alaska Roadless Rule at Centennial Hall. The Public Meeting, starting at 5 p.m., will be an opportunity for Sitkans to ask questions, while the Subsistence Hearing at 7 p.m. will be an opportunity to record official testimony on the impacts of the proposed exemption of the Roadless Rule on the Tongass.
This is an important issue for Alaskans. The Roadless Rule is a 2001 rule protecting over 9 million acres of the Tongass National Forest – areas Southeast Alaskans use for recreation, harvesting, fishing, hunting and more. These forests support healthy fish, intact wildlife habitats, and clean water crucial for our economies and way of life.
Last month U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and the Forest Service chose a full exemption of the Tongass from the Roadless Rule, which would open up the Tongass for more large-scale old-growth clearcut logging and expensive taxpayer-subsidized roadbuilding. This wouldn’t only damage our economy, ecosystems, and communities, it would also cost taxpayers millions of dollars in the process.
It is now more important than ever for Southeast Alaskans to voice their support for the Roadless Rule on the Tongass. I urge Sitkans to show up for the meeting and hearing tonight and let the Forest Service and Secretary Perdue know that we want to keep the Roadless Rule in place. At this meeting we need to mention the areas we care about. Salmon Lake, Nakwasina, Baby Bear Bay, Poison Cove, Ushk Bay, Kelp Bay, and the south side of Peril Strait before Povorotni Point are all at risk if the Roadless Rule is removed from the Tongass.
Sitka Conservation Society will be at Centennial Hall Room 3 all evening with snacks, information, and support for your public comments and testimonies. We encourage you to swing by!
If you can’t make it to today’s meeting, Sitka Conservation Society has a new tool to help you submit an effective comment to the Forest Service at https://mobilize4change.org/m6qwbb3 or under “Take Action” on their website. SCS is also hosting breaks at the Backdoor Cafe to answer questions and provide comment support Mondays at 9 to 11 a.m. and Thursdays at 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tonight’s meeting is our only opportunity to speak directly to the Forest Service about the Roadless Rule, and I hope to see you there!
Clarice Johnson, Sitka
