Petersburg Pilot

Council advised on impacts of

Sealaska land selections

February 11, 2010.

Legislation proposed under Senate Bill 881 could allow Sealaska Native Corporation to make land selections that could have far reaching effects on logging, recreation, tourism, hunting and fishing on the Tongass National Forest.

Many proposed selections on Prince of Wales (POW) Island and West Kosciusko Island are outside the original selection boundaries proposed under the 1972 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA).

Mike Bangs told the city council, “After nearly 40 years they decided they want to pick outside the boundaries they originally chose.”

Public lands would become privately owned and Sealaska could benefit from the use of log transfer facilities, roads and other infrastructure put in place by the US Forest Service during previous log sales in the area, according to Bangs. “The land has infrastructure and roads on it that the public has paid for,” Bangs noted.

Bangs emphasized that this action is not anti-logging. Whatever land Sealaska selects will be logged, “but we want their land selections to be within the original areas proposed under ANCSA.”

Some of the proposed lands on West Kosciusko have some of the oldest second growth timber on POW, Bangs said. The timber is almost ready to harvest again and all the roads and log dumps will be given to Sealaska.

Given the conservation areas set aside by the Forest Service under TLMP, logging by Sealaska in those areas could restrict logging in other areas that provide needed timber to keep regional mills operating.

Land providing everything from timber harvest to subsistence hunting and fishing could be lost, Bangs told the council.

Bangs noted that Sealaska is asking for corridors that could be needed as power line right of ways. Several mentioned were corridors between Portage Bay and Duncan Canal, land connecting Bay of Pillars to Port Camden and sites for future lodges at Port Houghton, Turnabout Island and Hobart Bay.

“It’s not good legislation. It seems preposterous they would even do this,” Bangs added.

If the legislation now in committee makes it onto an Omnibus Bill, it could be passed by Congress this month.

Don Hernandez of Point Baker told the council, there needs to be a full public process of the bill that was written by Sealaska. Sealaska has failed to address the concerns brought forth by residents of several communities affected by the bill.

None of the speakers denied Sealaska’s right to select 85,000 acres remaining for selection under ANCSA. Major concerns were the impact the selection would have to those using the now public lands that could become privately owned.