Hands Off America's Rainforest!

This is Don Young's "pet project" that he's been pushing for years now. He has made a career out of this issue, so he has no choice but to continue being a proponent of this bailout/land-grab. Oh, the lands they can freely choose from are not good enough - that is a lie. Those lands don't have taxpayer provided roads already, and the lands on N. POW and Kosciusko Is. do. Sealaska wants the prime pickings, good land isn't good enough for them. They don't care that we would have to travel so far to reach the lands that they want to "give in exchange" that it would not be economically feasible for us to use those lands for subsistence. NO, instead they want to clear-cut the already roaded National Forest that small communities need for their survival. This is not an issue of redressing past wrongs, this is an issue of a greedy corporation not satisfied with a deal they already made long ago - more profits can be made from already roaded land than from equally good forest land without roads; and that is the ONLY reason that all of this conflict between S.E. Alaskans is growing daily. I lay the blame for the conflicts and bitter feelings straight at the feet of Rep. Young and Sealaska. All of their nice-sounding propaganda is a smoke-screen for their greedy intentions. Wake up Alaska! The hard-working residents of Edna Bay, Port Protection, and Point Baker are not your enemies as Sealaska would have you think - the real enemy is the corporate greed of Sealaska and the self-ambitious politicians who are in their pocket.

An entire community hangs in balance of lands bill decision
By Roger Dipaolo | Juneau Empire

I am only one individual, but please take a moment to consider my side of the Sealaska Corp. lands bill issue.

What happens soon in Congress will have a tremendous impact on my future - a future that I have worked just as hard to build as any American has. I had to put myself through college while working full-time and earn every penny I've ever made through hard work, and the sum of my life's savings is invested in my home in Edna Bay, the same home I hope to live in to my last day.

If Sealaska is allowed to take ownership of the land they desire on Kosciusko Island, our lives here in Edna Bay will change in many negative ways. We are a very remote community and depend on subsistence hunting and gathering as much or more than any community in Alaska. We require an ample population of game animals for food, and with a huge amount of their habitat potentially becoming unlivable for them if this deal goes through, it is uncertain if we will have sufficient game to survive on.

Our island is unique in all of Alaska in that it the only one that consists entirely of a karst topography. A large portion of the largest as-of-yet unmapped cave system in North America lies beneath the lands that Sealaksa wishes to own on Kosciusko Island. Studies have shown that the underground aquifer, the same one that supplies the drinking water for the residents of Edna Bay, flows via tremendously long and winding limestone caves through an unmapped system.

Contaminants from large-scale logging or other development activities in the disputed area could easily contaminate the drinking water supply of Edna Bay. It would be irresponsible to allow any development until thorough scientific studies of the Kosciusko Island aquifer had been conducted and development disallowed in all sensitive areas.

The state created the modern community of Edna Bay by laying out the boundaries of our lots and our town in a far-flung island wilderness for the purpose of attracting hard- working Americans to live in a community that would by necessity require the natural resources of the surrounding national forest for their survival.

To take those lands away from the stewardship of the American people, and especially the people of Edna Bay, to give it to a corporation that has no intention of improving the lives of Edna Bay residents - and seems to care not that we could be very adversely affected, would be to say that the profits of Sealaska are more important than the lives of the people of Edna Bay.

There must be another way to both give Sealaska the compensation it is owed, and leave the Tongass National Forest on Kosciusko Island forever untouched by private development.

I humbly request that Sen. Lisa Murkowski withdraw her support of S. 881 and immediately go to work on a different bill that would compensate Sealaska in some way other than the current one which would put the residents of Edna Bay and other small Southeast communities through extreme hardship during already difficult economic times.

• Roger L. DiPaolo Jr. is a resident of Edna Bay.

Rainforest, sometimes known as the shield against acid rain, or even a shield against the floods and flash floods....if it will just be analyzed in the right manner, they will saw what Rainforest could give...protecting many lands and countries in famine, flash floods and some various dilemma that came from natural disaster that also known as anger of nature.

Logging was one of the forces behind marijuana/hemp prohibition.

Ok you self absorbed moral morons! Sealaska is a native american owned corporation and belongs to one of the many indian tribes your white anglo-saxon ancestors just about annihilated and stripped of all of their land. It was theirs before ours and any indian tribe should be compensated richly for the atrocities committed upon them.
You could learn a great lesson from the indians as they were the ultimate custodians of the land. They only took what they needed and knew that they needed to maintain the environment to insure their future even by the means of clear cutting. Also, you moral morons don't give any accountability for the earth to regenerate. Look at Mount ST. Helens now! How could any are be more devastated and recover like it has. Lastly,
The earth has been here for billions of years before mankind and will be here for billions of years after. You idiots don't serve any purpose but your own. Even if you were righteous, you would not give any other 65,000 acres up to be logged anyway because you only serve the interests of the few.We, the american public are offended immensly because you go under the idea that we are not responsible enough to manage our own resources independently. How condescending! We will no longer be ruled by fear and insecurity! Your sorry ass's time is coming and I'm going to be spanking it all the way down! The truth can never be denied!!!!!!!

Get out now while you still can.........

F**K YOU!!!!!!!!!

S.

why does this one company get to claim rights to these trees? they have no more right to the forest as I do.

This makes me want to burn tires, I think I will right now

That land was promised to Sealaska back in 1971 but it was never given. And you know what? You do not know for sure What Sealaska has planned for that forrest anyhow.