Thanks to Tongass supporters
10/14/96
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
From: "Michael Finkelstein"
Organization: Alaska Rainforest Campaign
To: Tongass.activists@igc.org
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 06:23:08 +0000
Subject: THANKS!!
Dear Friend, October 15, 1996
Large-scale clearcutting on the Tongass National Forest has hopefully
come to an end! On October 7, 1996, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation
announced it will close its Ketchikan pulp mill, sparing thousands of
acres from destructive clearcutting. This announcement is the
highlight of a Tongass National Forest report that, thanks to you and
other supporters nation-wide, is full of good news. Our nation's
largest national forest survived the relentless assault of damaging
legislation introduced by the Alaska delegation during the 104th
Congress. Support for a more soundly managed Tongass was bi-partisan
in both the House and Senate and unwavering from the Clinton
Administration. In the end, not one of the 15 separate attempts to
expand clearcutting in the Tongass passed.
Included in the failed legislation were bills to transfer the Tongass
to the State of Alaska and to extend the Ketchikan Pulp Company's
exclusive, tax-payer subsidized monopoly contract for Tongass timber.
The contract extension bill, the worst of all the legislative
attempts, sought to expand KPC's contract fifteen years past its 2004
expiration date. Because the contract extension legislation failed,
Louisiana-Pacific, as it had threatened, closed its KPC pulp mill.
The mill closure is a breach of contract and, therefore, the contract
should be canceled.
A continuation of the current Tongass timber program would have
irreparably damaged the critical fish and wildlife habitat upon
which all forest users and enthusiasts depend. Commercial fishing,
subsistence use, tourism, and recreation interests all opposed the
Alaska delegation's efforts to continue and expand this program.
Now, hopefully, the last monopoly timber contract will be history,
and a transition to a new sustainable timber industry and a new
future for Southeast Alaska is being realized.
With immediate threats out of sight, I would like to thank you
for the essential role you played in saving the future of the
Tongass. On behalf of the entire Alaska Rainforest Campaign, I
would like to express our appreciation for the time and effort you
have donated to making our dream for the Tongass a reality. The
driving force behind the success of the Tongass, in the face of such
strong and persistent opposition, has been the consistent and
widespread support for this national treasure.
Our activists have effectively conveyed to Congress and the Clinton
Administration the importance of conserving the Tongass for multiple-
uses rather than for the explicit use of the timber industry. Your
action, and that of many other Tongass supporters across the country,
successfully marked the Tongass as a priority for the President and
for Congress. Real possibilities have now opened for balanced,
multiple-use management of the forest and, with those possibilities,
comes the hope that all Americans can now look forward to an amazing
Alaskan rainforest for generations to come.
Our efforts must continue, however. With the Alaska delegation
returning next year in even more powerful positions, the fight for
the Tongass is certainly not over. We look forward to your continued
help as we work for a sustainable future that all Tongass supporters
can enjoy. Please contact me in the DC office (202-544-8926) if you
have any questions.
Sincerely,
Kirsten Shelton
Outreach Coordinator
Alaska Rainforest Campaign
320 4th St, NE
Washington, DC 20002