Greater Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors
Resolution Supporting the State of Alaska and its Congressional Representatives in the Effort to Transfer the Tongass National Forest to the State of Alaska
WHEREAS, the federal government owns nearly 65% of the land in Alaska and nearly 95% of the land in Southeast Alaska; and
WHEREAS, the Tongass National Forest is rich in timber, minerals, and renewable energy resources which can be developed in a responsible manner supportive of robust rural economies; and
WHEREAS, current federal management of the Tongass schedules only 600,000 acres for timber harvest and is administratively costly for both the USFS and the American taxpayer; and
WHEREAS, the Roadless Initiative further precludes the sustainability and economic viability of timber harvest and the utilization of renewable resources in Southeast Alaska; and
WHEREAS, 75,000 people are directly dependent upon the health of Southeast Alaska’s economy; and
WHEREAS, the State of Alaska is the level of government that is most sensitive to the ecologic and economic needs of the people of the Tongass and other Alaskans; and
WHEREAS, Alaskans best understand and have a vested interest in good stewardship of the land; and
WHEREAS, an act entitled the “Tongass Transfer and Transition Act” will provide a mechanism to transfer ownership of the Tongass National Forest to the State of Alaska to be managed and operated under the laws of the State of Alaska; and
WHEREAS, the State of Alaska has declared its sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America and is vested with the responsibility to protect access to and develop responsibly the land’s resources for the benefit of all Alaskans;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Greater Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce supports all efforts by the State of Alaska and its Congressional Representatives to Transfer the Tongass National Forest back to the State of Alaska.
Approved this _____ day of April, 2015
Mary Wanzer, President Chelsea Goucher, Executive Director