Two environmental conservation groups and a Southeast Alaska tribe have filed a motion to stop a timber sale that’s part of a logging project east of Ketchikan. 

The Shelter Cove Timber Sale is the first timber harvest in the South Revilla Integrated Resource Project. That’s a plan greenlit by the U.S. Forest Service in July that includes harvesting over 5,000 acres of trees, mostly old growth, in the Tongass National Forest. It also includes construction of new roads, trails, cabins and boat launches. 

The motion for a preliminary injunction was filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday by the Ketchikan Indian Community, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. They argue that stopping the timber sale is “necessary to prevent irreparable harm to Plaintiffs’ way-of-life and interest in the Tongass’s habitat, wildlife, subsistence resources and other important values.” The motion is in addition to a lawsuit filed in August that challenges the South Revilla logging project as a whole. 

The Shelter Cove Timber Sale was advertised last month and could allow the harvest of 4 million board feet of timber. The groups who filed the motion to halt the sale are asking for a court decision before the Forest Service awards a contract. Bids are scheduled to be opened on October 20. 

The larger South Revilla plans were first introduced in 2018 but were paused in 2020. Last year, the Trump administration issued an executive order to expand timber production. 

Following an environmental review, the Forest Service decided that work on the South Revilla project can begin immediately. 

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

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Five of Southeast Alaska’s lawmakers answered questions from constituents during a legislative forum at Southeast Conference in Ketchikan on Wednesday. Senator Bert Stedman and representatives Jeremy Bynum, Andi Story, Sara Hannan and Rebecca Himschoot attended. 

The legislators kicked off the forum with introductions, and discussed everything from the state’s retirement pension to the ferry system. Bynum, who represents Ketchikan, Metlakatla, Wrangell and parts of Prince of Wales Island, said he wants to see things get built. 

“I want to see us make capital investments to keep our communities moving forward,” Bynum said on Wednesday. “That means investing in our schools. That means investing in our infrastructure and in our community.” 

The legislators then answered questions on education – how they’re going to fix the state’s base student allocation, or the per-student funding formula, and how they’ll inflation-proof it. 

Rebecca Himschoot, who represents Sitka, Petersburg, and most of Prince of Wales, serves as co-chair for the House Education Committee. She said that inflation proofing comes with risks. But she highlighted a provision in House Bill 57, which boosted education funding last year, that formed an education funding task force. It’s charged with making funding and school facility recommendations by the start of the next legislative session in January. 

Himschoot also talked about a one-time funding package lawmakers approved this spring which will cover a bulk of school districts’ energy costs. That’s set to begin next fiscal year. 

“That’s a knowable cost, and right now that also comes out of that BSA pot of money,” Himschoot said. “So that’ll free up money in the BSA if we can make good on our work that we’re going to help with some of those fixed costs.”

Other lawmakers at the forum highlighted the need to fix Alaska’s education funding timeline, and build up communities to prevent declining student enrollment. 

The Southeast lawmakers were also queried on what they think the legislature should tackle first in the upcoming session. Their answers included finding ways to generate more state revenue, investing in capital, and protecting the permanent fund dividend. 

A few of the lawmakers, including Andi Story of Juneau, said the legislature needs to prioritize education. 

“We want to keep our young people, our families here,” Story said. “To do that, it’s got to be – we have to have a strong education system and invest in our kids and our future.”  

The legislators were also asked about mariculture, sick leave, and community revitalization during the roughly hour-long forum. The three-day summit hosted by Southeast Conference concluded Thursday.

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution. 

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Southeast Conference’s annual economic summit kicked off Tuesday morning at the Ted Ferry Civic Center in Ketchikan. Industry heads, state employees and tribal entities are set to discuss Southeast Alaska issues ranging from housing, to fishing, to timber during the three-day conference. 

Following a welcome address, representatives from Southeast Conference, the Alaska Municipal League and the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska discussed the state of the region. All highlighted the importance of working collaboratively to advance the region’s needs. 

“I think we’re a very resilient region,” said Tlingit & Haida President Richard Peterson on Tuesday. “I think we’re in better shape because of our partnerships, and as we continue to work together, we will get through whatever hard times we’re facing.” 

Peterson talked about the need for tribal consultation when regional decisions are made. He also spoke about Alaska’s upcoming gubernatorial election and the importance of voting. The conference hosted a gubernatorial forum with four candidates on Tuesday. 

Nils Andreassen from the Alaska Municipal League, which services municipalities around the state, also talked about the resiliency of Southeast Alaska. But he said despite the strengths of the region, there also needs to be a more concerted effort to address affordability, livability and sustainability. He said that will require hard conversations. 

“There is a lot of work to do to make sure that this is a region where people want to be and can afford to stay, and ultimately will be here for generations to come,” Andreassen said.

Speakers also spotlighted challenges the region faces. Southeast Conference Board President and Juneau City Manager Katie Koester said one of the biggest challenges for Southeast Alaska is natural disasters. She said partnering with state and tribal entities can help mitigate disasters, like Juneau’s annual glacial outburst flooding. 

Koester said another regional challenge is aging infrastructure, which she said will require a lot of state investment. But, she said the region’s number one challenge is its aging population.  

“This issue of aging demographics and slowly losing our population, just is, you know, death by a thousand cuts,” Koester said. “It’s something that needs to be the number one issue that we address as a region because we don’t have a future if we don’t have our children.” 

She said shifting populations affect everything from schools to housing to job opportunities. 

Panelists also talked about what they hope to get out of Alaska’s next governor. They mentioned increased investment in state government, more focus on island communities, and a governor who isn’t going to sue Alaskans over tribal sovereignty. 

Southeast Conference will run through Thursday in Ketchikan. 

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

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To submit a local photo, send it to photo@krbd.org. You can vote for your favorite Photo of the Day submission by going to our Facebook page and hitting “like!” We announce a new winner each week, and the winner gets a bag of Raven’s Brew coffee (prize must be picked up at the station).

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