On May 5, Gov. Sean Parnell announced a new state timber task force to focus on creation of new timber industry jobs on federal, state and private lands. The governor also announced that the state will withdraw from the Tongass Futures Roundtable (TFR), a privately sponsored, non-governmental forum. The TFR fosters dialogue on achieving a long-term balance of healthy and diverse communities, vibrant economies, responsible use of resources (including timber) while maintaining the natural values and ecological integrity of the forest.
Of the 31 member organizations identified on the roundtable website, six are conservation organizations. The governor’s timber task force announcement mentions no conservation members, yet conservationists may have a greater voice in task force deliberations then they have had on the roundtable. How can this be? The governor’s timber task force will be subject to the state’s public meetings law. Everyone, regardless of interest, will be entitled to the opportunities that law provides. Any member of the public will also be able to access public documents under the state’s freedom of information act.
By comparison, because the TFR is a privately convened forum funded by the Moore, Hewlett, Wilburforce, Rasmuson and Campion foundations, and The Nature Conservancy, it is not subject to the Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information Act the way the state is. The TFR’s website fosters an open, inclusive and transparent process to reach all Tongass voices. However, this laudable goal is hampered by the fact that original roundtable members were appointed by the roundtable organizers. More recent members are selected by already existing members. This self-appointment flies in the face of an open and democratic public process. An increasingly vocal number of conservationists are expressing a belief that their interests are not represented well enough by the organizations on the roundtable.
State government is accountable to the public. The roundtable and its funders are not. Time will tell how well recommendations by the state’s new timber task force balance protection of Alaska’s uniquely important wildlife habitat values with the Governor’s stated intent to promote new timber industry jobs. Maybe, just maybe, conservationists will fare better under the task force than many of them have with the Tongass Futures Roundtable.
• Baker is a 40-year Juneau resident and forester by training. He served as a U.S. Forest Service employee, natural resource specialist for Gov. Jay Hammond and former Deputy Director of ADF&G’s Habitat Division. He has volunteered with non-profit conservation groups.
Comments (11)
Add commentGIve us a break Bruce....
This is truly an example of the delusional atmosphere of the extreme environmentalists dominating this group...I am pleased the Governor pulled out and hope it just becomes SEACC and pals sitting around brainstorming on how to spend their millions to further stop the human race here in SE Alaska.
Bruce, you have managed to kill off the employment opportunities for our youth, caused record employment levels in our neighboring villages, and further compound the loss of population in our region. Congratulations Bruce and SEACC on a job well done, guess you don't have to worry about your kids, grandkids, etc. being able to live in SE Alaska....oh thats right, most SEACC employees come and go with the wind to save the planet where they are needed the most...sure wish they would go save China or Brazil.
@nottacheechako: if the human
@nottacheechako: if the human race can be "stopped" by limiting logging, then maybe it's not fit to survive in the first place.
Give us a break. This sounds more like Parnell getting away from anyone who might disagree with him so he can better contain criticism.
He's got a point about public process
That Tongass Futures Roundtable does not represent the region - it's special interest tool. Does more damage then it does help. They should discontinue it.
PP
It ain't just logging PP...heard of the roadless rule? Have you been awake the past 20 years with the redundant permitting processes and lawsuits regarding mining? I think more trees rot and die from bugs than have been logged the past 20 years.
Go talk to the folks in Angoon, Hoonah and Kake about their job prospects and their youth abandoning their villages...and don't forget to ask what they pay for diesel/gas.
It is all about closing the Tongass down to the few elite granolas and their trustfunders to wander around counting spotted owls and protecting "their" forest.
nottacheechako .....
... you sound like a cheechako.
Ask the people who live around Kake what the free-wheeling logging that was done there got for them. The forest around Kake was logged to the max ... to the point that their supply of fresh water was in danger. They had to ask for the help of the environmental community to help save their drinking water from their own tribal logging company.
Go ask the people of Hoonah how they feel about extreme and unfettered logging by SEALASKA ... a corporation comprised of their kin.
In the final result, all industrial logging gets you is a hell of a lot of stumps.
Cube Cove
"nottacheechao" ought to fly over to Admiralty National Monument and see the "monument" that SHEE ATIKA CORPORATION left for the future. A 12 mile long clear cut that stands as the gold standard for abuse of a resource. Where are all of the jobs generated by Shee Atika's rape of Cube Cove??.... Why, they all went back to Oregon and Washington, where the high paid workers all came from to begin with. Oh, yea, give us more of this crap..... here's a stick..... keep hitting me with it!
thank you bruce and right on Good
One clarification would be that the Roundtable is in part publicly funded through sponsorship by the Forest Service's private foundation, the National Forest Foundation that receives public funding in matching grants from the taxpayer. This really adds insult to the injury of the public process flaws with the Roundtable since the taxpayers are in part directly paying for a small group of timber interests and a non-representative group of environmentalists to negotiate land exchanges, plan "collaborative" timber sales, lobby for agency funding and the like.
This aspect of the Roundtable is important because this is in part a Bush administration era Forest Service deal and because years ago, Congress in its wisdom made rules for deals like this - federal agencies weren't supposed to create advisory committees without following certain public process requirements - such as notice, the right to be heard, the right to obtain meeting notes, etc. Congress even established a sunset provision requiring that advisory committees terminate. The reason for these rules is obvious when you look at the Roundtable - Congress was afraid of large wastes of public money and also afraid the public interest would be subverted by special interest groups. And here, you have multiple public agency personnel attending and preparing powerpoints on federal budgets and flying around the region at public expense (and we know public employees aren't cheap) all for the benefit of a few select timber industry representatives and a few select environmental groups chosen not by their ability to represent, but by their funding mechanism.
I agree that oddly, the public will have better input through the Timber Task Force than it will for a specially selected group of foundation representative and clearcutting advocates who are trying to rezone the Forest. This is especially so in light of a recent response from TFR members to POW communities that are concerned about the secret negotiations - one TFR member actually belittled people in the communities who just sent a few sincere questions about what was on the bargaining table with regard to the Sealaska bill.
I disagree completely with Parnell's plans to increase private and state land logging, but I have to give him credit for improving the public transparency of the interests involved in national forest management. You'd think you could expect better from conservationists and the federal government than from Sarah Palin's former running mate, but we live in interesting times.
Whether or not that was your plan, thanks gov, for at least supporting transparency and disclosure over public resource management. And thanks again Bruce, I wish I had time to do more than just a quick rant in support of your view. Perhaps later.
valianthunter .....
..... I agree with you, and Bruce, wholeheartedly. The timber industry always tries to do things and make shady deals behind closed doors. They hate "the light of day", like the predatory vampires they are.
@nottacheechako: what is it
@nottacheechako: what is it with you people and your obsession with trust funds? Who the hell even knows anyone who has a trust fund? I know I don't. And yet, I can see the value of protecting the forests from the various kinds of destruction people would subject it to in the name of "jobs!"
I'll tell you what: when you agree to take responsibility and mitigate all the environmental effects caused by your industry, I'll let you perform that industry. Until that happens, it's just a case of taking resources and not cleaning up after yourself, which is not a very adult thing to do.
I'm not quite sure the
I'm not quite sure the general public has an interest or strong constituency to be represented at round-table discussions. I mean if you look at the number of people who vote in general elections, local, state or federal, its roughly 20%. So to say it needs a public voice, your talking about a mouse squeak with the handful of people who may want to get involved at a level of participation that might make an impact.
@pp: I think its not so much they feel you actually have a trust fund but that you come across as your end is covered and you have your bills taken care of with your income, but you dont appreciate the concern or welfare of others whose livelihood depends on resource development. Posts from you in the past imply your a bureaucrat or state employee (maybe or maybe not) but that you more or less look at data and live more in an Ivory tower world rather than one where people roll up their sleeves and break their backs to support their family. Not saying that you are, but you do in fact come across that way.
Glad to see you finally got
Glad to see you finally got your facts straight Zero... at least some of them-finally associating cube cove with Sheeatika; not Sealaska. Guess if you flail around long enough with a stick you will hit the pinata given an infinite amount of time.