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It was recently revealed that Shee Atika Inc. has proposed to swap its logged-out land on Admiralty Island for two nearly pristine tracts of federal land on Chichagof and Yakobi islands, near Pelican.

I am disheartened to learn that the U.S. Forest Service is actually considering it. The move would clearly not be in the best interests of the public.

Practically, the area in question has a long history of public use by the residents of Pelican and many others, from Southeast and beyond. People hunt, fish, collect water, hike and beach-comb in the area that Shee Atika wants. Going without a great hiking spot is one thing, but losing your prime hunting grounds is simply not an option for some residents. Putting this land in private hands would make all this long-established public use an impossibility.

Conceptually, when Shee Atika made its choice of locations during the original distribution that was its choice. It hardly seems fair to permit an organization that exhausted the resources on its land to trade it for new, unspoiled wilderness at the public's expense.

Economically, any mining and logging activity at the site would do little to improve the economic situation in the city. There are no miners or loggers in Pelican, and any successful business model could not rely on Pelican's supply infrastructure or the terribly infrequent state ferry. Pelican and its people would hardly see an ounce of economic gain, but its losses would be palpable.

For example, near the mouth of the inlet, within the area in question, is Ewe Ledge, a little cove that harbors the Shoreline fish-buying scow. In partnership with Hoonah Cold Storage, this little "island" provides summer employment for three deck hands, a manager and a tender craft, and buys literally hundreds of thousands of pounds of fish from the fleet each year - greatly increasing efficiency and product quality.

It also holds its famous Christmas in July party - which has become a cornerstone of the Cross Sound social scene, is a port in a storm, a store in a crisis, and a hot shower whenever you need it. It is an essential element in the economic and cultural well-being of the entire area. All this would be lost if the swap goes through and use of the location and the fresh water connection to shore suddenly become illegal.

Personally, the area's sentimental value is enormous. I have pictures of my family hiking in that area that are decades old. I've eaten deer that my grandfather has harvested out of that land. I rowed across the inlet to the shore Shee Atika now wants when I was 11 (over a mile!) and am still proud of the feat. And the ashes of my cousin Glen, one of the persons whom I am most honored to have known during my life, are spread at a waterfall that would become privately owned. I don't want to have to become a trespasser to go visit him.

If the federal government wants to make Admiralty Island more whole by acquiring Shee Atika's holdings at Cube Cove it should be able to negotiate terms of sale or transfer that do not exact such a heavy toll on the public whose interests are its first priority. "Maintaining the stunning beauty and other natural values while still providing access to and use of public resources" is a charge that would not be best served by this transfer. I urge all parties involved to find better means to meet their goals.

• Carl Brodersen is a Juneau resident.