My Turn: Cape Fox land bill: Justice for Alaska Natives now
As former president of Sealaska Corp., I've seen many emotional arguments against development, sometimes made just as passionately as the complaints against the proposed land exchange involving Sealaska and the Cape Fox Village Corporation of Saxman. That doesn't mean that the complaints are accurate, fair or just.
Some Juneau residents are so concerned over the possibility of renewed mineral development at the Kensington mine northwest of Berners Bay that they will not only attack the process, but the substance of an exchange that will be good for Southeast Natives, the economy and public land users.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski has gone out of her way to listen to the views of Alaskans. First, she held a formal Senate field hearing for Alaskans to testify on the bill. Then when Juneau residents complained that the hearing wasn't held in Southeast, she held another town meeting here in Juneau where, until time ran out, she allowed anyone who wished to comment.
Having seen the process for many congressional measures, Senator Murkowski's action of holding a town meeting was an unprecedented effort to gather public input. Clearly, Natives and non-Natives alike have had ample opportunity to make their views known. Lisa Murkowski's actions show how much of a leader she really is.
About the exchange, the measure is fully justified. It moves to untangle the patchwork of land management that has harmed the environment and Southeast Native corporations since the passage of the Native Claims Settlement Act.
Cape Fox was unjustly barred by the original act from selecting lands within six miles of Ketchikan. That prevented the corporation's shareholders from selecting high-value lands with greater revenue potential - the whole purpose behind the claims act. Under this exchange Sealaska will gain limited subsurface rights but will also relinquish subsurface rights to more than 8,000 acres.
Juneau's Goldbelt Inc. also has been disadvantaged. It was convinced by environmentalists to make its land selections off Admiralty Island, selecting acreage, for example, at Echo Cove. Now Juneau-area environmentalists act as if all lands surrounding Berners Bay should be classified as wilderness, something Congress specifically chose not do.
If this land trade is approved, Cape Fox shareholders will benefit from leasing the land needed for the mine's road and tailings pond - revenues that otherwise will go to the U.S. Treasury. Sealaska shareholders will benefit from royalties from any minerals found outside of the already patented mining claims. Goldbelt shareholders also will benefit from profitable development of their lands.
Juneau would gain since it could speed construction of the mine, helping to diversify the town's economy sooner, while Ketchikan would benefit from the limited timber harvesting the deal will facilitate in southern Southeast. Ketchikan's residents also will gain from the 160 acres Cape Fox is giving up on Revilla Island, returning prime wildlife habitat to public use.
The irony is that opponents seem to think that opposing the exchange will stop the Kensington mine. It won't. That's because mine development will proceed once the final environmental review is finished. The only issue is whether anyone except the federal treasury will benefit.
There is no chance of commercial logging on the western shore of Berners Bay given the lower quality of timber there. Natives know that Sealaska will be better able to protect the area's Native ancestral and burial sites than the Forest Service. Everyone should know that the deal requires an appraisal of all lands involved so that it represents a true equal-value exchange based on the appraised value of the land, not the square footage. That appraisal must be conducted by an independent, third-party appraisal group to ensure fairness.
The final issue is the concern among Juneau residents that they might lose some recreational opportunities. The truth is most of Berners Bay will remain in protected status under federal control.
For nearly two generations some Southeast Alaska Natives have been denied the chance to fulfill the promise of the claims settlement act because they have been unable to select profitable lands. This exchange will solve that. It would seem to me that Alaskans should support this bill so justice is no longer delayed and thus denied to the state's first inhabitants.
• Robert W. Loescher is a Juneau consultant and former president of Sealaska Corp.