I’ve been lucky to have hunted and fished throughout the U.S. ,but every time I come home to Juneau, I’m struck by just how good we hunters and fisherman have it here.
With deer, bear and mountain goats right out our backdoor and salt and fresh waters rich with salmon, trout and halibut nearby, we truly live in a sportsman’s paradise. And the big difference between what we have here and what I’ve seen in the Lower 48 is habitat. The intact forests and clean, naturally-functioning waterways of the Tongass set us apart and are growing increasingly rare in other places. So, I’m at a complete loss as to how the Forest Service and Trump administration figure exempting the Tongass from the Roadless Rule is the best way forward.
The Tongass already has over 5,000 miles of roads for those wanting to motorized access to hunting and fishing. The existing rule provides exemptions for new roads and other development project, and most importantly, it keeps all that critical fish and game habitat healthy so we can keep filling our freezers. It’s really simple, if you hunt, fish or recreate on the Tongass and want to do so in the future, you should support keeping the Roadless rule in place.
Alan Corbett,
Douglas
• Columns, My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire.