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Bostwick Road/Gravina Island
By Erin Murphy

 

March 04, 2007
Sunday PM


Here is an email I sent Mr. Greg V at the Tongass Conservation Society after reading the fabrications in their articles.

Dear Greg,

My name is Erin. I am a third generation Alaskan. I was one of the truck drivers that built the Bostwick road from start to finish. It's funny, your "team" made several trips onto our job and none of you thought to talk to any of us before you went and wrote all the scathing articles. I can tell you that all of us on that job treated the streams, land and animals with the utmost respect. We don't leave trash; we clean up after ourselves and our equipment. All of you make it sound as if Gravina is getting raped. That road will give countless people access to a place they wouldn't normally go. Travel to Hollis, it was logged there and today it's absolutely beautiful. The Bostwick job supported my family for eight months, as a single Mom that means a lot. Why don't you and your "society" give a truthful and fair account of what's going on over there? Why do you make it sound like logging and road building is the evil of all evils?

Do you wipe your butt with paper? Do you live in a home built with wood? Where do you think those things come from? Give me a break here, these days there is so much red tape to do anything, do you think anyone can just go rape the land?

I'm from here. My children are growing up here and I'm afraid that people like you and your "society" will make it so there is nothing for them here but a view. It's really hard to by groceries without jobs, industry and progress. It is possible to strike a balance; you don't have to be on one side or the other. Maybe if you all tried to help bridge that gap we could all work together to responsibly log, fish and recreate instead of taking opportunities away from families like mine . . . just a suggestion.

Sincerely,

Erin Murphy
Lifelong Alaskan
Ketchikan, AK

Received March 02, 2007 - Published March 04, 2006

About: "Third generation Alaskan. Worked the Bostwick Road project start to finish."

 

Related Viewpoint:

letter All Eyes on Gravina By Gregory Vickrey - Ketchikan, AK

 

 

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