June 11, 2011
Saturday

We heard Sealaska's Byron Mallott speaking before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources recent hearing on S-730 say, “We were here first”. This is plain and simply not true. DNA analysis of the 9600 year old  human remains found in “On Your Knees Cave” on north Prince of Wales Island SE Alaska 15 years ago, and of over 200 present day native volunteers of SE Alaska show no genetic link. It seems pretty clear that the Tlingits, Haidas and Tsimshians were not the first people of SE Alaska. The truth is that humans have been migrating since the beginning of humanity.  The man from “On Your Knees Cave” is ancestor to ALL of us. This land belongs to ALL of us.

It is also true that in 1976, congress amended ANCSA specifically at the request of Sealaska, that they be able to make their final land claims selections from within the 10 native village corporation withdrawal areas, the “in the box” areas.  If Sealaska were allowed to select prime old growth forest and habitat lands out of the designated box it would seriously undermine a diversified regional sustainable  economy of  tourism, recreation, commercial fishing, sustainable timber harvest, subsistence, and conservation needs and the ability of the USFS to continue to implement its transition management strategies of balanced multiple use, in exchange for the exclusive , special treatment and economic gain of one special interest group.

Public lands should remain PUBLIC, where-in natives and non -natives have EQUAL access.

Jeff Sbonek
Port Protection, AK

Received June 09, 2011 - Published June 11, 2011