Southeast Alaska: Big Thorne Contract Awarded to Viking Lumber Company; Lawsuits Pending - The Tongass National Forest awarded the Big Thorne Stewardship Integrated Resource Timber Contract Tuesday to Viking Lumber Company, located on Prince of Wales Island.

Viking Lumber was previously awarded tha contract last year, but the sale was halted due to concerns raised over impacts on the wolf and deer populations on Prince of Wales Island. After reconsidering the sale, the Forest Service again awarded the contract to Viking Lumber. However, ground disturbing activities are not allowed before April, 2015, because of pending litigation. Last month, the State of Alaska filed motions to intervene in three lawsuits where various environmental organizations are seeking to halt the Big Thorne timber project in Southeast Alaska.

Big Thorne Stewardship project will allow for the harvest of 97 million board feet of timber and includes five stewardship projects, such as trail renovations, stream restoration projects, and young growth thinning to enhance wildlife habitat.

“Big Thorne is a critical project that is needed now to ensure the long-term success of our transition,” said Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole. “It is the key to a young-growth future. It allows for a long-term supply of timber, provides stability and sustains jobs while giving local businesses an opportunity to retool to process young-growth timber and seek new markets.”

According to Forest Service officials, Viking’s proposal was the best value to the government. Viking demonstrated the best technical and financial ability to meet the diversity of projects in the stewardship contract.

Commenting on the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to award the Big Thorne Stewardship Contract to Viking Lumber Company, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell (R-AK) said in a prepared statement, “This is a step in the right direction after far too long a delay. However, inadequate federal timber sales and irresponsible lawsuits by environmental groups to stop all logging continue to threaten Alaska’s timber families." Governor Parnell said, "We will help defend the sale against those who want to kill Alaska’s jobs and shut down our traditional timber communities. The Forest Service must put more sales out to meet increasing demand for both old-growth and young-growth material.”

In a prepared statement, U.S. Senator Mark Begich(D-AK) also commented on the announcement saying, “I have voiced support for the Big Thorne timber sale since it was first proposed several years ago, as it indicated that the USFS was trying to provide a multi-year supply of timber to mills in Southeast Alaska. Since that time, several things have occurred. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a Tongass transition memorandum in which the Big Thorne sale was specifically identified as a critical piece of the “bridge timber” needed to keep the industry alive, the size of the sale was reduced, and there were significant delays in advertising the sale and awarding a contract."

Begich said, “While [Tuesday's] award is potentially good news for Viking and Prince of Wales Island, I am concerned that the agreement between the USFS and plaintiffs in ongoing litigation to suspend any work until April 2015 could cause Viking to run out of a wood supply prior to being allowed to access Big Thorne. A timber sale contract should lead to trees being cut. This does not—for at least another six months. I would urge the USFS to closely monitor the wood supply available to Viking for the duration of the delay, and take whatever steps are necessary to supply timber until such time as Big Thorne is available."

“I have fought hard to keep Viking in business," said Begich, "and I appreciate the efforts of Alaska USFS staff to overcome huge obstacles to get this sale over the goal line in an effort to support the timber industry and the economies of rural Southeast Alaska communities. History in other states has taught us that once the timber industry is lost and mills close, they will not return. Southeast Alaska cannot afford any more mill closures due to timber supply delays.” - More...
Thursday PM - October 02, 2014

Alaska: November NPR-A Oil & Gas Lease Sale Announced - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced today that it will hold an oil and gas lease sale for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) on Wednesday, November 19, in Anchorage.

The lease sale, the fourth since President Obama directed the Secretary of the Interior in 2011 to conduct annual oil and gas lease sales in the NPR-A, includes 270 tracts that cover about 3 million acres. The Notice of Sale will be published in tomorrow’s Federal Register.

“The November sale is in line with the Administration’s commitment to expand domestic energy production,” said BLM Director Neil Kornze, who attended and opened last year’s NPR-A sale. “The BLM has taken a balanced approach to development in the NPR-A to ensure that future production is done safely and responsibly while protecting the subsistence resources of Alaska Natives and the habitat of world-class wildlife populations.”

Since 1999, nine previous lease sales have generated more than $263 million. Currently, 207 authorized leases cover more than 1.75 million acres. Tracts available for lease are consistent with the NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan finalized in February 2013.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said in a prepared statement, “I wish I could applaud the administration for planning another lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve. Unfortunately, this sale – like the previous one – is simply a diversion." - More...
Thursday PM - October 02, 2014

Southeast Alaska: Seven Southeast Alaska Tribes Form Partnership to Monitor Harmful Algal Bloom Events - The Sitka Tribe of Alaska has formed the Southeast Alaska Tribal Toxins partnership to unify southeast Alaska Tribes in monitoring harmful algal bloom events that pose a human health risk to the subsistence shellfish harvester, such as paralytic shellfish poisoning. This monitoring effort will provide weekly data on the timing and distribution of harmful algal blooms along with measurements of environmental conditions, indicators, and potential mechanisms that trigger harmful algal bloom events.

The Southeast Alaska Tribal Toxins (SEATT) partners include: Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Klawock Cooperative Association, Craig Tribal Association, Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, Petersburg Indian Association, Organized Village of Kasaan, and Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Biotoxin Programs from Seattle, WA and Charleston, SC have committed to provide training through workshops to help develop the SEATT program. Sitka Tribe of Alaska is hosting a workshop in November for SEATT to provide training on sample collection techniques and data entry. NOAA staff will help facilitate the trainings using previously established protocols used by other HAB monitoring groups throughout nation. - More...
Thursday PM - October 02, 2014