Last week, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell testified before the Senate Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee to discuss the 2016 Forest Service budget request. And in the midst of back-and-forth between Chief Tidwell and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on how best to support southeast Alaska’s flagging timber industry, there flickered the light of growing consensus on an extremely important issue – the need to allocate more resources to support the burgeoning tourism, recreation and fishing businesses in the region. On this point, we agree. It is indeed time to increase the Tongass’ recreation budget, which supports the largest private, sustainable, job creating industries in the region – tourism and fishing.
Fishing and tourism contribute approximately 7,000 and 11,000 jobs respectively and pump around $1 billion apiece annually into southeast Alaska. The visitor services industry alone results in $1.1 billion in annual spending: beyond the costs of hiring a guide or outfitting for a trip, booking a hotel or eating in a restaurant, millions of dollars are raised from things such as sales tax revenues, bed tax revenues, and dockage and moorage fees. The fishing industry and related services that depend on the Tongass includes everything from the commercial seafood industry and recreational/sport and personal use/subsistence fishing, to hatchery operations and processing.
In fact, despite a growing demand for recreation services, over the past five years the Forest Service has repeatedly cut funding and staff for the very programs that generate the most money and jobs in southeast Alaska. Increasing funding for recreation programs is crucial to supporting tourism and fishing, which rely to such a large degree on a healthy forest and watersheds. More than 1 million people visit the region annually, and the majority of these people come to see world-class temperate forest habitat, an endless variety of iconic wildlife – including bald eagles, brown bears and the uniquely Alaskan Alexander Archipelago wolf, or to catch wild salmon in one of many pristine watersheds…not to see clear-cuts.
Via thehill.com
image credit akphotography.com
