(Courtesy photo | Jeff Lund)

(Courtesy photo | Jeff Lund)

Opinion: Roadless Rule needed to protect salmon, trout

The rule was set up in a sensible way for Southeast.

  • By Mark Kaelke
  • Tuesday, October 29, 2019 11:24pm
  • Opinion

There have been more misconceptions flying around about the Roadless Rule on the Tongass than Democrats trying to impeach the president lately. It’s time to clear some of them up.

Though federal rules may not be high on everyone’s list of entertainment, if you live in Southeast and are one of the 26% of residents who value a job based on fishing or tourism, or want to look out the window of your home, boat or plane and continue to see beautiful, old-growth trees and not massive clear-cuts, then please read on.

The national Roadless Rule has been in place in the Tongass for most of the past two decades. It has helped shape our tourism and fishing economy by maintaining strong salmon runs, lush old-growth forest, and clean air and water. How? By preventing new roads that would open the forest to clear-cut logging in undeveloped areas.

Roads cause erosion which impairs water quality and associated culverts often block fish migration. Logging can add more sediment to streams and impact water temperatures. All these factors can be harmful to salmon and trout. On top of that, the Forest Service has acknowledged they have a huge backlog of maintenance issues to address on our existing roads, making it extremely unwise to add new problems and expenses into the mix.

Moreover, the rule was set up in a sensible way for Southeast. For instance, communities around the region who plan development activities that would technically be off-limits under the rule are able to request exemptions. And they do, for things like transportation, habitat improvement and energy projects, and those exemptions are granted. In fact, the Forest Service has approved every single exception for projects like this within a matter of weeks.

Some have argued that there are other protections in place for the forest and so the rule isn’t needed. It’s true, there are protections, but they don’t go far enough to ensure that fish and resource-based jobs Southeast Alaskans depend on will be safe from industrial clear-cut logging. For instance, only 35% of key fish-producing areas are safeguarded if we took away the Roadless Rule. You wouldn’t allow your home security system to only watch 35% of your house, would you? If you were told the drinking water was 35% clean to drink, would you drink it? I wouldn’t either.

When it comes to conserving the resources upon which our salmon and jobs depend, we can’t rely on the bare-minimum to get the job done. Ecosystems are complicated things that need to be managed as a whole, not just in bits and pieces as other protections we have in place do.

Alaska’s salmon are core to our economy and way of life. If we take steps to protect that resource, we’re protecting who we are as a state and the industries that sustain our communities. In the case of the Roadless Rule, all we must do is leave the rule in place to reap those benefits.

— Mark Kaelke is Southeast Alaska Program Director for Trout Unlimited


• Mark Kaelke is Southeast Alaska Program Director for Trout Unlimited.


More in Opinion

Shana Loshbaugh (Courtesy photo)
History conference seeking input from peninsula people

The Alaska Historical Society will hold its annual conference on the central peninsula this fall

Coach Dan Gensel (left) prepares to get his ear pierced to celebrate Soldotna High School’s first team-sport state championship on Friday, Febr. 12, 1993 in Soldotna, Alaska. Gensel, who led the Soldotna High School girls basketball team to victory, had promised his team earlier in the season that he would get his ear pierced if they won the state title. (Rusty Swan/Peninsula Clarion)
Remembering my friend, Dan Gensel

It’s a friendship that’s both fixed in time and eternal

(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: The false gods in America’s gun culture

HB 61 is a solution in search of a problem.

KPBSD Superintendent Clayton Holland
Reflecting on a year of growth and resilience

A message from the superintendent

Jim Cockrell, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety. (Courtesy photo/Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)
Honoring the 69 peace officers who have died serving Alaskans

Alaska Peace Officer Memorial Day honors the brave men and women who have given their lives in the line of duty

Rep. Maxine Dibert (Image via Alaska State Legislature)
Opinion: The economic case for a significant investment in education

As our oil production and related revenue have declined, our investments in education have remained flat

Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion
Smoke from the Swan Lake Fire impairs visibility on the Sterling Highway on Aug. 20, 2019.
Don’t let the abundance of snow fool you; Alaskans should prepare for wildfire season

Last summer’s 590 wildfires burned more than 3.1 million acres in Alaska, about 41% of the total acreage burned in the U.S.

Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File
Former Gov. Frank Murkowski in May 2019.
Opinion: Statewide sales tax just doesn’t make ‘horse sense’

Money for the dividend was meant to be sized after State government services obligations had been met

The Alaska State Capitol. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Point of View: Big steps to strengthen child care system

Funding in the budget, statutory reforms and support from the administration are all necessary to strengthen the child care system in Alaska

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during a news conference in which options for a long-range fiscal plan were discussed. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: Tax talk should be paired with PFD pragmatism

Alaska is 30 years into state budget deficits, borrowing billions from savings to pay the bills.

Teaser
Opinion: Seafood Producers Cooperative responds to WFC ruling

“I want to convey our great disappointment…”

Lawmakers, staff and other workers inside the The Alaska State Capitol are preparing this week for the upcoming session of the Alaska State Legislature that starts Jan. 17, including the release of the first round of prefile bills published Monday by the Legislative Affairs Agency. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Alaska Voices: Senate tax bills threaten critically needed community investment

Hilcorp Alaska’s role as a major sponsor of our race is a source of great pride