What others say: Seeking solutions

  • Monday, November 7, 2016 8:32pm
  • Opinion

Given enough incentive, powerful people can move mountains.

But it’s just one mountain of concern at the moment. That’s Ketchikan’s Deer Mountain, the object of the community’s latest debate.

Part of the mountain is within the Alaska Mental Health Trust. The trust’s board of directors and management have the fiduciary responsibility to manage trust land to its benefit, realizing returns to pay for mental health services in Alaska.

The trust’s directors — after waiting 10 years to exchange its land on Deer Mountain and some other acreage in Ketchikan, Petersburg and other areas — have decided to harvest timber on the mountain if Congress doesn’t approve the proposed land swap by Jan. 15. There’s no time like the present for the most return because of the near extinction of the timber industry. Waiting any longer only increases the likelihood of a drop in value of the mountain for the trust.

This week the directors reaffirmed an August decision to proceed with a harvest. The trust is on track to offer a timber sale in January.

Meanwhile, the trust will have two informational meetings open to the public on Tuesday.

It will be valuable to both the trust and the public to listen to one another. The discussion is amongst Ketchikan residents who recognize the value of Deer Mountain to the community, and, jointly, to the timber and tourism industries. The economy and jobs are intertwined with the industries and of no small importance.

Of course, the least impact to the mountain is what’s desired. That means no harvest. But, again, the trust has a responsibility to fulfill. If timber harvest is to occur, it should be in an aesthetic manner, perhaps through a helicopter-logging operation. Only trees that will result in a financial return are wanted, and helicopter logging has worked out in Blank Inlet with no detectable visual scar.

Ketchikan’s timber industry, which dates back to the early 1900s, most definitely has the expertise to make that happen.

That is critical because tourism is to the community what mental health is to the trust. Ketchikan cannot sacrifice one for the other. They are undeniably connected, as Ketchikan residents and other Alaskans benefit when mental health provides services. Mental-health patients, their family and friends, and their community realize a benefit from jobs and a healthy economy.

The tone moving forward should be one that will result in a win for the community, of which mental health plays a part.

The trust has set a deadline of Jan. 15. In the meantime, the Alaska congressional delegation, Gov. Bill Walker, local government leaders and the industry could resolve the issue.

It might take the drawing of a line in the sand, but so be it. Congress will be in a lame-duck session after the Nov. 8 election. But discussions about Deer Mountain’s future should have been taking place in the two bodies since August and before. With enough incentive, powerful people in Congress can be made to act even in the shortest time period.

Undoubtedly, Gov. Walker will be involved. He heard first hand about the issue earlier this month when he visited Ketchikan.

His tendency toward leadership over politics will play well in this case. W

ith that, there are 11 weeks to resolve the issue. Eleven weeks is nearly a quarter of a year. Still, there’s no time to lose.

Tuesday’s public meetings will be at 3 p.m. at the Saxman Community Hall and 7 p.m. at the Ted Ferry Civic Center.

Let’s talk solutions.

— Ketchikan Daily News, Oct. 29, 2016

More in Opinion

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks in support of an agreement between the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and Goldbelt Inc. to pursue engineering and design services to determine whether it’s feasible to build a new ferry terminal facility in Juneau at Cascade Point. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
State, labor and utilities are aligned on modernizing the Railbelt grid

Today, Alaska has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to capture federal infrastructure dollars and… Continue reading

No to 67%

Recently, the Alaska State Officers Compensation Commission voted to raise the pay… Continue reading

This image available under the Creative Commons license shows the outline of the state of Alaska filled with the pattern of the state flag.
Opinion: Old models of development are not sustainable for Alaska

Sustainability means investing in keeping Alaska as healthy as possible.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy unveils proposals to offer public school teachers annual retention bonuses and enact policies restricting discussion of sex and gender in education during a news conference in Anchorage. (Screenshot)
Opinion: As a father and a grandfather, I believe the governor’s proposed laws are anti-family

Now, the discrimination sword is pointing to our gay and transgender friends and families.

Kenai Peninsula Education Association President Nathan Erfurth works in his office on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Voices of the Peninsula: Now is the time to invest in Kenai Peninsula students

Parents, educators and community members addressed the potential budget cuts with a clear message.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: An accurate portrayal of parental rights isn’t controversial

Affirming and defining parental rights is a matter of respect for the relationship between parent and child

t
Opinion: When the state values bigotry over the lives of queer kids

It has been a long, difficult week for queer and trans Alaskans like me.

Unsplash / Louis Velazquez
Opinion: Fish, family and freedom… from Big Oil

“Ultimate investment in the status quo” is not what I voted for.

Dr. Sarah Spencer. (Photo by Maureen Todd and courtesy of Dr. Sarah Spencer)
Voices of the Peninsula: Let’s bring opioid addiction treatment to the Alaskans who need it most

This incredibly effective and safe medication has the potential to dramatically increase access to treatment

An orphaned moose calf reared by the author is seen in 1970. (Stephen F. Stringham/courtesy photo)
Voices of the Peninsula: Maximizing moose productivity on the Kenai Peninsula

Maximum isn’t necessarily optimum, as cattle ranchers learned long ago.

(Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: The time has come to stop Eastman’s willful and wanton damage

God in the Bible makes it clear that we are to care for the vulnerable among us.

Caribou graze on the greening tundra of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska in June, 2001. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: AIDEA’s $20 million-and-growing investment looks like a bad bet

Not producing in ANWR could probably generate a lot of money for Alaska.