(Mark Brennan from Oakton, Virginia)

The U.S. Forest Service hosted a public meeting at the AB Hall in Skagway on Tuesday to explain why the agency is pursuing a full exemption to the Roadless Rule in the Tongass National Forest. The Roadless Rule protects the forest from development. The agency told the community there would be no big changes as a result of the roll-back.

Mayor Andrew Cremata was not convinced.

“When asked him to quantify how they came to reach those conclusions, they didn’t have an answer,” he said.

“Because there probably isn’t an answer, because if you think that will have minimal impact on the visitor industry, no impact on protected habitat… It’s not an honest answer to the question.”

But Cremata said he appreciated candid answers to his questions, even if he didn’t like the answers he got. But his biggest concern is that the testimony of Southeast Alaskans is not being heard.

He says it was a full house at the AB Hall–over 60 people. But no one spoke in favor of the agency’s preferred alternative at the meeting. The municipality officially supports Alternative one, which upholds the Roadless Rule in the Tongass.

Jamie Bricker spoke on behalf of the Skagway Traditional Council. She said the agency had a legal obligation to consult tribes before making substantive management changes that would affect their land.

“We should have been consulted earlier,” she said.

“Skagway Traditional Council stands united with our neighboring tribes and fellow community members in support of maintaining the Roadless Rule which protects over 9 million acres on the Tongass. We depend on our Tongass for hunting, fishing, gathering, recreating, maintaining cultural closeness to nature, maintaining economic interests in tourism. and mitigating environmental risks.”

The U.S Forest Service will be taking public comment on the Roadless Rule through December 17. You can comment here.