The 13,426 acres is scattered throughout the Haines Borough. (Map Courtesy of the University of Alaska)
The Haines Assembly is gathering more input on a major timber sale the University of Alaska is planning in the Chilkat Valley.
“I think we’re allowing ourselves to be destroyed – our future be destroyed – if we just allow this to happen without taking some real active steps to influence it,” said Assemblyman Tresham Gregg. He was one of several assembly members who expressed concerns about the sale at a regular meeting Tuesday.
Last week, the University announced it is entering into a negotiated timber sale on 13,400 acres of land scattered throughout the borough.
The 10-year deal would be far greater than any timber sale in the Haines area in recent history. The volume is estimated at 150 million board feet.
It comes on the heels of the University’s attempted 400-acre timber sale on the Chilkat Peninsula. No bids were received on that controversial proposal. UA says it will develop that land for a residential subdivision.
Haines resident Thom Ely urged the assembly to take the new, much larger, offering seriously.
“I know that you just resolved the issue on the Chilkat Peninsula but this is far more serious with potentially dire consequences to our valley,” said Ely. “To our fisheries, to our tourism, to our way of life.”
The assembly will meet as a committee as a whole on Tuesday, April 3 from 6-8 p.m. to hear from residents and develop comments on the sale.
The University is accepting input through April 19.
It plans to award a timber contract by the end of July.
