I think prioritizing the pre-commercial thinning is going to be an important part of fulfilling that plan.

Mr. Chairman, just thank you. Good hearing.

We also had a good conversation about one of the fun projects that I am working on, the Alaska long trail.

I think we recognize that this is where some of their frustration is, is where we see some of these fires that take hold, and if we had done a better job on the vegetation management, perhaps we wouldn't be in this place.

I just--I want to make sure that we are doing everything that we can, monitoring, public education, and also making sure that we have adequate resources provided for this Western Bark Beetle initiative.

As we gather to discuss how to make our forests healthier and more resilient, you can't help but reflect on how that has always been the goal.

I know that COVID presented additional challenges for the Service, so I am going to look forward to hearing from you on what you have learned from that.

the fish don't really care what we're doing back here in Washington and what our timeline is

So as soon as you can, put some folks to address this. It is appreciated.

Without adequate processing, the fishermen have no place to take their fish and not only does it impact the fishermen and their families but the market that is waiting.

One of the real significant impacts that we saw in Alaska due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was a significant hit to our tourist sector.

The tremendous time, effort and resource investment that communities have to undertake in order to implement Native language projects.

I guess the question to you today would be, what more DOI and ANA programs can do working in a coordinated manner to support the development of this Native language preservation and this partnership?

Native languages are more than just words, they are a vital part of indigenous culture and identity and an important tool to understand indigenous histories and continue these cultures for future generations.

I think paying special attention to the other things I brought up earlier, which are how we as communities, as indigenous language communities, or Native American language communities, define what is needed for the program in order for…

Know that the emphasis that we are placing on Native languages is so critically important.

It is not just the words that are spoken, it is the culture that is attached to these incredible languages.

One of the things that we put into the American Rescue Plan was support to EDA to assist communities.