Lisa Murkowski: “today I introduce along with my colleague, Senator Stevens, an important bill that will facilitate Forest Service land…”

“today I introduce along with my colleague, Senator Stevens, an important bill that will facilitate Forest Service land management on Prince of Wales Island and help community expansion and development. The City of Craig is the economic center of Prince of Wales Island, the third largest island in the country. The town contains the major retail shopping and service outlets on the island and island residents drive up to a hundred miles round trip to come to town for medical services and shopping. Craig also has the most active and largest commercial fishing harbor and fleet on the island. Due to land selection conflicts between the Forest Service and the State of Alaska in the 1960's, the city of Craig received no municipal entitlement land. This legislation will help alleviate some of the loss to the city from the lack of an entitlement. One of the Forest Service's main administrative facilities, the Craig Ranger District Station is located in Craig. The Craig Ranger has management authority over approximately one million acres on Prince of Wales Island. It is critical that the Forest Service has the tools it needs to provide good management for that part of the island. One of these tools is the presence of some Federal land near the Craig Ranger Station. Right now, there is not any Forest Service land near the Ranger Station. In an unusual situation for Alaska, the Ranger Station is an in holding among private, state, and City owned land.”