Haley Stevens: “Dear Secretary, thank you for receiving other members of the Petersburg City Council. I would like to take this…”

“Dear Secretary, thank you for receiving other members of the Petersburg City Council. I would like to take this opportunity to join my voice with the other council members in noting our strongest opposition to the recently signed Roadless Area Conservation Policy. I take exception to this as a member of the City Council and as a Forest Service employee. Some action is needed to address the devastating impacts of this decision to the captive communities within the boundaries of the National Forests in Alaska, particularly on the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska. The Tongass is almost 17 million acres and is one of the oldest forests in the entire National Forest System. The forest is about the size of West Virginia and has more coastline than the entire west coast in the lower 48.”