Forest Service Moves Ahead on the Tonka Timber Sale 
TCS, along with Greenpeace, GSACC and Cascadia Wildlands submitted comments on the Tonka timber sale, located on the Lindenburg Peninsula on Kupreanof Island. Despite the points raised, the Forest Service chose Alternative 4, clearcutting 38.5 MMBF. Units were dropped from the sale that are included in Roadless.
The Lindenburg Peninsula has already been heavily impacted by previous timber sales. As a result, deer harvests have crashed. Additional clear cutting will further decrease deer numbers.
The Forest Service is holding community meetings in a show of achieving consensus. However, community meetings do not satisfy the concerns of stakeholders; true consensus for this particular sale would protections for the Pothole, a protected cove in Wrangell Narrows, home to significant numbers of Dungeness crab. The Forest Service is applying for a permit that would allow them to store logs in Pothole. If the State does approve the permit for log storage, crab fishermen will lose an important crab fishing area.
TCS will appeal the Record of Decision.
The Tonka DEIS documents can be downloaded here: http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/projects/nepa_project.shtml?project=21182