Unpaving the Way Towards Keeping
the Copper River Delta Region a
Roadless Wild Place

December 1998

First, some background, for those of you who not know the specifics about all of the anti-environmental road riders that were attached to the recently passed Appropriations Bills in the 105th Congress. The Chugach Road rider was one of them, and, possibly could have been one of the most damaging for us all - as it proposed a 250-foot wide, 27-mile perpetual and irrevocable road easement across the Copper River Delta in the Chugach National Forest.

The Chugach road rider would have allowed this road to bypass public and federal environmental procedures (among many other bad things), thereby paving the way for more un-environmentally unchecked roads across public forests.

Since the proposed road was supposedly being built to gain access to Chugach Alaska (Native) Corporation lands for a timber extraction project, the Alaskan Delegation, led by Representative Don Young, Senators Frank Murkowski and Ted Stevens, implied that this Chugach road rider was pro-Native. This is untrue, as a Chugach Natives Inc. Settlement Agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding Agreement was already in place between the US Forest Service and the Chugach Alaska Corporation, to grant a road easement by December 11,1998. The Chugach road rider was an attempt to circumvent due process of law and bypass environmental protections and public review.

The Chugach road rallied the people this past summer, and a month-long, spirited and beautiful non-violent civil disobedience action targeted the construction of the first bridge (Clear Creek)- the first of what could be 200 stream crossings across the Copper River Delta.

This action created quite a stir this past summer, and the USFS put together a Forest Service Incident Management Command Team to monitor the situation. After gaining statewide, national and international press about this critical habitat area, we then went to Washington DC to lobby against this unprecedented and controversial road rider.

We called. We faxed. We hand-delivered over 400 letters of support. We met with Senators, Representatives, their aides and the press, and pounded the halls of Congress. We also showed that this road, with the support of the Eyak Traditional Elders Council Chief, Marie Smith Jones, and Dune Lankard, Eyak Tribal spokesperson, the voices of commercial fisherman and of folks from all over Alaska and the world, we proved that this road was NOT anti-Native, and that in fact, the proposed Chugach logging project and road is unquestionably anti-Native.

The upshot of our efforts to spread the truth: A floor fight broke out in the House of Representaitives and our Congress for once, as a true voice of the people, voted 3 to 1 (302 - 123) to DROP the Chugach Road rider from the National Parks Bill. At one point, Rep. Young decried the national environmental community and reminded the members that they had already voted FOR the Chugach road in July (referring to the Hinchey amendment to the House Interior Appropriations bill). He said I WON and YOU LOST! To which Rep. Boehlert responded, reminding Rep. Young that he and 34 other Republicans at the time voted to STRIKE the Chugach rider then and that the tide was turning.We ended up with 100 Republicans opposing this rider. He mentioned that the Black Caucus had originally supported but was now opposing the Chugach road rider! He also mentioned that it was controversial in Alaska, too. He mentioned receiving numerous calls of opposition from Alaskans, from the Eyak people, Native people in Alaska and numerous environmental groups.

But it wasn't quite over. A call from the White House came asking for more information on the "Delta region" so, we sent over a book (hot off the press), "Alaska's Copper River Delta", by Dr. Riki Ott, delivered by taxi, direct to President Clinton. The last word: The Clinton Administration remained firm that it would NOT allow the Chugach Road rider to be included in any Appropriations Bill.

WE WON this one, this time!

All that remains in the Congressional Record (Washington, Monday, October 19, 1998, No. 149) for all to see, are these words: "The conference agreement does not include language proposed in section 327 of the House bill requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to grant an easement to the Chugach Alaska Corporation."

Currently, we are now in the process of designing and implementing a comprehensive conservation easement package proposal for the entire 700,000 acre Copper River Delta. It is our quest that this region be preserved for all time - intact, roadless and wild.

The Eyak Preservation Councilwants to thank all that helped, supported, prayed and joined hands with us this past summer and fall of 1998. See you in the next round of Chugach legislation.

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