PRESS RELEASE
June 1, 2021
Event draws attention to clearcut logging in the Tongass National Forest and
Southeast Alaska’s role in addressing the climate crisis
Sitka, AK - In celebration of World Oceans Day, Alaskans Own and Southeast Alaska Conservation Council will host a free virtual screening of Understory, a new documentary film about clearcut logging in the Tongass National Forest, on Tuesday June 8th at 6:30pm Alaska Time. Directed by Colin Arisman and produced by Elsa Sebastian, Understory is a journey into the Tongass National Forest where Elsa, biologist Dr. Natalie Dawson from Audubon Alaska, and artist Mara Menahan explore the ecological, economic, and cultural impacts of clearcut logging and the Tongass’s role in climate change.
Following the film attendees will have a chance to ask questions and hear from Elsa; Joel Jackson, President of the Organized Village of Kake; and Matthew Jackson from Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.
“This year we decided to celebrate World Oceans Day by drawing attention to the interconnected relationship between the health of the Tongass National Forest and the health of our oceans. We’re really excited to share Understory with people who eat and appreciate Alaska’s wild seafood and hope that this event will spark a larger conversation about the future of the Tongass and Alaska’s wild fisheries,” said Natalie Sattler, Alaskans Own Coordinator.
“We cannot take Alaska’s sustainable wild fisheries for granted; they are already struggling because of climate change and we need to protect the freshwater ecosystems that keep our fisheries and oceans healthy,” said Linda Behnken, commercial fisherman and Executive Director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association. “The Tongass National Forest provides a climate sanctuary in an overheating world. With 40% of the trees standing on US National Forest land, the Tongass is a carbon sequestering champion—and it does all that while still providing 95% of the salmon harvested in Southeast Alaska’s commercial fisheries and driving our local economies.”
“I grew up on Prince of Wales Island, the largest and the most aggressively clearcut island in the Tongass. I was just a kid when the Tongass timber industry collapsed due to lack of profitability, despite half a century of heavy federal subsidies. Even after all of that logging, this island still has some of the biggest trees in the Tongass. Decades later, politicians are still trying to resurrect an old-growth timber industry in Alaska and my home island continues to be in the crosshairs. I can't stand by and watch a place I love be destroyed,” said Southeast Alaskan and commercial fisherman Elsa Sebastian.
“Protecting the Tongass National Forest isn’t just about protecting some of the last old-growth stands, it’s about protecting our way of life and our culture,” said Joel Jackson, President of the Organized Village of Kake. “The land needs to heal, and we will not be deterred from our responsibilities to future generations. We will continue to fight for our ancestral grounds, to fight for our culture, to fight for our future.”
To learn more about Understory and watch the trailer: https://www.laststands.org
To register for the June 8th Understory screening: https://tinyurl.com/AOunderstory
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Alaskans Own is a Community Supported Fishery in Sitka, Alaska that sells premium-quality wild Alaska seafood direct to consumers in Alaska and throughout the U.S. A program of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, 100% of Alaskans Own’s seafood sales goes towards projects that support conservation of Alaska’s fisheries, create equitable fishery access, and provide healthy seafood to communities in need.
Media Contacts:
Natalie Sattler - Alaskans Own, info@alaskansown.com, 907-738-1286
Linda Behnken - Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association, alfafishak@gmail.com, 907-738-3615
