1. Art and Diseño

Election 2014: Aug. 19 Primary Election information & sample ballots
PAGES 20-21
www.thecordovatimes.com
Friday, August 15, 2014
Prince William Sound’s oldest newspaper and part of Cordova’s local news tradition dating back to 1906.
In the Know
NET HANGING
PUBLIC HEARING ON MINE
Pebble issue
draws large
crowd in
Anchorage
Subscribe Today!
Subscribe
today at www.
thecordova
times.com
City
CEC to host
customer
appreciation
day
Opinion
• Remembering
Dave Butler
• Comments on
Ballot Prop #1
EPA will accept public comment
on proposed restrictions on mine
through Sept. 19
Lynden
Transport earns
honors
PAGE 7
BY MARGARET BAUMAN
[email protected]
Fisheries
• Begich,
Cantwell want
more ocean
monitoring
• Fisheries
observer
program
Cordova Life
Red Dragon
makes top ten
INDEX
Schools.............2
Local News.......3
Opinion..............4
Fisheries............8
Around Town...12
Cordova Life...14
Classifieds.......22
Puzzles............23
Vol. 100 Issue 33
BEN YEAGER/THE CORDOVA TIMES
Mike Maxwell behind the wheel of his forklift.
NET WORTH
Fishing, mining, environmental and
resource development advocates came
out by the dozens on Aug. 12 to tell the
Environmental Protection Agency what
they thought about protecting valuable
salmon fisheries from large scale mining.
It was the first of seven EPA hearings
scheduled in Alaska during the coming
week on EPA’s proposal to use section
404 ( c) of the Clean Water Act to impose
■ See Page 19, PEBBLE
TAILINGS POND DAM
After a lifetime in a changing fishery,
Mike and Rob Maxwell remain purveyors of a lost art.
BY BEN YEAGER
[email protected]
He rarely stops moving. Keeping up with
him requires one to pace. When tasked
with writing about LFS Marine & Outdoor
manager Mike Maxwell, John Freeman, his
right hand man, told me, “Good luck, I hope
you brought your roller skates.” Constantly
besieged by customers, some in a state of
personal emergency, Maxwell, 55, helms the
shop, often talking to them in person with a
phone in one hand and a line, mid-splice, in
the other. Less like customers and more like
neighbors looking for advice or a favor, they
come to him for help on all mediums, text,
phone, or in person. He knows each one
by name and by problem, and sorts their
affairs.
Learning to fish alongside his brother
Rob—two years Mike’s elder—at age nine
when they operated a 17’ skiff by themselves
across the Sound, Mike entered the fishery
at a time when fishermen had to be almost
Warnings
were issued to
mining company
entirely self-sufficient. Back then, in the late
‘60s when the nets were smaller and lighter,
crews performed most of the gear work by
themselves. As the nets and boats got bigger
and heavier over the years—through innovation and to address increasing volume of
fish—the skill and power required to hang
them increased until commercial hangers
became scarce. The newly robust salmon
fishery, enhanced by the advent of hatcheries, drew fishermen from all over the country, diluting local knowledge of nets and
other gear. Today, as equipment knowledge
wanes, Mike and Rob Maxwell, due to a lifetime in a rapidly-maturing fishery, remain
beacons of skill and proficiency.
“They’re the only guys in town with this
expertise,” said EJ Cheshier. “It’s really important to have them here.”
As the rain comes down in sheets, Maxwell
and his team stand in the doorway of the LFS
net loft, easing in a trailer with a seine net.
Testing continues to determine
affect of spill on water quality
critical for human consumption
and aquatic life
BY MARGARET BAUMAN
[email protected]
The international consulting group
that designed the ill-fated British
Columbia tailings pond dam for Mount
Polley Mine says they had cautioned the
mine company and British Columbia
officials that its use was greater than it
was designed for.
“As the former engineer of record of
the tailings storage facility at Mount
■ See Page 12, NET WORTH
■ See Page 16, DAM
CT 08-15-14
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SCHOOLS
2 | The Cordova Times | Friday, August 15, 2014 | www.thecordovatimes.com
Kids Corner
SUMMER MEALS
SUMMER FUN PUZZLES
Calling all kids
It’s time to eat!
BY THE CORDOVA TIMES STAFF
Summertime means it’s time for
Cordova’s Summer Meal Program for
Children.
The program opened June 2, 2014
and meals are being made available
free to all children 18 years of age
and under. The program runs through
August 15, 2014.
Breakfast
Breakfast will be available at Mt.
Eccles from 8 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Lunch
Lunch will be made available
from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m at the
following locations:
• Mt. Eccles Elementary School,
675 Second Street
• Bidarki Rec Center, Council
Ave.
• Cordova Family Resource
Center, 705 2nd Street
• Children’s Pallas, 531 1st
Street
• Native Village of Eyak, 110
Nicholoff Way
• United States Coast Guard,
Coast Guard Housing
Acceptance and participating
requirements for the Program are the
same regardless of race, sex, color,
age, disability or national origin
In accordance with Federal law
and U.S. Department of Agriculture
policy, this institution is prohibited
from discriminating on the basis of
race, color, national origin, sex, age,
or disability.
To file a complaint of discrimination,
write USDA, Director, Office of Civil
Rights, Room 1400 Independence
Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 202509410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992
(Voice). Individuals who are hearing
impaired or have speech disabilities
may contact USDA through the
Federal Relay Service at (800) 8778339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish).
USDA is an equal opportunity
provider and employer.
Today’s Kid Corner
is sponsored by
Cordova Telephone Cooperative.
Cordova Telephone
Cooperative
is proud to support
Cordova schools.
Mastonville by Maston Johnson
www.thecordovatimes.com
Friday, August 15, 2014 |
3
CEC
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY
CEC to host barbecue
for co-op members
City of Cordova
BY BEN YEAGER
The Cordova
Conversation . .
[email protected]
On Tuesday, August 19, from 11:30a.m.
to 2p.m., the Cordova Electric Cooperative
will host a barbecue outside their building
for “Customer Appreciation Day,” in which
co-op members can come ready with questions and suggestions about bills and energy use.
“The idea is for the board to have some
one on one time with members to discuss
customer service options,” said Valerie
Kovel, administration and finance manager at CEC.
The board, made up of five members elected to three-year terms, came up with the
idea in order to increase participation with
customers, time for which is usually allotted during board meetings. Information on
energy saving will be provided, as will handouts from the Alaska Power Association.
They plan to discuss how the CEC can better serve its members, questions relative
to hydrogeneration, their capacities, and
alternate energy sources. Another focus
will be on energy conservation—lowering
Did you receive the City’s
PHOTO COURTESY OF CORDOVA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
The Cordova Electric Cooperative Board and employees.
bills—and talking about solutions to the
city’s diesel dependence.
“We’re looking into ideas from members on technologies they’ve seen that we
haven’t thought of,” said Board Vice Chair
Jeff Hamberger, who believes he will be
manning a grill. “It’s kind of a win-win
situation.”
The board and employees will be serving
hotdogs and hamburgers. They are gearing up for 250 people. In addition to board
members and employees available for discussion, there will be a suggestions box.
“It’s new to us, something we’ve never
done before,” said CEC CEO Clay Koplin.
Koplin added that the barbecue will be
on the primary day, and offered that customers stop by before or after they vote in
the library.
“Come enjoy a hotdog and hamburger
at the co-op and let us know what you’re
thinking,” Kovel said.
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OPINION
4 | The Cordova Times | Friday, August 15, 2014 | www.thecordovatimes.com
The Cordova Times
OBITUARY
P.O. Box 200
Cordova, AK 99574
907-424-7181
ISSN 10488766/USPS 563680
David M. Butler
Publisher & Editor
August 15, 1939 - July 30, 2014
Jennifer Gibbins
Reporters
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Jennifer Gibbins
Dick Shellhorn
Columnists
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Robert Masolini
Bob Smith
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Mikah Johnson
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fax: 907-222-7706
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Letters to the Editor
The Cordova Times welcomes letters to the
editor. General interest letters should be no
more than 300 words. Thank you letters
should be no more than 150 words. Letters
should be submitted by 5 p.m. Thursdays
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Unsigned letters will not be published. Letter
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Published weekly on Friday by
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Postmaster: Please send address
changes to The Cordova Times, PO Box
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Subscriptions: $250 per year inclusive of
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The publisher reserves the right to reject
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opinions expressed by columnists and
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Copyright 2011 The Cordova Times.
All rights reserved.
David M. Butler, longtime Cordova
resident, Commercial Fisherman and
former Coast Guardsman, died July
30 at Providence hospital following
emergency surgery due to a ruptured
aorta. Dave came to Cordova in 1963
as a Coast Guard Damage control
man. After his service he entered into
the Commercial Fishing Business;
crabbing, long lining and fishing
salmon. He fished Prince William
Sound and Southeast, but his beloved
Prince William Sound was where
his heart was. Dave was preceded in
death by his parents and oldest son,
David Michael. He is survived by his
daughter and son-in-law, Susan and
Buzz Kelley, his daughter Megan
Butler, son Kyle Butler, as well as his
sister and brother-in-law Joan and Bob
Prouty of California, his brother and
sister-in-law Ted and Sandi Butler of
Anchorage, his brother and sister-inlaw, John and Carla Butler of Cordova.
He also leaves behind his beloved
granddaughters, Rachel Stephens
and her husband Zachary, Alison
Kelley and Laura Kelley, as well as his
yet to be born Great Grandaughter,
Daisy. He also leaves two ex-wives,
Kathy Bowen and Robyn Butler and
too many friends to list. A memorial
service will be held at the Cordova
Moose Lodge on September 13. Dave’s
ashes will be spread in Prince William
Sound at a later date.
Why I’m voting ‘yes’ to re-write SB-21
COMMENTARY
BY LES GARA
For The Cordova Times
It’s interesting how $12 million in oil
company ads don’t mention what you
need to know. All oil fields after 2003, and
all future oil fields, pay us a NEGATIVE or
NEAR ZERO value for Alaska’s oil under
this SB 21’s Production Tax. That’s in the
“Scott Goldsmith” report, and that part
has been hidden in TV ads for too long.
Just in case the high-priced oil company
ad folks who’ve never actually read the
bill that’s up for an August 19 Repeal Vote,
can’t find it this slide, it’s on page 19 of
the Goldsmith presentation. I’m sure the
smart London and Houston executives
orchestrating the ads can help find that
for their advertising folks.
A near zero or negative oil tax value is
a pathway to a damaged economy. It will
continue the loss of teachers, and grow
this year’s $1+ billion budget deficit so
Alaska loses jobs the state can’t afford in
road construction and maintenance, engineering, public safety, private businessstate contracts, and health care. SB 21 is
a recipe to hit the businesses where these
employees spend their money.
Wait. There are many other multimillion dollar PR myths.
$12 million is plenty to tell you oil
investment actually grew vastly—by
over 50%—under the prior oil law, ACES.
But ad folks who are paid to mislead
claim the new law is “turning around” a
non-existent ACES investment “decline”
that was in fact an investment boom. I’d
like an honest, equal partnership with oil
companies, not the junior partnership SB
21 creates.
And oil companies that made handsome annual Alaska oil profits under
ACES—of roughly $2 billion every year
each—apparently can’t afford to tell you
this truth.
SB 21 produces a steep oil production
decline, and LESS OIL than ACES would
have. Where does that come from? Facts,
not ads.
Parnell’s Department of Revenue
produces what it calls its most accurate
oil production forecast ever with input
from the industry. It says under SB 21
North Slope production will fall by 40% in
the next decade. Worse yet, by 2022, they
conceded this untold gem. In their last
ACES forecast (April, 2013) they said ACES
would produce more oil by 2022 than SB
21 (April, 2014 SSB 21 forecast).
Why? Because SB 21 doesn’t require its
massive tax breaks—some of which get
you a negative or near zero value for your
oil—to be invested in Alaska. Under ACES,
or any smart improvements on ACES,
companies can only reasonably buy down
their tax rate if they invest IN Alaska to
bolster Alaska production.
What about those mythical “new”
fields? The 50%-plus investment increase
under the ACES paid to develop and
explore all the pretend “new” fields
companies claim they are investing in
because of SB 21. That’s CD-5; Moose’s
and Bear Tooth in the National Petroleum
Reserve; years of announced expansion
commitments in Kuparuk; a 2012 announcement that they’d start producing
in the southwest corner of Kuparuk;
Exxon’s Point Thomson field; and every
field in which companies invested millions under ACES and now claim is the
result of SB 21.
It gets worse. SB 21 wouldn’t reward
illegal conduct, would it? It does. Exxon
violated the law for 30 years by breaching
their lease duty to develop the large Point
Thomson field. Legal action was brought
against Exxon under ACES to force
production from this field. That case was
settled under ACES to require this production. By delaying development 30 years,
Exxon now qualifies for that near zero or
negative production tax value provision
because when production belatedly starts,
it will be considered “new oil”. Exxon gets
rewarded for breaking the law.
So, how can the state get a negative or
zero worth under SB 21? As Goldsmith
explained at his last public presentation,
post-2003 and future oil fields—cryptically
called “GVR” oil in SB 21—pay so low a
tax rate that it barely or never covers the
money the state gives up front to oil companies during the development of those
projects, in Tax credit and deductions.
It’s not in those ads. But that’s why I’m
voting YES to re-write SB 21.
—Rep. Les Gara
SB21 is Risky Business
COMMENTARY
BY REP. PAUL SEATON
For The Cordova Times
As a fiscally conservative Republican I
have been surprised conservative voices
have only focused on high oil price tax
rates and revenue under the newly enacted
SB21. I haven’t heard a single concern
about the enormous risk to Alaska at low
oil prices and net operating loss. SB21 created risk for Alaska by giving any company
with a North Slope oil or gas lease a transferable or reimbursable tax credit of 45%
of their net operating loss from normal
expenses related to their leases. After 2016
that credit becomes 35%. Read it yourself
in the final fiscal note analysis number 4
that accompanied the bill: http://www.legis.
state.ak.us/PDF/28/F/SB0021-14-5-041213REV-Y.PDF
SB21 creates two scenarios that are
very dangerous for Alaska:
1. Companies without production operate at
a net loss and generate “carried-forward annual
loss credit”.
For new entrants, companies with no current revenue from Alaskan production, all
related expenses generate a net loss. SB21
guarantees Alaska will pay at least 35% of
their normal costs for the 10 years or more
it takes to get oil or gas from a new field
into the pipeline. Oil companies share
these upfront risk and development costs
by taking partners. Partners generally get
the same ownership as their investment
percentage and are repaid by profits when
production starts. The SB21 35% carriedforward annual loss credit makes us a ‘partner’ in the expenses but the ‘partnership’
disappears once profits start. The lower
SB21 tax means we will never even recover
our credit investment from all future tax
on most SB21 “new oil” fields.
2. Companies are producing and profitable,
but oil or gas prices drop.
We tend to look on the bright side, but
fiscal conservatives usually plan, or at least
calculate, for downturns as well. We are
talking as if oil could never go below $100
per barrel but energy dips have happened
■ See Page 10, SEATON
www.thecordovatimes.com
Friday, August 15, 2014 |
5
ALASKA OIL
Vote yes on Prop 1
COMMENTARY
BY DAVE OTNESS
For The Cordova Times
Well now, this is the most difficult
thing to write as I have ever encountered
in my life-long sense of responsibility to
Alaska. But the sovereignty and financial
future of our state is under assault by the
world’s most powerful by far business
corporations which are filling the airwaves, print and television networks with
their supposedly best-intentioned actions
regarding our prosperity and general
good fortunes as Alaskans under their
long-pursued oil tax policy called Senate
Bill 21, a bill introduced by former Exxon
attorney and ConocoPhillips lobbyist, Gov
Sean Parnell. They have been angling to
do this and will continue to do this for the
life of the Prudhoe Bay oil field.
Their goal is to share our wealth with
their stockholders and not Alaskans. It’s
as simple as that.
In my 7 years of full-time residence in
Cordova I have never, not once, seen any
other private citizen nor elected official
show up in the Legislative Information
Office to witness nor testify regarding
changes in Alaska’s oil taxation policies.
But, I have -- and consistently -- and as a
result watched as the oil company fix was
put in via the House and Senate, and of
course the Governor’s Office. This was accomplished by redistricting that put good
Alaskans of both major political parties’
seats in peril if they were not singing the
oil companies’ tune.
The head of reapportionment/redistricting during that time period was one
Randy Reudrich, a man straight out of the
oil patch via Texan origins.
In an earlier appointment by Gov Frank
Murkowski, Reudrich was fined $12,500
for conducting politically partisan business while on the state’s dime.
SB 21 squeaked through by one vote in
a 20 member state senate. Two of those
votes were from two ConocoPhillips executives. One of them, Peter Micciche of Kenai
had his oil-derived salary boosted from a
declared $100,000 to $200,000 to $200,000
to $500,000 following his vote for the bill.
Coincidence? Or, “in your face” to the
people of Alaska?
It is one of the failures of people living
in a petro-state to presume that they are
somehow gifted and oil will always be
there to take the sting out of otherwise
harsh realities such as state income taxes
on top of federal and other reality taxes.
But, those taxes are on their way, and
sooner not later under this law we must
overturn by voting Yes on Proposition 1.
Because we as citizens have not paid
enough attention and kept our oversight
vigilant through the years things have
evolved to the point where we are now
confronted with putting our signatures
on Alaska’s future with a simple vote on
August 19.
I cannot summarize in a few paragraphs
the depth of Alaska’s new oil tax policy
in all of its prevarications, obfuscations
and outright lies that are being bandied
about like truth, but I can say knowledgeably, we are heading for certain financial
ruin if SB 21 is allowed to stand as passed
by a Legislature deemed to be illegal by a
Superior Court judge.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate what
oil has done for our state, I was born into
Alaska while it was a Territory.
But I also know the oil forces have enormous focused power and the will to use
it and bring it to bear everywhere in our
lives. They picked this entire fight from
the get-go knowing with an institutional
memory they had every advantage beginning with their domination of messaging,
their long-term business relationship
with advertising/public relations houses
for all of the full page ads in newspapers,
radio and television spots, their lobbyist
network, their politicians, especially their
flagrant politicians and ghostwriting
trolls. Pretty impressive along with the
House, Senate and Governor’s Office. And
the Office of former Anchorage Mayors
and Governors of Fear-Mongering.
And yes, they picked this fight.
Because it’s what they do.
So what are we going to do about it?
Cordova Electric
Cooperative
CEC Customer
Appreciation Day
Tuesday, August 19
from 11:30-2:00
CEC Headquarters building on Second Street
Enjoy lunch, enter drawings.
Visit with the Board of Directors and all CEC employees!
We look forward to seeing you on the 19th!
CEC:
Providing power for Cordova
AUGUST BOARD MEETING—CEC BOARDROOM:
August 27, 2014– 6:30 p.m.
SB 21 is flawed: We can do better
COMMENTARY
BY BILL HALL
For The Cordova Times
The referendum to repeal Alaska’s new
oil tax legislation gives citizens the power to
decide what is good for Alaska. It challenges
us to make a simple choice about a complex
issue where facts are scarce and arguments
are many. But, arguments without facts
are opinions, and opinions are based on assumptions and motives that are not always
visible. To be useful, opinions require trust
as a substitute for facts. So, what do we
know? How can we decide? And, who can
we trust?
What do we know? We know that
Governor Parnell proposed SB 21 as a
solution to the problem of declining state
revenues caused by declining production
of oil. He argued, “Legislation is necessary
to drive new investment to create new
Alaska production and new opportunities
for Alaskans.” SB 21 repealed the progressive tax structure in ACES to encourage
long-term planning and investment in new
production. It’s purpose was to reduce state
revenue from oil taxes thereby increasing
oil industry profits that could be invested in
new production. This shift of income from
the state to the industry was intended to
provide capital for investment—not increase
profits for a very profitable industry.
How can we decide? How can this be good
for Alaska? It will be good if the benefits
exceed the costs. The costs are decreased
state revenues from oil taxes now and into
the future. The benefits are increased state
revenues from increased oil production in
the future. What needs to happen for SB 21
to deliver on the governor’s promise?
Current State oil tax revenues must decline thereby increasing oil industry profits
available for investment.
The oil industry must invest their tax
savings in new production, but are not
required to do so under this legislation.
Increased investment must increase production. This could happen by increasing
the rate of extraction of existing resources
or by finding new oil. Increasing production from existing fields would deplete
known resources faster at the lower tax rate
in SB 21. How does this benefit the state?
New oil needs to be discovered on state
lands.
Future oil taxes must generate income to
the state that will exceed the costs of granting the tax break in SB 21. How can citizens
be sure that the state income given up today
will be recovered, at a profit, in the future?
Who can we trust?
Not the oil industry. Like Senator Gary
Stevens, I remember the Amerada Hess
court case where a judge ruled the industry
cheated Alaska out of nearly $1 billion,
the Exxon Valdez oil Spill, and the VECO
corruption scandal. This is an industry that
has often proved itself to be untrustworthy,
and the argument that repealing SB 21 will
cause it to close down or leave Alaska is
■ See Page 10, HALL
Tree Yuks
A man is sitting in a sidewalk cafe and he notices a couple of blondes from the
public works department working across the street. One of the blondes digs a hole,
and the other blonde comes along behind her and shovels the dirt back in the hole.
They go up and down the entire block like this. Finally, as they stop to work in front
of the cafe, the man speaks up. “I’ve been watching the two of you work, but for the
life of me I can’t figure out what it is that you’re doing.” One of the blondes looks at
him and says, “Oh, well normally there’s three of us, but the girl who plants the trees
is out sick today.”
How did the tree surgeon break his arm? He fell out of a patient.
My uncle was going to be a tree surgeon, but he faints at the sight of sap.
A Chinese man comes to the lumberjack camp looking for work. The boss says
“OK, you’re hired. You’re in charge of the supplies.” “The supplies? OK, I do supplies.”
And he’s hired. Next morning, the lumberjacks leave the camp for their day’s work.
When they return in the evening, there is no sign of the Chinese man. Suddenly he
jumps out from behind a building and shouts “SUPPLIES!!!”
Cordova Drug Co.
Established 1908 — Celebrating 106 Years
Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
6 | Friday, August 15, 2014
The Cordova Times
REDUCING BYCATCH
Reducing bycatch is key part of broader fisheries management picture
COMMENTARY
BY ERIC OLSON
For The Cordova Times
A recent commentary written by Joe Macinko and
published on Alaska Dispatch News (“Canada’s trawlers
drastically cut bycatch, why can’t Alaska’s?”) lauds the
bycatch reduction successes of the Canadian trawl fishery
and asserts that the North Pacific Fishery Management
Council, the entity responsible for managing fisheries
in federal waters off Alaska, is unable or unwilling to
address the issue.
That commentary ignores the efforts the council has
put into measures to control and reduce bycatch in fisheries off the coast of Alaska, as well as a major initiative
currently underway to restructure trawl fisheries in the
Gulf of Alaska to provide those fisheries with the tools to
fish more cleanly and efficiently.
In the past several years, the council has focused the
bulk of its attention on bycatch reduction, while still
maintaining commercial fisheries that account for
more than half of the nation’s seafood production and
are critically important to Alaska’s coastal economies.
For example, in 2011, the federal pollock fishery in the
Bering Sea was managed for the first time under a hard
cap on chinook salmon bycatch. Since the complex
system of caps and bycatch avoidance incentives has
been in place, average annual chinook salmon bycatch in
this fishery has been 60 percent lower than the 10-year
average and 86 percent lower than the high of 122,000
chinook salmon taken in 2007. Just this June, the council
evaluated the issue again in light of declining salmon
abundance in Western Alaska and initiated an analysis
proposing further reductions in chinook salmon bycatch
as well as protections for chum salmon.
The council also acted in 2011 to cap chinook salmon
bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska pollock trawl fishery, and,
in 2013, to cap all other trawl fisheries in the Gulf. These
hard caps are the first of their kind to protect chinook
salmon caught incidentally in these fisheries.
In 2012, the council acted to reduce the amount of
halibut that could be taken as bycatch in the Gulf of
Alaska trawl and longline fisheries to provide additional
halibut for directed fisheries and for conservation
purposes. And at its most recent meeting in June, the
council initiated an analysis of alternatives to reduce
halibut bycatch caps in the Bering Sea for all gear groups.
This analytical package will evaluate a potential halibut
bycatch cap reduction from 10 percent to as much as 35
percent.
At the time the council took action to reduce Gulf of
■ See Page 10, BYCATCH
THE MOUNT POLLEY DISASTER HITS HOME
COMMENTARY
BY BOBBY ANDREW
For The Cordova Times
The devastating dam failure at the
Mount Polley copper mine in northern
British Columbia hits much too close to
home. As a lifelong subsistence hunter
and fisherman, a disaster of this magnitude on our land would be the end to
my—and many others’—way of life.
The breach sent 15 million cubic meters
of toxic muck into streams, rivers and
lakes, endangering the local water supply
and salmon habitat. How could such a
thing happen? According to the mine’s
spokespeople, the cause is unknown. But
I know one thing—if it can happen at
Mount Polley, it can happen here.
The comparisons between Mount Polley
and the proposed Pebble Mine can’t be
ignored: both mines are large, open pit,
copper porphyry mines at the headwaters
of important salmon streams. The Pebble
mine would involve blasting and digging
in the heart of the world’s largest sockeye
salmon fishery, creating billions of tons
of acid-generating toxic waste that would
affect the watershed long after the mine
is gone. And it would damage our salmon
fishery, our subsistence way of life, and the
14,000 sustainable jobs that depend on it.
Bristol Bay is the economic engine of
our region and supplies nearly 50 percent
of the world’s commercial supply of wild
sockeye salmon. Although the mining
giants Anglo American PLC and Rio Tinto
withdrew from the Pebble Partnership
last year, the remaining partner, Northern
Dynasty, is determined to move forward
with the project. Based on information
they provided to investors and the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission,
mining the Pebble deposit is likely to
result in a mine pit nearly as deep as the
Grand Canyon; waste that would fill a
major football stadium up to 3,900 times;
and a footprint that would cover an area
larger than Manhattan. That image horrifies those of us who are tied to this land,
and who make a sustainable living from it.
The EPA agrees; according to their analysis, impacts of this nature and magnitude
would be unprecedented for the Clean
Water Act Section 404 regulatory program
in the Bristol Bay region, as well as the
rest of Alaska and maybe even the nation.
In late July, EPA Regional Administrator
Dennis McLerran stated, “Bristol Bay is an
extraordinary ecosystem that supports
an ancient fishing culture and economic
powerhouse. The science is clear that
mining the Pebble deposit would cause
irreversible damage to one of the world’s
last intact salmon ecosystems.”
This week, the EPA held public meetings
in Alaska on their proposal to protect the
Bristol Bay watershed. Even if you weren’t
Carol AUSTERMAN
able to attend a meeting, you can still make
your voice heard. The agency will be taking
public comments on its proposal until
September 19th here, and I urge everyone
to do so. We must tell the EPA to take immediate action to protect our fishery, our
jobs, and our culture. Now is the moment
to fight for the future of our renewable fish
and wildlife resources. By speaking up, we
can let the world know that we are working
together to protect the environment, air,
water and lands that produce the resources
on which we all depend.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Bobby Andrew lives in
Dillingham and is an elder and spokesman for
Nunamta Aulukestai, an association of ten Alaska
Native village corporations and tribes in Bristol
Bay. In his work advocating on behalf of subsistence hunting and fishing rights for Alaska Native
villages and people, he serves on the Nushagak
Mulchatna Watershed Council and the NushagakMulchatna Wood-Tikchik Land Trust.
Bill Thomas is formally
FOR
endorsing Carol Austerman
State House
for the Alaska State House
Leading the way for District 32 on ...
vote for her on August 19th.
✔ FISHERIES
Bring all parties to the table for most community benefit
✔ EDUCATION
Fund the classroom, focusing on children’s learning
✔ FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Ensure expenditures are necessary and provide value
✔ ALASKA’S FUTURE
Utilize all Alaska’s resources to benefit us now and in the future
I want your vote for State House!
I will lead the way to healthy, vibrant communities in our district.
✔ 3rd generation Alaskan leader
✔ 4+ years on Kodiak Island Borough Assembly
✔ Small business owner
✔ Parent of high school student
✔ Existing relationships with sitting legislators
✔ Reputation for acting as moderator to bring opposing sides together
✔ Decades of public service on non-profit boards
Paid for by Austerman for House, POBOX 8766, Kodiak, AK 99615
and asks that his supporters
www.thecordovatimes.com
Friday, August 15, 2014 |
7
Voting yes is our duty
COMMENTARY
BY LISA WEISSLER
For The Cordova Times
On August 19th, Alaska voters will act
as legislators. Through Ballot Measure 1,
Alaskans have the power to repeal the law
currently governing Alaska’s oil and gas
production tax, known as Senate Bill 21.
A “Yes” vote repeals the current tax and
reinstates the system that was in effect
from 2007 until 2013, known as Alaska’s
Clear and Equitable Share (ACES). Just
as legislators need to be informed before
they vote, so does the voting public.
Alaska owns the oil on the North Slope.
But as a state, we decided that rather than
develop the fields ourselves we would offer leases to companies who have the technical expertise to explore and produce the
resources. In exchange for them taking
the risks in exploring for and developing
our oil, we give the companies significant
rights and a share of the profits.
The oil and gas production tax is
intended to compensate Alaskans for the
taking of our resources by the private
companies who profit from its production. The tax is how oil is converted into
revenue that supports public services and
infrastructure, Alaska jobs and businesses, and economic diversification.
The question presented by Ballot
Measure 1 is – which tax structure is
better for Alaska?
My view is the former tax system, ACES,
will work better. That is because it was
designed for a balance between profit
sharing and encouraging investment in
exploration, development and production. ACES did this by ensuring the state
shared in profits at high oil prices, helping industry at low prices, and requiring
investment in the state for a company to
qualify for tax credits that reduced the
amount of tax owed.
SB 21 was designed to encourage production, primarily in the large existing
fields. SB 21 has a flat tax with limited adjustments for high and low oil prices, and
does not require investment in the state
to qualify for tax credits. In effect, SB 21
gives control of a share of our oil profits to
private companies with the hope they will
invest in the state and that will somehow
trickle down into our economy.
Supporters of SB 21 say to give the legislation a chance. But there is a real risk
that the three major North Slope producers – ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhillips
– will take the excess profits they make
in Alaska and invest them in places like
North Dakota. The fields down south are
unconventional oil fields that use fracking technology. The fields decline much
faster than Alaska’s big conventional
oil fields and so require continual and
immediate investments in drilling to keep
up production. Consequently, giving SB
21 a chance means risking both oil and
profits flowing out of the state with no
way to recoup the loss. And if we try to fix
the tax system later, we will face the same
battle we are fighting today.
When it comes to encouraging investment and production in the state, Alaska
benefits more from taking a strong
position. This happened with the large
North Slope oil and gas field called Point
Thomson. In 2005, after Exxon sat on the
area’s leases for more than 30 years, the
state finally moved to take them back.
The result was a settlement where Exxon
is now actively developing Point Thomson.
Because the state held firm, more than
730 people were employed on the site this
past winter and 92 companies are contracting with the project, 80% of which
are Alaskan (Juneau Empire, August 3,
2014). This occurred under ACES.
As owners of the oil, we have a duty to
be engaged and to work with the oil companies. We should not hand over profits
with the hope companies will act in our
best interests. Passage of Ballot Measure
1 puts the state in a stronger position for
refining the tax system to encourage investment in Alaska and provide a healthy
revenue stream to serve Alaskans. Please
vote “Yes.”
Lisa Weissler is an attorney with expertise
in natural resource law, specializing in oil, gas
and mining law and coastal management, and
more than 20 years experience with the State of
Alaska.
QUALITY PERFORMANCE
Lynden Transport earns honors for best work
BY THE CORDOVA TIMES STAFF
Lynden Transport has earned top honors
among Less-than-Truckload carriers in the
Western Region in Logistics Management
magazine’s 31st annual Quest for Quality
awards, announced the first week of
August.
Lynden swept the category, earing No.
1 rankings for on-time performance, customer service, equipment and operations
and information technology.
Its total weighted score of 53.01 was the
highest among all carriers in the national
LTL sectors of Western, Northeast, South/
South Central and Midwest/North Central,
the magazine noted.
This is the second year Lynden Transport
has earned the No. 1 ranking for on-time
performance in the Western Region. With
this year’s award, Lynden Transport has
received 18 Quest for Quality Awards.
“Lynden employees continue to put
the customer first in every aspect of our
day-to-day activities, and that effort is reflected in our scores this year,” said Lynden
Transport President Paul Grimaldi. “We
are very proud of our ranking in the LTL
category and just as proud of our employees who provide top-notch transportation
solutions to our customers.”
Editors of Logistics Management magazine said Lynden Transport “is among the
carriers who received the ultimate vote
of confidence, posting the highest scores
across our lists of critical service criteria.
Those in the Regional LTL sector work
tirelessly to manage the onslaught of increased regulation and related operational
challenges while maintaining top service
levels.”
In judging performance the Quest
for Quality Awards go straight to the
customers, asking shippers to evaluate
providers on one-time performance,
equipment and operations, value, information technology and customer
service. This year the research group received 7,451 total responses, 1,272 more
than last year. To be a winner, a company
had to receive at least five percent of the
category vote.
Beginning May 1st, LFS
Will Be Open 7 Days a
Week!
Wilson Construction
Store Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 8 – 5
Sunday: 9 – 3
302 Seafood Lane 424-5495
424-3452
FISHERIES
8 | The Cordova Times | Friday, August 15, 2014 | www.thecordovatimes.com
Fisheries Report
SEAWATER CONDITIONS
Brought to you by Trident Seafoods
Begich, Cantwell want more ocean monitoring
BY THE CORDOVA TIMES STAFF
Trident Seafoods
is a proud supporter
of The Cordova Times
SPORT HUNTING BAN
Petition asks halt
in brown bear
hunts in refuge
BY THE CORDOVA TIMES STAFF
A conservation organization is asking the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
to enact a permanent ban on sport
hunting of brown bears on refuge
lands, after the killing at an unprecedented rate of Kenai Peninsula bears.
Of the roughly 600 bears on the
peninsula, some 100 were killed in
2013 and another 52 were killed by
hunters this spring, most at bait
stations, the Center for Biological
Diversity said in a petition submitted
Aug. 11.
“Kenai’s bears have take a beating
ever since Alaska’s game commission loosened hunting rules,” said
Kiersten Lippmann, a biologist with
the Center’s Alaska office. “If the
killing continues at this pace, these
bears- which are isolated and genetically unique – could face the real
possibility of disappearing from our
public lands.
“That’s why we need science, not
politics, to drive management,” she
said. “Unfortunately politicans want
to manage Alaska’s wilderness as a
giant moose farm, bereft of the bears,
wolves, lynx, wolverine and other
predators that make Alaska such a
wild place.”
The petition asked that the refuge
begin a process of official rulemaking, resulting in a permanent ban on
brown bear hunting on the refuge.
The refuge has already put a ban on
brown bear baiting, and in the fallof
2013, imposed an emergency halt to
brown bear hunting as the death toll
neared 100 bears.
The fall hunting season is se to begin Sept. 1.
More about the Center is online
at
www.biologicaldiversity.org
Senators Mark Begich, D-Alaska, and
Maria Cantwell, D-WA, plan to introduce
legislation to reauthorize the Integrated
Ocean Observation System program and
require federal authorities to prioritize
fisheries and fish habitat most at risk.
The two senators made the announcement on Aug. 11 during a tour of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s Western Regional Center
in Seattle. They were there to see high
tech buoys and sensors used by NOAA to
monitor ocean conditions. The buoys, administered b y NOAA under the Integrated
Ocean Observation System program, check
surface water for carbon dioxide concentrations, temperature, salinity and oxygen
levels, and transmit that data back to
researchers.
“Alaska’s fishermen know first hand that
we must do everything we can to protect
our fish habitats from ocean acidification,”
Begich said. “This is a serious issue and this
bill would help NOAA plan for the future
while providing valuable research to the
most at risk fisheries.
Their bill would create the first ever
national ocean acidification monitoring
plan that targets deployment of monitors to areas under the greatest economic
threat.
As seawater absorbs increasing amounts
of carbon dioxide, the ocean’s chemistry
is changing, making it more corrosive
to shells of sea creatures such as oysters,
mussels and crab. Fisheries research has
shown a connection between increasing
ocean acidity and high mortality rates of
fish and crab.
RECONSIDERATION
Review of fisheries observer program ordered
Concerns arose from impact of increased costs that resulted in dramatic reduction in observer coverage
BY MARGARET BAUMAN
[email protected]
U.S. District Judge H. Russel Holland says
a restructured federal fisheries observer
program may stay in place for now, but that
the National Marine Fisheries Service must
reconsider those controversial changes.
In his 50-page ruling handed down in
U.S. District Court on Aug. 6, Holland said
that NMFS arbitrarily ignored the potential impacts of increased costs and lower
observer coverage. He ordered NMFS to
prepare a supplemental environmental
assessment “that addresses the question of
when data being gathered by the restructured observer program ceases to be reliable, or of high quality, because the rate of
observer coverage is too low.”
NMFS implemented the restructured
observer program in 2013 with the stated
goal to expand the proportion of the Gulf
of Alaska fleet observed and randomize the
deployment of observers on vessels.
The restructured program, however,
doubled the daily cost of observer coverage,
which led to a sharp reduction of human
observers on certain high-volume trawlers
that are responsible for significant bycatch
of salmon and Pacific halibut in the Gulf
of Alaska.
Jon Warrenchuk, of Juneau, an ocean
scientist with the international advocacy
group Oceana, said that “while the newly
restructured program had the right idea
to endeavor to provide expanded information about fleet activities, the actual implementation fell entirely short of that goal
and actually reduced coverage on the large
bottom trawl fleet known to have high
rates of discards.
“Trawlers are leaving the docks to catch
thousands of tons of fish without having
an observer on board – this is unacceptable,” he said.
While Oceana and the plaintiff, The
Boat Company, of Sitka, felt they had won
a partial victory, NMFS was pleased with
the court’s decision to uphold the North
Pacific Groundfish and Halibut Observer
“Trawlers are leaving the
docks to catch thousands of
tons of fish without having
an observer on board – this
is unacceptable.”
— Jon Warrenchuk,
Ocean scientist with the international
advocacy group Oceana
Program.
Jim Balsiger, Alaska regional administrator for the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, said
Holland’s decision “ensures this critical
fishery management program will stay I
place.
“Going forward, we will work with the
court on a schedule for development of
that supplemental EA,” Balsiger said.
Doug DeMaster, director of the Alaska
Fisheries Science Center, said that data
collected by observers onboard vessels and
at processing plants provides the cornerstone for management and conservation
of North Pacific groundfish and halibut
fisheries. “A robust public comment
process was invaluable to helping shape
this program,” De Master said. “We will
continue to work closely with the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council, fishermen, processors, and other stakeholders
to make one of the best observer programs
in the country even better.”
The lawsuit challenging the restructured observer program was brought by
The Boat Company, a not-for-profit corporation that describes its mission as protection and conservation of Alaska’s fisheries.
The Boat Company is supported by a sport
fishing and ecotourism operation based in
Sitka and Juneau.
Joel Hanson, director of conservation
programs at The Boat Company, called the
decision an important step toward conservation of salmon and halibut resources
and a healthier ecosystem.
“Sound fisheries management requires
collecting the best available scientific information, and that means full observer
coverage on the high-volume trawlers that
account for the most catch and bycatch,”
he said.
An intervenor in the lawsuit on behalf
of The Boat Company was The Fixed Gear
Alliance, whose members include the
Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association.
Linda Behnken, of Sitka, director of ALFA,
told the Alaska Public Radio Network in an
interview this week that the main improvement ALFA hopes to see in the program is
an increase in observer coverage on vessels
where bycatch is an issue.
Bycatch, the harvest of fish not targeted,
has been an issue in groundfish fisheries
for years, particularly as it involved the
incidental harvest of salmon and halibut.
For the past several years Oceana has
worked to encourage reductions in bycatch in groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of
Alaska.
If not managed properly, bycatch in
these fisheries can have substantial negative effects on long-term ocean health
and become unsustainable, and good information is essential to preventing these
adverse impacts and managing fisheries
sustainably, Oceana noted.
On May 30, 2013, Oceana filed an amicus
brief in support of the plaintiffs challenging the restructured observer program for
the Gulf of Alaska, to provide perspective
on the importance of the Gulf of Alaska
ecosystem, the dangers of bycatch, and
importance of observer coverage to good
management and behavior.
Warrenchuk said his organization also
is looking forward to working with NMFS
and the North Pacific Fishery Management
Council to ensure the reliability of the observer program.
Cordova Tide Tables
DATE TIMEHEIGHTTIME HEIGHTTIME HEIGHTTIME HEIGHT
10/05 10/06 10/07 10/08 10/09 10/10 10/11 Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu 05:02 AM 05:51 AM 12:18 AM 01:14 AM 02:22 AM 03:35 AM 04:37 AM 10.19 H
9.42 H
2.19 L
2.75 L
3.0 L
2.81 L
2.27 L
10:47 AM 11:29 AM 07:05 AM 08:32 AM 09:39 AM 10:29 AM 11:10 AM 4.28 L
5.04 L
8.86 H
8.82 H
9.32 H
10.14 H
11.13 H
04:31 PM 05:10 PM 12:20 PM 01:26 PM 02:50 PM 04:13 PM 05:13 PM 11.96 H
11.17 H
5.66 L
6.0 L
5.78 L
4.81 L
3.35 L
11:29 PM 1.48 L
06:08 PM 07:45 PM 09:13 PM 10:19 PM 11:14 PM 10.34 H
9.83 H
9.97 H
10.53 H
11.26 H
Today’s Tide Tables is sponsored
by TridentTrident
Seafoods. Seafoods
is a proud supporter of
The Cordova Times
Trident Seafoods: We are proud to offer you our finest seafood products, “From the Source to the Plate®.”
www.thecordovatimes.com
Friday, August 15, 2014 |
ENDORSEMENT
Fishing industry endorses
Begich re-election
Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers,
UFA back senator’s candidacy
for re-election
BY THE CORDOVA TIMES STAFF
Even as Republican hopefuls prepare to
battle it out in Alaska’s primary election
on Aug. 19, Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, has
already picked up solid endorsements for
re-election in November from two major
commercial fisheries organizations.
Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, which represents the majority of harvesters of Bering
Sea and Aleutian Islands king, snow and
tanner crab, gave its endorsement in early
August on the heels of a late June endorsement from United Fishermen of Alaska,
the statewide commercial fishing industry trade association, which represents 36
member organizations.
Begich, who chairs the Senate
Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere,
Fisheries and Coast Guard. is seeking a
second term.
“Begich is uniquely poised to addres the
most pressing issues facing the Alaska fishing industry,” said Edward Poulsen, president of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers. “Alaska
could not ask for a more committed leader
in the United States Senate.”
ABSC said in a statement that the senator has work in the appropriations process
to ensure that Alaska has the funds needed
to continue with the world class fisheries
management it is known for. “Above all
else, Senator Begich has taken the time
to listen to the needs of Alaskans from all
walks of life, not just the fishing industry.”
In late June, United Fishermen of Alaska
endorsed Begich, citing his record of service to the commercial fishing industry and
fishing dependent coastal communities.
Begich continually addresses challenges
facing the seafood industry head-on,” UFA
said in a statement. “Begich has been an
advocate for fishermen throughout his five
years in the Senate, tackling issues such as
illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, genetically modified salmon, seafood
certification, seafood marketing and fisheries disaster funding,” UFA said.
Begich also recently introduced legislation that ensures common sense is applied
to Environmental Protection Agency discharge regulations for commercial fishing
vessels, UFA said.
And, said UFA President Jerry McCune,
of Cordova, the senator has shown a constant dedication to helping Alaska’s fishing
families and businesses and the thousands
of people that are employed by the seafood
industry.
FINANCIAL AID
Senior benefits program extended to 2018
BY THE CORDOVA TIMES STAFF
House Bill 263, extending the Alaska
Senior Benefits Program through 2018,
signed into law on Aug. 6 by Gov. Sean
Parnell, open to all Alaskans over
the age of 65 with low to moderate
incomes.
The program was to have expired on
June 30, 2015. The legislation, sponsored
by Rep. Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, and
co-sponsored by 32 legislators in both
houses, is now extended for another three
years.
Eligibility is based on income.
“We wrote this specifically so individuals’ assets are not counted in determining
eligibility,” Hawker said.
To learn more, contact the Alaska
Department of Health and Social Services’
office of Senior and Disabilities Services at
1-800-478-9996.
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9
10 | Friday, August 15, 2014
BYCATCH
From Page 6
Alaska halibut bycatch caps, it committed to continue addressing bycatch issues
in the Gulf. The council has launched a
process to convert management of trawl
fisheries from a competitive race for
fish into a cooperative structure where
vessels have the ability to fish slowly,
strategically, and cooperatively. This type
of management system allows vessels
to share information about bycatch
hotspots and incentivizes gear modifications and behavior to avoid bycatch. The
preliminary design includes a minimum
of 100 percent observer coverage on all
trawl vessels. The management program under consideration may result
in increased retention, use and better
quality of the fish vessels are targeting,
and could provide an opportunity for
The Cordova Times
a significant reduction in the catch of
non-targeted species.
Several other jurisdictions have created management structures similar to
the one the council is considering. In the
trawl fishery off the Pacific coast, discards
have been reduced more than 50 percent
by converting to a cooperative management structure. In Canada, the trawl
fishery was able to achieve such bycatch
success because it changed its management from a race for fish to a system in
which each boat is responsible and accountable for a defined share of the total
catch. Some of Alaska’s fisheries already
operate under a cooperative model. The
Central Gulf of Alaska rockfish trawl
fishery converted to cooperative management in 2007, and since that time has
seen more than a 70 percent reduction in
halibut bycatch.
However, when considering converting to a cooperative program, all who
rely on the resource must be considered.
This issue will continue to be vetted and
discussed by fishermen, processors, communities and other stakeholders, and is
guided by a purpose and need statement
and set of objectives that the council
approved early in the process. This deliberative, iterative process incorporating
significant stakeholder input has resulted
in a preliminary program design that the
council is scheduled to review when it
next meets in October.
And last, as I depart the North Pacific
Fishery Management Council after my
tenure of nine years, I can say that this
council takes its mandate to reduce
bycatch to the extent practicable very
seriously. The council is also subject to
a number of other mandates under the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, including the 10
“National Standards. ” It is important for
the public to understand that the council
is required to evaluate the effects of its
For more information on recent
bycatch reduction measures and
upcoming meetings, please visit the
council’s website at
www.npfmc.org.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Eric Olson is a native of
Dillingham, is the director of offshore fisheries
for the Yukon Delta Fisheries Development
Association. He has fished salmon commercially and for subsistence use, and has just ended
his final term as chairman of the North Pacific
Fishery Management Council.
City of Cordova
SEATON
From Page 4
many times. The last oil crash was not that
long ago, and natural gas unexpectedly did
the same when we were planning the AGIA
gas line. SB21 offers a minimal protection
if prices plummet because the per barrel
credit cannot reduce the tax below zero,
but at that point the SB21 net operating
loss credit would apply. Alaska would
owe the producing oil companies 35% of
that net operating loss when it’s carried
forward. This tax system would basically
force the State treasury to pay 35% of the
expenses of oil companies because they did
not make a profit. Even under ELF with zero
tax on many fields, we did not have to PAY
the companies to produce North Slope oil!
SB21 is not robust enough to effectively
handle large variations in energy prices
without exposing Alaska to tremendous
risk. It is fiscal conservatives that should
be objecting to SB21. No business owner I
know would sign on to this sort of deal for
their contractors. Tell the legislature this
tax reform needs to go back for a real fix.
These provisions won’t be fixed without
your action. You have only one chance to protect
your state’s economy – VOTE YES on Ballot
Measure 1.
potential actions more broadly than on a
single resource user.
I strongly encourage all stakeholders
who have an interest in these issues to
engage in the council process. The council
holds five public meetings a year, and
input from the public who rely on the
resources the council manages is critical
to good decision making.
Request for Bids
The City of Cordova is requesting written bids
Page:www.cityofcordova.net, the Plans Room:www.
from qualified Contractors interested in providing
plansroom.com, or by calling the city’s front desk at
drainage and sidewalk installation along 3rd Street.
907-424-6200 or Public Works Director at 907-424-
Sealed bids, plainly marked, “Invitation to Bid #01-
6231.A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held
14 – Drainage and sidewalk installation 3rd street
at 11:00 A.M. on August 15, 2014 at City Hall. The
SRTS” addressed to the City Manager, City of
City of Cordova reserves the right to reject any and
Cordova, P.O. Cordova, AK 99574 will be accepted
all bids, to waive technical or legal deficiencies, to
until 2:00 P.M. August 22, 2014. BIDS RECEIVED
accept any bid that is in the best interest of the City,
AFTER 2:00 P.M. WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
and to negotiate the terms and conditions of any
Copies
of
the
invitation
to
bid
may
be
downloaded from the City of Cordova Web
bid leading to acceptance and final execution of a
contract for services.
Paul Seaton, a Republican, has represented
the lower Kenai Peninsula since 2003. He has
continuously served on the House Resources
Committee and as Co-Chair in 2011-12.
HALL
From Page 5
their latest falsehood.
Not the elected representatives who
created this flawed legislation. Too many of
them work for the industry or are dependent on the industry for campaign funding.
Not economists who tell us that SB 21 may
or may not provide sufficient tax savings to
provide the investment capital the governor
has promised, but we should support it
anyway.
What can we trust? Not SB 21. It does not
require performance for pay. It does not
specify how, when, or if increases in future
production will generate income to repay
our investment with interest.
Voting yes to repeal SB 21 will give us a
second chance with a new legislature, and
hopefully a new governor, to create a tax
system that is fair to the industry while
maximizing benefits for the people. We can
do better.
— Bill Hall
EDITOR’S NOTE: Bill Hall has facilitated 10
dialogues on the referendum to repeal SB 21
in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Seward, Homer, and
Cordova as part of an evolving network of librarybased civic dialogue called “Let’s Talk Alaska.”
He is a lifelong Alaskan with experience in local
government, banking, politics and education.
The opinions expressed here are his own. Let’s
Talk Alaska is a collaboration of Alaska Common
Ground and the Anchorage Public Library.
FREE
FOR ONE YEAR
For a limited time and only from GCI. Stop in or call today: 424.7317.
Terms and conditions apply.
gci.com/epic
www.thecordovatimes.com
Friday, August 15, 2014 |
11
SUNNY CORDOVA
PHOTO BY DARLENE ROBERTSON
Beautiful high tide on the Odiak Slough, taken from Whitshed Road.
City of Cordova
We now are an authorized
SLEDNECKS
Dealer!
We now stock Slednecks hoodies, tees, hats, snow jackets,
snow pants, DVD's, BluRay's and stickers.
Congratulations, Police Chief Hicks!
The Mayor, members of City Council and City Staff congratulate
Mike Hicks, our new Police Chief. Chief Hicks was sworn in
by Vice-Mayor Reggiani on August 6th and warmly welcomed
with letter from Councilmember Burton. If you missed the
ceremony, you can view it through a link on the City’s website,
www.cityofcordova.net.
"WE KEEP CORDOVA RUNNING!!"
ANCHOR AUTO
MARINE
INC.
PO Box 2342
Cordova, AK 99574
907-424-7278
12 | The Cordova Times | Friday, August 15, 2014 | www.thecordovatimes.com
AROUND
NET WORTH
From Page 1
Looking like a terrestrial seine crew, they
stack cork and lead. Sabin Landaluce, 28,
stacks the lead, his wife Casey, the corks.
The couple works primarily with Rob on
seines when not fishing. Rob spends the
summer gill netting, his cellphone, like
his brother’s, ringing constantly with
people needing help with their nets; and
Mike, whose usual responsibility is gill
nets, handles seine repairs during the season. John Freeman, whose presence on the
team Mike considers karma for past good
deeds, takes care of the gill nets in a rented
loft down the road. Rob reclaims the seine
operation in the fall, repairing and building nets all winter. Last winter, he built or
repaired 50 nets for their 40 customers.
LFS is the only place to hang seine in town;
without Mike and Rob, fishermen either
have to fix their nets themselves or get
them to Homer or Bellingham, WA.
Like seining, net hanging is a strict process one must learn. The team clears the
whole area for the net, and feeds it through
the power block and a system of hooks and
wires that hang it. The loft can only hold
a ten-fathom section at a time, called a
“pull.” A second, smaller set of hooks on
wires allows the team to hang the web in
one-fathom increments that move as they
do, so multiple people can work on it and
keep everything proportional. “All it is is
math,” Mike said. “An equation.” With
other methods, one has to flag the middle
of the net and work their way to the ends.
“With this way there are no wasted motions,” Maxwell says.
Sabin flags breaks in the web with pink
gauze. Even with the net stretched out
in the loft, there’s no clear diagnosis.
Fishermen rarely tell Maxwell what’s
wrong with their net; it’s his job to find
out. Although Maxwell is in charge, it’s
very much Casey and Sabin’s show. Rob
remembers when Casey first came to work
in the shop. “She was so efficient and organized; she was always ahead of me,” he
said. “One day I asked her, ‘You want to
hang, don’t you?’ She said, ‘Yes.’” Sabine,
Rob added, “reminds me a lot of me and
Mike. He’s motivated. He don’t ever stop.”
To Rob and Mike, they are the next generation of commercial net hangers.
Mike pops in and out to help other
customers splice, cut lines and find other
gear in the store. Sometimes he’ll disappear phantasmagorically, and customers,
suddenly talking not to Mike but to themselves, will wonder where he just went.
Knowing the net loft is almost exactly 100
feet in length, he helps a woman measure
out 460 feet of purse line.
“You know how to splice this stuff now?”
He says excitedly like it’s a personal victory.
His frenetic movement conflicts with his
voice: The intonation on the last word and
slow phrasing give him a chilled out effect,
like an aging surfer. When at rest, it’s common to find him sitting on a bucket, his
body still, his hands working furiously and
efficaciously as if little splicing machines.
He pauses now and then to take calls or
answer texts.
After splitting up and starting their
own fishing operations, Rob went on to
work on nets at Redden under the guidance of Terry Buckholz. He brought Mike
to Redden in 1984, where they stayed for
15 years. Buckholz had learned the trade
from Andy Forman, a Californian who
brought a unique method of hanging—using the hooks—with him from Southeast.
The proportionality the hook system
achieves allows for significantly more web,
so that the net bowls up better in the water. Back before nets began to specialize,
they would often be pulled flat by the lead
lines and fish would escape. Mike remembers Forman as a surly legend in his later
years. “If he dropped something on the
floor, it would stay there,” he said. Rob
recalls neatly-swept little piles of lace that
would remain on the floor. “I don’t stoop!’”
ALL PHOTOS BY BEN YEAGER/THE CORDOVA TIMES
ABOVE: Mike Maxwell and Sabin Landaluce
work on a corkline.
LEFT: A customer’s phone call interrupts
Maxwell from splicing.
Forman would say.
Forman ran Redden’s net loft when
Buckholz started there in 1975, who then
passed his knowledge on to the Maxwell
brothers in the ‘80s. “Mike was like a great
big workhorse,” Buckholz said. “He was
always in a great big hurry.” Or, as Rob put
it, “Mikey was the bull.”
The team lifts the cork line and lead
line on separate sides onto the hooks, and
begin to walk the length of the net to see
what’s wrong with it. First off, the corks
are a mess. Mike begins whacking at them
with a ball peen hammer to remove damaged ones. They strip the cork line from
the web up to a certain point, as not to
completely detach it. Stripping hundreds
of tiny mends, Mike looks incredulously at
the motley mosaic.
“This here is the most important tool on
the boat,” he says. “And it can be the least
taken care of.”
Beginning to lace the cork line to the
web with quick hand motions, Mike is
sweating, but it could be the rain; it’s difficult to tell whether he’s been outside recently. His hands bleed in places from tiny
nicks. The net is in worse shape than the
team initially thought, and Sabin suggests
they rehang it all and replace all the corks.
“Let’s do it right,” he says. “I’m making the
executive decision.”
“I’m not gonna argue with you,” says
Mike, rushing out the door for a dentist’s
appointment.
When he returns that afternoon, his
team is patching the net. Sabin strips the
lead line in quick cuts. Mike’s mouth is
swollen from having a tooth pulled; he decides he’s had enough for a day and settles
down on a bucket to clean some reds for
smoking, one of a few beloved activities he
needs to do to “blow off steam.”
The Exxon Valdez collided with Bligh
Reef five years after Mike started at Redden.
They didn’t work on nets for the next ten
years. Like most Cordovans, Mike considers that the most difficult time in his life.
Money was scarce, and his health had
begun to turn on him after a lifetime of
laborious work. He’s had two hip replacements; there’s no cartilage in his right
knee and a slipped disk in two vertebrae.
Two years ago, doctors inserted a pacemaker to address an arrhythmia. “I’m the
million dollar man,” he said.
“Mike and I beat the hell out of our bodies,” Rob said. He hopes that Sabine will
take care of his, so he doesn’t end up like
them.
The rain has lessened the following
morning and the seine still looms in the
loft. The team works busily in silence, relacing the lead and cork lines and adding
hardener. They space the corks so the power block’s grip won’t pull them off again.
They sweep up the lace scraps from the
floor. Mike’s phone rings; he’s constantly
asking that customers “keep bugging”
him. Sabin says that they might have to tell
D TOWN
Maxwell replaced
the webbing on a
seine net.
Sabine and Casey
Landaluce re-lacing
cork and lead lines.
the customer the true extent of the net’s
damage. It may cost him up to $10,000. LFS
charges hourly for net hanging, which can
be over $100. That can add up to $1000 a
day for parts and labor. Mike steps over the
web, and groans from having to lift his leg
so high.
The net’s owner comes into the shop
to check up on progress. “It’s got cancer
real bad,” Mike explains. “We’re not fixing
little holes, just putting it together so you
can fix it.”
After a morning of lacing, the team
takes off for lunch. Sabin notices that the
trailer is preventing the net loft door from
closing, and asks who’s going to watch it
when they leave. “It’s ok,” Mike says. “I’ll
keep hanging.” He’ll get lunch when they
come back.
“I love hanging seine,” Rob said. Some
people ask me how I do it, but I love it. It’s
like a piece of art at the end.”
Now hanging alone, Mike wonders what
will happen this winter with the seines, as
Rob has been having problems with a rotator cuff and will need surgery. As a young
man, Rob got his shoulder caught in a
power block, snapping his bicep. Luckily,
he has Sabin and Casey, whose prowess is
undeniable. The couple is even building
a net loft in their new home. Though the
nets are stacking up outside and he longs
to get out on his boat, Mike says he doesn’t
plan on retiring for ten years; he would
miss the action and get bored. His dad
taught him and Rob to work, he says. “You
see something to do, you do it. It’s been a
lifetime of work.”
Mike remembers fondly the fishery of
his past—before hydraulic power blocks,
before the hurry—staying out on closures,
catching crabs and butter clams and eating
well. He’s seen the lead lines nearly double
Sabine Landaluce replaces a section of leadline.
in weight, and the gill net boats grow to
the size of seiners and the seiners to the
size of tenders. “It’s kind of like race cars,”
Rob said. “Somebody’s always got the edge
and everybody has to catch up.”
Rapid innovation in the fishery is nothing new, nor is apprehension over change.
In a 1981 interview by Daryl Kramer
of Cordova fisherman Fred Tiedeman,
Tiedeman, 56 at the time of the interview,
laments the rapid changes in the industry. Believing himself the third person to
have nylon gear, he remembers gill nets
made of linen, with wooden corks and
“old time leads,” meshes “15-30 meshes
deep.” According to the transcript, reminiscing about the days before machinery,
Tiedeman said: “In the olden times we
didn’t have reels, we did it all by hand
pulling. That’s when men had to be men,
now days all we have is power to pull everything in for you, even the anchor.” During
Tiedeman’s time, fishing from 1936 until
at least this interview, the pace was much
slower. “Now everything is by emergency,
all I can say is fishing has sure changed in
every way,” he said.
As profitable as fishing can be, Mike is
well aware of its difficulties. “I know their
anguish,” he says. “I love these people.” In
the years after the oil spill when he was
having serious trouble, the community
gathered $25,000 for a hip surgery. His hip
had been bone grinding against bone.
“It was so freaking touching, it changed
my life,” he says.
Perhaps his is an innate work ethic, or
maybe remaining one of the few purveyors
of this lost skill, alongside his brother, is
his way of thanking Cordova. At the end of
a long day, still in the net loft as LFS closes,
Mike sits down on a bucket to “de-slime”
more reds, cellphone by his side.
CORDOVA LIFE
14 | The Cordova Times | Friday, August 15, 2014 | www.thecordovatimes.com
BEAR INCIDENT
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Resident survives
bear mauling on
Heney Ridge trail
The Red Dragon
Reading Room,
probably shortly
after it was
finished in 1908.
PHOTO COURTESY OF
CORDOVA HISTORICAL
SOCIETY, 70-51-31
Biologists remind the public
to take extra caution when
recreating in bear territory
during the fish and berry season
BY JENNIFER GIBBINS
[email protected]
Wildlife managers are reminding the
public to be aware and prepared when
recreating following a recent bear mauling on the Heney Ridge Trail in Cordova.
According to Alaska State Troopers,
on Aug. 12 at approximately 1630 hours
Alaska Wildlife Troopers in Cordova were
notified Thea Thomas, 57 of Cordova,
was mauled by a brown bear while hiking on Heney Ridge Trail. Thomas was
seriously injured with multiple lacerations and medivaced to Anchorage.
Thomas had been hiking in an area
where salmon are actively spawning.
She was hiking with two dogs who
disappeared downhill in the direction
of Hartney Creek and returned with a
brown bear in pursuit. The bear knocked
Thomas to the ground and attacked her
multiple times.
According to a source, when Thomas
positioned herself on the ground face
down protecting her chest and abdominal area and stayed silent, the attack
subsided and the bear eventually left the
area. In the event of a brown bear attack,
wildlife experts generally advise that
you do not attempt to flee or fight back.
After the mauling was over, Thomas
waited to make sure the bear was gone
before walking 1.5 miles back to her
vehicle. She located one dog while walking back to her truck. The other dog was
waiting for her at the truck. Thomas was
able to drive herself to the hospital. “It is
very lucky that the nature of her injuries
did not prevent her from walking out
under her own power. Had she suffered
arterial damage or been immobilized in
these wet conditions, the outcome could
have been much worse,” said Charlotte
Westing Area Biologist for ADFG in
Cordova.
While regardless of preparation, bear
attacks can occur, there are a few guidelines to consider that will help hikers
and hunters stay safe in bear country.
“Bears are very focused on consuming
as many calories as possible before going
into their dens for winter. As a result,
berries and spawning salmon draw
bears and you want to be especially
aware when hiking where fish or berries are present.” Hiking in groups can
help prevent a bear from being startled.
“With rainfall and streams there is a lot
of ambient noise that makes it harder
for animals to be aware of your presence.
As a result it is easier to catch them off
guard,” said Westing. Also remember
that pets can be a real “wildcard” in the
bear safety department. “In some situations a dog may help alert you to a safety
concern, in others, a dog may become a
complicating factor. Hiking with a dog
can give you a false sense of security,”
said Westing. Westing advises the public
to carry a deterrent such as bear spray, a
noise maker or flare, or a gun; to make
noise along the trail and to be aware of
weather factors that may prevent a bear
from knowing you are there.
AWT, ADF&G, and the USFS collaborated and agreed to close the trail to any
further traffic for at least the next 7
days. The bear is believed to be a 6 - 7
foot brown bear. Because the bear was
defending a natural food source, no further action is warranted at this time.
Red Dragon makes the top 10
Alaska Association for Historic Preservation lists buildings
as Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties for 2014.
BY NANCY BIRD
For The Cordova Times
Cordova’s Red Dragon Reading Room
and St. George’s Church are on a Top Ten
list! Unfortunately, it’s the annual list of
Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties
for 2014.
The Alaska Association for Historic
Preservation recently announced this list
to call attention to threatened historic
properties in Alaska. The primary threats
to Cordova’s Red Dragon and St. George’s
are their roofs, which have not been
replaced in almost 35 years. There may
also be problems with the foundations of
these buildings which are on the National
Register of Historic Places.
The small congregation of St. George’s
Episcopal Church is working on multiple fronts to address the threats to these
Cordova treasures. In addition to soliciting the recognition on the top 10 endangered buildings list, the congregation was
pleased that a grant was awarded earlier
this spring to the Red Dragon by the Alaska
Historical Commission (AHC).
This AHC state anniversary grant will
provide a building condition assessment
report, an engineer’s assessment and some
of the roofing materials needed for the
Red Dragon. Using this report, congregation member Nancy Bird said the church
will develop a plan for the re-roofing and
other restoration work. The building report is now being compiled by historical
architects who work for the National Park
PHOTO COURTESY OF HABS, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
HABS architect Jeremy Mauro sets up the $100,000 laser scanner in the yard between St.
George’s Church and the Red Dragon.
Service in Anchorage.
In addition to the report and planning
effort, the $12,000 matching grant from
AHC will also help purchase cedar shingles
for the Red Dragon, and provide for a structural engineer to inspect and make recommendations about the building’s roof and
foundation.
“It’s a major, major effort we’ll be
PHOTO COURTESY OF CORDOVA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 93-21-5
The fireplace, card table, reading materials and piano were
important drawing cards for the Red Dragon in its early years. This
photo dates to about 1915.
making to fix the roofs and do additional
restoration work necessary for these wonderful buildings,” said Neva Nolan, who is
taking part in leading the restoration project. “We expect the roofs for both buildings will cost $100,000 – 200,000 and our
annual budget is only $22,000, so we’re
■ See Page 17, RED DRAGON
PHOTO COURTESY OF HABS, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
St. George’s youth group is shown results on YouTube from other
digital scans done by HABS at sites around the country.
www.thecordovatimes.com
Friday, August 15, 2014 |
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of Native Village of Eyak tribal members
through meaningful programs and services.
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and the Gulf of Alaska
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15
16 | Friday, August 15, 2014
The Cordova Times
DAM
City of Cordova
From Page 1
Work with the Best!
The City of Cordova wants YOU and has job opportunities
for the right individual. Municipal government employment
is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have ...
serving your fellow citizens in your own home town.
As of August 1st, the following full-time positions are available:
•
Communications Clerk
•
Equipment Operator/Laborer Maint. II (Parks & Rec Dept)
•
Firefighter/Medic
•
Laborer Maint I or II or Sewer Water Tech
•
Rec Ops Leader
•
Refuse Supervisor
•
Shop Mechanic
•
Superintendent of Facilities
Full time positions include benefits such as paid vacation, sick leave, health
insurance, uniforms where required, life insurance and state retirement plan. Salary
ranges are based on position, skills, and qualification.
Details for any job can be found at the city’s web page, www.cityofcordova.net on the Find
A Job link, or contact Human Resources at City Hall, 424-6223.
B a l lot
M e a s u r e
some say this issue is about big oil.
It’s about our jobs.
It’s about our families.
It’s about our future.
on august
ugust 19th, protect our jobs and vote
1
It’s not.
NO
on 1!
Don’t reject oil tax reform. Give it a chance.
www.VoteNoOnOne.com
Paid for by Vote No on 1, Anchorage, AK 99509. Leslie Hajdukovich, Bob Berto, Rick Boyles, Linda Leary and Rick Mystrom, co-chairs,
approved this message. Top contributors are BP, Anchorage, Alaska, ConocoPhillips, Anchorage, Alaska, and ExxonMobil, Anchorage, Alaska.
Supported by more than 500 Alaska small businesses,
labor unions, Native Corporations, and community groups.
Polley, we feel it appropriate to provide
some clarity and transparency of the role
of Knight Piesold Ltd,” the company said
in a statement released Aug. 8.
The company said it is not familiar
with details of what it described as “an
extremely unfortunate incident” or on
the design, construction, operations, water management practices or any other
aspect of the tailings storage facility.
Knight Piesold informed Imperials
Metals on Feb. 10, 2011 that they would
not continue as the engineer of record
for the gold and copper mine in central
British Columbia, and subsequently
ceased to perform that role.
Upon completing all assignments as
the engineer of record in 2010, Knight
Piesold had written to the mine corporation and the government of British
Columbia’s chief inspector of mines of
their concerns.
“The embankments and the overall
tailings impoundment are getting large
and it is extremely important that they
be monitored, constructed and operated
properly to prevent problems in the future,” the letter said.
Knight Piesold’s statement of Aug. 8
noted that the original engineering accommodated a significantly lower water
volume than the tailings storage facility
for the copper and gold mine reportedly
held at the time of the breach.
“Significant engineering and design
changes were made subsequent to our
involvement, such that the tailings storage facility can no longer be considered
a Knight Piesold design,” the statement
said.
A formal handover of design, construction and monitoring responsibilities was
conducted on March 8, 2011, when AMEC
Earth and Environmental was acknowledged as the new engineer of record for
all future work at the tailings storage
facility.
British Columbia’s environmental minister, Mary Polak said during a news conference that a sampling plan was being
developed that would include the Fraser
River, as well as other bodies of water affected by the spill of 14.5 million cubic
meters of mine wastes
Preliminary water samples collected by
the province’s Ministry of Environment
staff at several locations in Quesnel Lake
were being tested for a number of contaminants. Sample collection is ongoing
and BC Interior Health is monitoring
regularly to ensure the health safety of
residents in affected areas, to determine
when restrictions on water use can be lifted, according to a statement on Interior
Health’s website.
British Columbia’s Watershed Watch
Salmon Society notes that the containment wall rupture in the tailings pond
unfortunately occurred as thousands of
sockeye and other species of salmon are
making their way upstream to spawn.
The immediate and long term impacts
of this environmental disaster are still
unclear, the society said in a statement
on its website.
Imperial Metals meanwhile noted that
preliminary results of water quality testing of Quesnel Lake and Quesnel River
confirmed that the water samples met
both provincial and federal safe drinking water guidelines and also stated that
“impact to aquatic life and fish is not
expected.”
www.thecordovatimes.com
Friday, August 15, 2014 |
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Aarons, Tosi will address AFN convention
BY THE CORDOVA TIMES STAFF
Mirian “Kaniak” Aarons, corporate
communications director for Bering
Straits Native Corp., and Mao Tosi, creator of the non-profit Alaska PRIDE Youth
Programs, are this year’s keynote speakers for the Alaska Federation of Natives
convention.
Both are scheduled to address the
convention at the Dena’ina Center in
Anchorage on Oct. 23.
Their collaborative work to strengthen
and join communities to make a better
RED DRAGON
From Page 14
looking for other grants, and particularly
donations from past members and the
community.”
The Red Dragon was built 106 years ago
by the Episcopal Church during the heyday of Cordova’s establishment as the port
city for the Copper River & Northwestern
Railway (CR&NWR). Instead of building a
church, it was decided a “club house open
night and day, seven days each, seemed
more useful for the early days” (Rev. E.P.
Newton, Valdez parish).
The club house included an open fireplace, couches, lots of reading material (it
served as Cordova’s first library until the
mid-1920’s), card tables, chess boards, a
piano and one pool table. “…On Sundays,
presto, an altar is lowered from a landing
on the rafters; things are whisked aside
and the place is ordered for services and
Sunday school.” (Alaska-Yukon Magazine,
Dec. 1910 pg. 403-404)
Soon after its official dedication as St.
George’s Episcopal Mission, it was called
the Red Dragon due to its bright red color,
the vivid trademark of the CR&NWR, as
well as the dragon being an emblem of St.
George’s conquered foe. It was in January
1909, shortly after the Red Dragon’s completion, that the then “unknown Alaskan
artist” Eustace P. Ziegler arrived from
Michigan to serve as the lay Missionary
in charge of the new Episcopal mission to
Cordova. His strong artistic talent led to his
designing St. George’s Church which was
finally built in 1918-19.
Today, Nolan says the Red Dragon remains a community center similar to the
1910 description. “Although it does not
serve railroad workers,” she said, “it is used
for music and art classes, Girl Scout meetings, gatherings of book clubs and other
special events. Its service as Cordova’s first
library was long ago moved to a larger facility but it continues to house books, magazines, games and a well-stocked kitchen for
holding breakfasts or dinners.”
Alaska exemplifies the convention’s 2014
theme, Rise as One, AFN said.
The convention brings together some
3,500 delegates from across the state to
discuss key issues, share information, and
set the course for the AFN for the coming
year. Along with the convention, AFN provides an outlet for Native artisans and consumers of their work at the Alaska Native
Customary Art Show, whch will be open all
three days of the convention.
Two evenings of Native dance and music,
the Quyana Alaska cultural performances,
are also scheduled.
17
Ilanka Community
Health Center
Providing personalized quality health care
for the entire Cordova Community.
Laser scan completed
In early June, three architects from
the Historic American Buildings Survey
(HABS), a branch of the National Park
Service in Washington DC, spent two
days in Cordova surveying The Red
Dragon and St. George’s using a combination of hand measuring and a high
definition digital scanner. The architects will create architectural drawings
of the buildings’ existing conditions
and these plans will assist future preservation efforts.
HABS is the nation’s first federal
preservation program, begun as a
Civilian Conservation Corps program
in 1933 to document America’s architectural heritage. Their drawings are
stored in the Library of Congress and
available to the public.
You can watch one example
of products from these laser
scans and photo surveys in a
3-minute “fly-through” video of
St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox
Church in Juneau posted at this
website:
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=BN_DQxyx2Hg . Additional
products from HABS work are
posted at their YouTube website:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/
UCap2nN4NmI2RFKZhc9Y4Nvw .
Nolan, along with Sewan Gelbach and
other volunteers, plan to establish a website for this restoration project where the
on-going plans, history and photos will be
shared. They welcome donations and/or
in-kind support. “We expect this project to
take 2-5 years,” said Gelbach. “Roof replacement is a priority but equally important is
to improve the energy efficiency of these
historic buildings. I also want to enhance
and share their fascinating histories with
all who walk through their doors.”
August is
Immunization protects all of us from serious diseases.
Many vaccine preventable diseases are still common in the U.S.
Vaccines protect us at all stages of life.
•
Pregnant Mothers and Newborns
•
Infants and Toddlers
•
School age children and teens
•
Young Adults preparing for college and adventures
•
Adult vaccines (i.e.; flu, tdap, shingles, pneumococcal, hepatitis, HPV)
What should we do?
•
Parents should ask their child’s healthcare professional about vaccines they need.
•
Adults should talk with their healthcare professional about the vaccines that are recommended for them.
Need help paying for vaccines?
•
Most health insurance plans cover the cost of recommended vaccines. Check with your
insurance provider for details.
•
Families who need help paying for childhood vaccines should ask their healthcare professional about the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which provides vaccines at no cost
to children who don’t have health insurance, or whose insurance does not cover vaccinations.
Source: http://www.nphic.org/Content/Documents/NIAM/NIAM-TalkingPoints.pdf
If you have any questions about immunization status or to
schedule vaccinations, call Ilanka Community Health Center at
424-3622
Services We Provide
ALASKAN REAL ESTATE OF CORDOVA
Whiskey
Ridge Road
Very cozy two-bdroom + den
on a private large lot next
to a creek,with two car garage,
wood stove, new Weisman
furnace and much more
$239,900
Call Becky or Mark at 424-7253 for more information and to arrange a tour.
Stop by our office at 401 1st Street | [email protected]
Lab work drawn in house
Womens Health
Laceration Repairs
Acupuncture
Prenatal care
Massage therapy
Diabetic counseling
FREE blood pressure checks
FREE nail care for seniors
and diabetics
Behavioral Health
Steroid injections
IUD’s
CDL/DOT Physicals
Preventative care
Immunizations
School and Sports Physicals
18 | Friday, August 15, 2014
The Cordova Times
LAW & ORDER
City of Cordova
Notes from City Hall:
The Streets crew have completed the road
improvements on upper Council. Thanks to all
for your patience.
safer, better-looking path. It will take some time
to finish, so pedestrians should be on the look-out
for workers.
Check out new times and events at the Bob
KornMemorial Pool. Combined lap swims and
adult exercise classes have seen lots of your
friends in the new saline-filtered water. Come join
in the healthy fun. For more info call 424-7200 or
check the weekly schedule posted online in the
“Have Fun” section of Living In Cordova at www.
cityofcordova.net
Interested in learning a foreign language but
don’t have the cash for classes, tapes or books?
Check out the resources at your City Library. Just
say “Mango.”
We’re working for you. Trail improvements on
the right-of-way alongside the pool have begun.
When done, you’ll see improved drainage and a
Remember to pay attention to city traffic
signs. The roads crew is out weekly doing street
sweeping, but if your car is blocking the route
during designate times you may be ticketed.
Don’t run the risk ... use the municipal lots bythe
hardware store and behind the Library.
The following incidents were reported to the
Cordova Police Department between 8-12014 thru 8-7-2014. Any charges reported
in these press releases are merely accusations and the defendant and/or defendants
are presumed innocent until proven guilty in
a court of Law.
AUGUST 1, Friday:
6:19am Caller reported an alarm sounding
at a business on First St. Officer responded
and found the building secure. 8:33am Caller reported someone is forging her checks.
The case is under investigation. 10:25am
Caller reported a dump truck rolled over at
13 mile. Officer, fire department and ambulance responded. 11:20am Caller reported
an intoxicated individual on Railroad Ave.
The employer was notified to pick him up
due to everyone else busy with other calls.
12:35pm A theft was reported at a business
on Breakwater Av. 1:53pm Caller reported a
dog has been barking for days at McLaughlin Trailer Court. Officer spoke with owner
about bringing the dog inside. 2:38pm Civil
papers were received and served. 3:53pm
Ryan Gaber, 29, arrested on three outstanding warrants. Later while in custody, Gaber
caused damage to the Cordova Jail facility
and was charged with two counts of Criminal
Mischief in the 4th degree. 21:42 Ambulance
was requested and responded to a home on
the Copper River Hwy. 22:31pm Ambulance
was requested for a patient transport to the
airport. The ambulance responded.
AUGUST 2, Saturday:
12:00am Caller reported his vehicle was stolen from in front of a business on First St.
The vehicle was found parked at the callers’
residence. 4:42am Caller reported someone was passed out in front of a business
on First St. Officer responded and found an
individual who had fallen and hurt his ankle.
Transportation home was provided.12:37pm
Caller reported her tent was stolen from Mavis Island. 5:23pm Caller reported an intoxicated individual by Bidarki was yelling and
acting aggressive.
AUGUST 3, Sunday:
3:38am Caller reported he ran out of gas on
Copper River Highway with his two children.
An officer brought him a gallon of gas to get
back to town. 6:18am Caller reported that
they were advised by CCMC to get the ambulance to take him to the hospital. 12:16pm
Caller reported the fire alarm going off for
Ocean Beauty. The fire department responded and cleared the scene as a false alarm.
AUGUST 4, Monday:
Nothing to report
AUGUST 5, Tuesday:
Nothing to report AUGUST 6, Wednesday:
4:26pm Caller wanted a welfare check on
a friend. Officers responded and the friend
was found at her father’s house safe.
AUGUST 7, Thursday:
8:28am A wallet was turned in at the station. 10:43am An abandoned bicycle with a
basket in front was turned in at the station.
1:35pm A premise check was requested.
5:47pm Caller reported people were smoking pot on Council Av. Officer responded and
the subjects were gone on arrival. 6:05pm
Caller reported a reckless driver on First St.
Officer notified and unable to locate vehicle.
10:09pm Caller reported 2 intoxicated individuals were walking in the road on Whitshed Rd. Officer responded and spoke with
individuals who agreed to stay off the road.
TIPS LINE
The police department tips line is up and
running. Call 424-TIPS (8477). Cordova Police Department appreciates the
information you share with them and you will
remain anonymous. If the specific information you provide leads to the arrest of an individual, you could be eligible to receive a
reward up to $500.00. To claim the reward,
you will need to leave your name and con■ See Page 24, LAW & ORDER
www.thecordovatimes.com
PEBBLE
From Page 1
restrictions on activities believed to have
unacceptable adverse effects on the Bristol
Bay watershed by a mining operation that
would cover an area larger than Manhattan
with its mine pit, tailings impoundments
and waste rock piles.
At the start of the hearing Dennis
McLerran, EPA Region 10 administrator
told more than 200 hundred people at the
Egan Center in downtown Anchorage that
the EPA was there to listen to their input
about the proposal Region 10 announced,
to protect “the extraordinarily valuable
Bristol Bay fishery.”
McLerran explained that the EPA had
taken the first step in February by announcing its intention to restrict development of the Pebble deposit, a project of the
Pebble Limited Partnership, the principal
asset of Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. of
Vancouver, British Columbia. Northern
Dynasty is a subsidiary of the diversified
global mining group Hunter Dickinson
Inc., also of Vancouver, B.C.
McLerran said the EPA had recently
proposed taking the second step required
under the Clean Water Act, by identifying
possible restrictions on development of
the Pebble deposit, to protect the Bristol
Bay watershed, which produces half of
the world’s sockeye salmon. He also emphasized that EPA was distinguishing a
possible Pebble mine from other mining
activity in Alaska or elsewhere and that
the proposed restrictions would impact
only claims surrounding the Pebble
deposit.
Public comment on the EPA proposal
is being accepted through Sept. 19, after
which the EPA will consider the next steps
in the process, which could include moving toward a recommended determination to the EPA assistant administrator for
water at EPA headquarters in Washington
D.C.
Reaction from some 120 people signed
up to speak echoed for the most part the
views of individuals, businesses and environmental organizations who had previously expressed their views on the mine.
The exception was a number of references
to the Mount Polley tailings dam breach
in British Columbia last week that sent
an estimated 14.5 million cubic meters of
mine wastes into the salmon-rich Fraser
River watershed. Several people expressed
concern that if such a breach of a tailings
dam could happen there, it could happen
at Pebble.
One of the first to speak was Tom Collier,
recently appointed as the new chief executive of the Pebble Limited Partnership.
“I must tell you that I think it’s ludicrous
that we’re having a public hearing 17 business days after you released a 200-page
technical report,” Collier said. “I think this
hearing is much more about show than it
is about substance.”
“We think,” said Collier, “this is a denial
of the due process. This has never been
done before in the history of the Clean
Water Act.”
The EPA, however has noted examples of
regulatory actions in Florida and Louisiana
Friday, August 15, 2014 |
that preemptively halted development in
wetlands in those states.
Sue Aspelund, executive director of the
Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development
Association, and Bob Waldrop, the
BBRSDA’s past executive director, both
spoke in support of the EPA proposal.
“The seafood industry has concerns
about continuing investments in the Bay,
and consumers worry about the safety and
abundance of future seafood supplies from
the region,” Aspelund said. “This type of
certainty provided by EPA’s proposed 404
(c) determination is required to maintain
the health of the Bay’s salmon industry –
the economic mainstay of the region and
provider of over 40 percent of the nation’s
wild sockeye salmon.
“Bristol Bay’s salmon are a $1.5 billion
resource needing no remediation to maintain long-term healthy economic development,” said Waldrop. “All that’s required
is good stewardship and management
– something that the proposed determination helps maintain EPA’s process properly puts facts first- as a foundation for
opinions,” said Waldrop. “Opinions don’t
change facts, no matter who says them or
how often. Sadly statements that modern
mining methods can fully protect fragile
ecologies has recently and tragically been
reputed again by facts. In contrast, EPA’s
process is a solid factual foundation for
the proposed determination.”
Charles Treinen, vice president of United
Fishermen of Alaska, which represents
37 fisheries trade associations in Alaska,
reiterated the UFA’s support of the EPA
proposal, saying such action was appropriate. “The UFA position has been reiterated
in follow-up letters and indicates broad
based support for the proposed EPA action
amongst fishermen throughout the state,”
he said.
Jason Metrokin, president and chief
executive officer of the Bristol Bay Native
Corp., reiterated BBNC’s position that the
mien “would be too big and located in the
wrong location.” Metrokin said that BBNC
was thankful for the EPA proposal and
urged a final determination.
Deantha Crockett, executive director of
the Alaska Miners Association, urged the
EPA to let the permitting process decide
whether the copper, gold and molybdenum mine should be built and operated. She reminded the EPA, with copies in
hand, of all the testimony she had previously given on the issue, and spoke of how
she regularly receives phone calls from
potential investors wondering if it is safe
to invest in mines in Alaska. “I don’t know
what to say to them,” she said.
Several Alaska legislators also testified, among them Sen. Cathy Giessel,
R-Anchorage, Rep. Bryce Edgmon, DDillingham, Pete Higgins, R-Fairbanks, and
Rep. Hollis French, D-Anchorage.
Giessel spoke of fishing not providing
year round employment and said that mining provides good employment. She also
said that 60 percent of the commercial
fishing permits for Bristol Bay are owned
by people living outside of Alaska.
Edgmon said it was time to put forward the restrictions, which are all about
protecting the Bristol Bay watershed, not
about vetoing any particular project.
To Higgins, the EPA involvement
in Pebble was all about government overreach. “These regulations
will affect everyone in this state
I one form or another,” he said.
“I would like to see due process. … We’re
going to fight you every inch of the way.
French, in support of the EPA proposal,
19
said that Alaska is pro-development, but
Pebble crosses the line. … Just say ‘no’ to
the Pebble mine, he said.
For more information about the
Pebble project and how to comment
on the EPA proposal , visit
https://www2.epa.gov/bristolbay
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Facility Engineer
Central Gas Facility, Prudhoe Bay
BP Alaska
Our Commitment to Alaska:
More Investment. More Jobs.
Thanks to a more competitive economic climate, we are
increasing our 2014 capital spending in Alaska by 25%.
This includes a 40% increase in new production activities
like drilling more wells, and other major projects. That
means more production and more jobs for Alaskans.
A stronger economy benefits all of us.
Find out more about BP Alaska at alaska.bp.com
ESTABLISHED IN1908 • OPERATED BY CURRENT OWNER SINCE 1989
NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE
[email protected]
TERMS TO QUALIFIED BUYER:
A management agreement with intent
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SALE INCLUDES:
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ESTABLISHED IN CORDOVA, ALASKA IN 1908
Alaskan Hotel, Bar and Liquor Store
FOR SALE
20 | Friday, August 15, 2014
The Cordova Times
ELECTIONS 2014
PRIMARY VOTING IS OPEN
What to expect on the ballot, what it means and when/where to vote
BY JENNIFER GIBBINS
[email protected]
Voting has opened for the Alaska Primary Election.
Voters go to the polls on Aug. 19, however, voters who
wish to vote absentee or early may do so now by going to
City Hall. On Aug. 19, Cordovans may vote in person at the
Cordova library.
What’s on the ballot? Voters are being asked to vote on
candidates running at the federal and state level, and, to
vote on Ballot Measure #1.
In order to assist voters, The Cordova Times is sharing
information below. This information is provided solely as
a reference for voters and is not intended as comprehensive or to instruct voters on how they should vote.
BALLOTS
The political party affiliation appearing on your voter
registration record, 30 days prior to the election, will determine which of the ballot types you are eligible to vote.
Each voter may only vote ONE ballot. If you request a ballot type that you are not eligible to vote, you must vote
a questioned ballot. If you would like to vote for just the
ballot measures and not vote for any candidates, you may
request the measures only ballot.
Aug. 19
WHO GETS
PRIMARY BALLOT CHOICE THIS BALLOT?
Alaska Democratic Party, Alaska Any registered
voter may vote this
Libertarian Party and Alaskan
ballot.
Independence Party Candidate
including ballot measures
Voters registered
as Republican,
Undeclared and
Nonpartisan may
vote this ballot.
Alaska Republican Party
Candidate including ballot
measures
Ballot measures only ballot
Any registered
voter may vote this
ballot.
CANDIDATES
At the Federal level, voters will be asked to vote for one
candidate running for United States Senator and one candidate running for United States Representative. At the
State level, voters will be asked to vote for one candidate
for each of the following: Governor, Lt. Governor, State
Senator and State Representative. The names of candidates
vary depending on which ballot you are eligible to vote.
To see sample ballots, go to
www.elections.alaska.gov/ei_primary.php.
BALLOT MEASURES
There is one ballot measure in the Aug. 19 primary election: Ballot Measure #1 - (13SB21) An Act Relating to the
Oil and Gas Production Tax, Interest Rates on Overdue
Taxes, and Tax Credit.
Ballot Measure #1 is a referendum. A referendum is the
procedure used by the citizens to approve or reject a law
that was passed by the legislature.
This referendum is for Senate Bill 21 which was passed
by the legislature in 2013 and became law when Governor
Parnell signed the legislation on June 24, 2013. SB21 relates to the Alaska Oil and Gas Production Tax, Interest
Rates on Overdue Taxes and Tax Credits.
Ballot Measure #1 is on the ballot because 52,649
Alaskans signed a petition requesting that Alaskans be
given their constitutional right to vote on the repeal of
SB21.
What does my vote on Ballot Measure #1 mean?
It is important to understand that your vote is about
whether to REJECT or APPROVE the law that is in place. It
can be a little confusing since a YES vote on Ballot Measure
#1 will reject the law that is in place; and a NO vote on
Ballot Measure #1 approves the law that is in place.
Instructions: To vote, completely fill in the oval next to your choice, like this:
Ballot Measure No. 1 - Referendum 13SB21
An Act Relating to the Oil and Gas Production Tax,
Interest Rates on Overdue Taxes, and Tax Credits
Ballot Measure 1
Voters are asked to approve or reject a law amending provisions of Title 43 of the Alaska Statutes governing the oil and gas production tax
and oil surcharge (collectively, “production tax”) and the statutory interest rate for delinquent taxes. The law provides a corporate income tax
credit for qualified oil and gas service-industry expenditures and establishes an Oil and Gas Competitiveness Review Board in the Department
of Revenue.
The law makes several changes to the production tax. For oil and gas produced after January 1, 2014, the law increases the base tax rate on
the annual production tax value of oil and gas produced from leases or properties in the state from 25 percent to 35 percent. The law
eliminates the “progressivity tax,” which applies only in a month in which a producer’s average monthly production tax value exceeds $30.
The law provides that qualified oil and gas produced from leases or properties on the North Slope would be eligible for a 20-percent reduction
(called a “gross revenue exclusion”) in the gross value at the point of production. The gross revenue exclusion applies only to oil and gas
produced from a lease that was not in a unit on January 1, 2003, from a new participating area (reservoir), or from acreage added to an
existing participating area.
The law provides for an additional 10-percent gross revenue exclusion for oil and gas produced from a North Slope unit that consists solely of
state leases for which the lessee (the producer of the oil and gas) is obligated to pay the state a royalty share (in money or in kind) that
exceeds 12.5 percent of the value of the oil or gas produced from the lease.
The law provides that North Slope tax credits may be used to permit a taxpayer to apply a credit against its tax, or receive a certificate, in a
single calendar year (instead of allowing only half the credit to be applied in a single calendar year).
The law adds two new tax credits for North Slope producers of oil and gas that may be applied against the producer’s production taxes.
Neither credit is transferable or redeemable for cash, nor may any unused portion be carried forward to a later calendar year. The first is a
credit of $5 per barrel of taxable oil that qualifies for the gross revenue exclusion. The second is a sliding-scale credit for each barrel of North
Slope taxable oil that does not qualify for a gross revenue exclusion. The sliding-scale credit varies, and is based on $10 increments of the
gross value at the point of production. It ranges from $8 a barrel in a month in which the average gross value at the point of production is less
than $80 a barrel to $0 a barrel when the average gross value at the point of production equals or exceeds $150 a barrel. At a gross value
between $100 and $110 per barrel, the credit would be $5 per barrel.
The law eliminates the 20-percent tax credit for qualified capital expenditures on the North Slope after January 1, 2014.
The law amends the carried-forward credit for losses incurred to explore, develop, or produce North Slope oil and gas by increasing the loss
credit to 45 percent of a loss from January 1, 2014, to January 1, 2016. After January 1, 2016, the North Slope loss credit would be 35 percent.
The law does not change the 25-percent loss credit for expenditures incurred south of the North Slope.
The law also extends the exploration tax credit under AS 43.55.025 for five years for certain exploration projects, and removes a qualifying
requirement related to well distance for exploration wells drilled outside the Cook Inlet sedimentary basin and south of the North Slope.
The law amends the tax limitation on gas used in the state so it would not apply to gas first produced after December 31, 2012, and before
January 1, 2027, from leases outside the Cook Inlet sedimentary basin and south of the North Slope.
The law also lowers the interest rate that applies to overdue taxes from five percent above the applicable federal rate, or 11 percent, whichever
is greater, to three percent above the applicable federal rate.
The law substitutes the Alaska Net Income Tax Act for the progressivity tax as a suggested funding source for the legislature to consider when
appropriating funds to the Community Revenue Sharing Fund.
The law adds a credit to the Alaska Net Income Tax Act for expenditures related to the oil and gas service industry. Expenditures that can
qualify for credit include manufacturing or modifying tangible personal property in Alaska if that property will be used in the exploration,
development, or production of oil and gas. The credit may not exceed $10 million in a calendar year, and applies only against a taxpayer’s
corporate income tax liability. The credit may not be transferred or redeemed for cash, and any unused portion may be carried forward for five
years. An expenditure that is the basis for this credit may not be used as a deduction from the taxpayer’s income tax, a credit or deduction
under another provision in Title 43, or for any federal tax credit that a taxpayer may take under Alaska law.
The law establishes an Oil and Gas Competitiveness Review Board in the Department of Revenue. The Board’s duties include considering
fiscal policies and levels of investment relating to oil and gas exploration, development, and production in the state and reviewing the state’s
competitive position to attract and maintain investment in the oil and gas sector in the state. The Board is required to make reports to the
legislature in 2015 and 2021. Under the law, the Board would exist until February 28, 2021.
Most of the law would take effect on or after January 1, 2014, except for sections related to transferable tax credits. Those sections would
apply retroactively to January 1, 2013.
A yes vote rejects the law. A no vote approves the law.
Should this law be rejected?
YES
NO
Card 3 SEQ# 1 English
A “YES” Vote on
Ballot Measure #1
A “NO” Vote on
Ballot Measure #1
Voting YES will REJECT
the law (SB21) that was
passed by the legislature
in 2013.
Voting NO will APPROVE
the law (SB 21) that was
passed by the legislature
in 2013.
■ See Page 21, VOTER INFO
www.thecordovatimes.com
Friday, August 15, 2014 |
SAMPLE BALLOT FRONT
21
SAMPLE BALLOT FRONT
INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTER: To vote for the issue/candidate of your choice, fill in the oval next
to the issue/candidate you want to vote for. Place your ballot inside the secrecy
sleeve and then take your ballot to the ballot box.
INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTER: To vote for the issue/candidate of your choice, fill in the oval next
to the issue/candidate you want to vote for. Place your ballot inside the secrecy
sleeve and then take your ballot to the ballot box.
If you make a mistake while voting, return the ballot to the election official for a new one.
A vote which has been erased or changed will not be counted.
If you make a mistake while voting, return the ballot to the election official for a new one.
A vote which has been erased or changed will not be counted.
Instructions: To vote, completely fill in the oval next to your choice, like this:
August 19, 2014
Instructions: To vote, completely fill in the oval next to your choice, like this:
United States
Senator
(vote for one)
United States
Senator
(vote for one)
Kile, Zachary A.
Alaskan Independence
Kohlhaas, Scott A.
Kohring, Vic
Libertarian
Alaskan Independence
Walker, Thom M.
Libertarian
Begich, Mark
Treadwell, Mead
Republican
Jaramillo, John M.
Republican
Miller, Joe
Republican
Sullivan, Dan
Democrat
Bryk, William "Bill"
Fish, Mark S.
Republican
United States
Representative
Democrat
(vote for one)
Libertarian
United States
Representative
(vote for one)
McDermott, Jim C.
Libertarian
Vondersaar, Frank J.
Democrat
Dunbar, Forrest
Democrat
Governor
(vote for one)
Young, Don
Republican
Cox, John R.
Republican
Dohner, David F. "Dave"
Republican
Seaward, David
Republican
Governor
(vote for one)
Snowden, Brad
Republican
Heikes, Gerald L. "Tap"
Republican
Mallott, Byron I.
Democrat
Millette, Russ
Republican
Stoddard, Phil G.
Democrat
Parnell, Sean R.
Republican
Clift, Carolyn F. "Care"
Libertarian
(vote for one)
Lee, Andrew C.
Libertarian
Williams, Robert L. "Bob"
Democrat
French, Hollis S.
Democrat
State Senator
District P
Democrat
State Representative
District 32
Republican
Sullivan, Dan
Republican
State Senator
District P
(vote for one)
Democrat
Republican
State Representative
District 32
(vote for one)
Austerman, Carol
(vote for one)
McCune, Jerry G.
Wolf, Kelly J.
Stevens, Gary Lee
(vote for one)
Henrichs, Robert "Moose"
Lieutenant Governor
(vote for one)
Lieutenant Governor
Republican
Stutes, Louise B.
Republican
Walker, Rich
Republican
Continue Voting on Next Side
Continue Voting on Next Side
FRONT Card 173 SEQ# 1 English
FRONT Card 174 SEQ# 1 English
VOTER INFO
From Page 20
Non partisan issue summary
In order to assist voters, The Cordova Times is sharing
information below from Let’s Talk Anchorage/Alaska. The
information is a simple, easy to understand nonpartisan
summary of the views from both sides of SB21. It is provided here solely as a reference for voters and is not intended
as comprehensive or to instruct voters on how to vote.
More information can be found online at
http://akcommonground.org/. (*see below for more
information on Let’s Talk Alaska/Anchorage).
Let’s Talk Anchorage Summary on Perspective
of Legislators who voted for SB21
Proponents of SB21 argue that it is necessary to reduce
the tax rate on the production and sale of Alaska’s petroleum resources to create a more attractive investment climate. They believe this is necessary to attract the capital
needed to increase exploration and development which
will increase future production. They argue that increased
production will increase employment and future income
to the state.
Let’s Talk Anchorage Summary on Perspective
of Legislators who voted against SB21
Opponents of the legislation argue there is no evidence
to support the belief that our present tax rates are an
obstacle to oil industry investment in future production.
They noted that the legislature did not require an increase
in exploration of development investment as a condition
for receiving reductions in taxes. They concluded that
foregoing income now, based solely on the hope that it
would increase future production, is not in the best interests of the state.
What’s the bottom line?
As explained by Let’s Talk Anchorage, your vote on this
referendum is an investment decision. A YES vote invests
oil resource revenue with the state to provide services
and facilities for the public. A vote NO invests oil resource
revenue with the oil industry to encourage investment in
oil exploration and development that will/may provide
benefits to the state.
Let’s Talk Anchorage explains that the question boils
down to which choice you believe will best serve the state
constitutional mandate to “provide for the utilization,
development and conservation of all natural resources
belonging to the State, including land and waters, for the
maximum benefit of its people”; and your needs, your
community’s needs and the needs of future generations?
Where to find more information
Voter information is available online from the State
of Alaska Division of Elections at http://www.elections.
alaska.gov/ei_primary.php.
*Let’s Talk Alaska/Anchorage
Let’s Talk Anchorage was formed as a volunteer collaboration presently composed of Alaska Common Ground,
the Anchorage Library, and a volunteer Coordinating
Committee. They describe it as “an open association of
individuals and organizations working to increase the use
of public libraries as centers for democratic dialogue. Our
goal is to be open and responsive to all individuals and
organizations in the community that have a need or interest in dialogue and deliberation.” They have held a variety
of public forums on ballot issues and published video of
these as well as discussion guides on their website.
You can download the complete Let’s Talk
Anchorage discussion guide on SB21 at
http://akcommonground.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/
Oil-Tax-Referendum-Discussion-Guide.pdf.
Photo of the Week
Have Dog,
Will Hike
We have driven from
Kansas City, Missouri
and are enjoying our
11 days in Cordova.
Kate dog and I enjoyed
the blueberry treats
along the Saddlebag
Glacial Trail. Kate got
quite good at picking
her own salmon and
blueberries along the
trail.
PHOTO BY TINA
YOCHUM-MAGAZ
SUBMIT
YOUR PHOTOS
Send your
photo to editor@
thecordovatimes.
com and it may get
selected as the photo
of the week. Photos
should be at least
1 mb in size.
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22 | The Cordova Times | Friday, August 15, 2014 | www.thecordovatimes.com
Announcements
Have you seen any gulls
with a blue leg band?
The Runstadler Lab (MIT) and Prince
William Sound Science Center are
studying the population biology,
migration and health of glaucouswinged gulls in Cordova. If you see a
banded gull please contact Nichola Hill
([email protected]) or Mary Anne Bishop
([email protected]).
Eat More <º((((><
Home cooking at the Coho including
the Best Burger in town, no question.
Famous Coho Cafe Sourdoughs. Clam
Chowder Fridays. Breakfast and Lunch
Tues.- Sat 7-2. Sun. 8-2. Check the
board for daily specials.
AT ORCA BOOKS:
Paintings by David Rosenthall. Coffee,
books and art. Orca Books on First
Street.
ON EXHIBIT:
Bird photos on metal by Mark Hoover
at the Ilanka Cultural Center. Call 4247903 for opening details and hours.
Best Taco in Alaska:
Award winning Baja Taco in the red bus
in Cordova’s harbor. Breakfast, lunch
and dinner daily. Dangerously delicious
milk shakes.
Yogi says stop on by the Picnic Basket
for lunch, shakes and more. Located
behind The Net Loft off of First Street.
Killer Whale Cafe on First Street has
daily specials. Serving breakfast and
lunch.
Grilled to order. Friday night is Steak
Night at the Cordova Moose Lodge.
Everyone is welcome! Not a member,
it’s easy to join or to be signed in as
a guest.
City of Cordova has several job
openings. For information contact the
City at 424-6200 or www.cityofcordova.
net.
Call NVE for info on classes and the
crafts group at the Masonic - everyone
is welcome. Call: 424-7738.
STORY TIME:
Storytime for Little Ones at the Cordova
Public Library - every Wednesday at
11:00 a.m.
FUN AND GAMES:
Check out the Bidarki Center on
Facebook for camp dates and ideas
on fun seasonal activities. Interested
in becoming a life guard for the pool?
Contact the Parks and Rec Dept at us
at 424-7282.
Call an Expert
Star Thrower Nets is hanging gillnet
gear now. Call Sully @ 907-424-3751 or
907-253-4883.
Call an expert, or just stop in at Nichols
Front Door Store and pick up a loaf of
fresh baked bread, slather it with butter
or really good olive oil and call it a day.
Locally baked by Cordova’s artisan
baker Glenn VanDyck in a wood fired
brick oven.
bs
Need a Scooby Snack?
Celebrate all your furry, feathered and
fishy friends with a visit to Pet Projects.
Quality food, treats and knowledgeable
staff. Open Mon.- Sat. 2-6 p.m. for all
your pet care needs.
merchandise, have a vehicle with a valid
drivers license, and work weekends.
Apply at Redden Marine Cordova 123B
harbor loop road. 907-424-3188
Jo
Animals
PLEASE CONSERVE.
The Cordova Water Department
requests that all Cordovans practice
good water conservation.
Alaskan Hotel and Bar is looking for
a handy man. Must be 21 and have a
valid driver’s license.
Sales clerk/barista positions available
at Laura’s Liquore Store. Call 424-3144.
]
LE
A
S
[FOR
Items for Sale
Teas, snacks, gifts, organic groceries
and Burt’s Bees cosmetics at
SerendipiTea. Stop by and check out
our lovely display windows on First
Street.
Nichols Front Door/
Back Door Store.
Fresh produce, meats, seafood and all
your household staples. Checkout our
specials board and all of Dennis’ great
window art. Can’t find what you need,
just let us know. Store Open M-S 8-10
and Sundays 8-8.
Stop in and see our newly
re-organized store.
The Camtu Center in the Cordova
Harbor. Housewares, clothing and
accessories. Imported olive oils,
cheeses, crackers, chocolates and
more at. Stop in and check out our
new speciality items arriving daily. Let
us know what you’d like to see in our
store. Open daily and now you can rent
movies too!
HELP WANTED:
Seeking seasonal full time counter
help. Must have computer knowledge
and knowledge of commercial fishing
Real Estate
CORDOVA REALTY OFFERS:
Energy efficient, nearly-new home
with beautiful views. See photos at
www.cordovaalaska.net or call Linden
O’Toole 253-3199
Cedar Chalet on double lot $319,900
and remodeled historic home with
detached garage $289,900. See
photos at www.cordovaalaska.net
or call Linden O’Toole, CORDOVA
REALTY 253-3199
For Sale by Owner:
Large 110’x 60’ heated shop/building
with attached apartment. Will sell just
the property and structure and/or an
established welding and fabrication
business with all tools, office furniture,
networked computer system, jigs,
molds and inventory for a diverse and
successful product line of equipment
that is very well represented in the CR/
PWS fleet of gillnet boats. Priced to sell,
this is an opportunity for the right person
to step right into a functioning business
with many marine related profit centers
that can effectively provide service to
the local fleet. Call for more details:
907-424-5176 or see Bill Webber.
Micellaneous
Business for sale:
Profitable welding and machine shop
turn key with 1 1/2 acres of land. For
more info contact Lenny at 424-7790
or 3464
Vehicles & Boats
Employment
PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND
SCIENCE CENTER:
Science
Education
Coordinator
position open at PWSSC. See www.
pwssc.org/jobs for more info.
reviewing a proposal from Chugach
Alaska
Corporation
to
conduct
mineral material exploration on lands
near Secret Cove in Port Gravina.
The Chugach National Forest is the
steward of the surface estate which
was acquired as part of an Exon Valdez
oil spill (EVOS) settlement conveyance
project. In this area, the Chugach Alaska
Corporation owns the subsurface
estate and retains outstanding mineral
rights to the subsurface. The proposal would involve using
a class 450 excavator to enable a
tracked drill to access two test sites.
At each of the two sites, a series of drill
holes would be followed with blasting
operations to enable an evaluation of
the subsurface materials. Operations
would occur during the summer and fall
of 2014 and occur over an approximate
14-day period. Surface disturbance
would be kept to a minimum during
operations and no more than ½ mile
of temporary access route would be
utilized during exploration activities. The project would occur in lands
designated as EVOS Acquired Lands
Management Area (221) in the Chugach
Forest Plan. These lands are also part
of the Fidalgo-Gravina Inventoried
Roadless Area.
For location maps and more information
contact Bob Behrends at (907) 4244729 or Robert Skorkowsky at (907)
424-4742.
Comments identifying specific issues
and concerns are requested by August
29, 2014 and can be emailed to the
attention of Bob Behrends, PO Box
280, Cordova, Alaska 99574 or emailed
to [email protected].
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) is an equal opportunity provider
and employer.
Star Thrower Nets is hanging gillnet
gear now. Call Sully @ 907-424-3751 or
907-253-4883.
Legal Ads
USDA Forest Service
Chugach National Forest,
Alaska Region
Cordova Ranger District
Public Scoping Notice
The Cordova Ranger District
is
FREE CLASSIFIEDS:
Hey Cordova Times readers, our
classifieds are free to subscribers and
our “regular” Cordova business display
advertisers. Email your ad copy to
[email protected].
Wanted
FREE CLASSIFIEDS:
Hey Cordova Times readers, our
classifieds are free to subscribers and
our “regular” Cordova business display
advertisers. Email your ad copy to
[email protected].
TAKE A BREAK
23
23 | The Cordova Times | Friday, August 15, 2014 | www.thecordovatimes.com
Boggle BrainBusters!
Sudoku By The Mepham Group
Level 
Complete the grid so
each row, column and
3-by-3 box (in bold
borders) contains every
digit 1 to 9. For strategies
on how to solve Sudoku,
visit www.sudoku.org.
© 2014 THE MEPHAM GROUP. DISTRIBUTED
BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES. ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED.
Cordova Crossword
ACROSS
Nine to Five by H. Schwadron
1 Jay who’s on late
5 Crop up
10 1974 CIA vs. KGB
spoof
14 Vehicle behind dogs
15 Summer skirt
material
16 McDonald’s founder
Ray
17 It’s heedless to go
off it
19 Davenport’s state
20 One-__: biased
21 Ancient Mexican
23 HIV-treating drug
24 “Hold on __!”
26 Family nicknames
28 Car-waxing result
33 Letters linking real
and assumed
names
34 Lures
35 Himalayan republic
38 Invoice add-on
39 Choir room hangers
43 “Over my dead
body!”
46 MouthHealthy.org
org.
47 Motion on a mound
51 Dwarf planting
52 Polish prose
53 Mil. training center
54 Wood shop tool
58 Prefix meaning
“culture”
61 Work hard
63 Director’s cry, and
hint to the ends
of 17-, 28- and
47-Across
65 Savvy about
66 __ voce: softly
67 Skye of “Say
Anything ...”
68 Mark for removal
69 Deplete
70 Start of a classic
Christmas poem
DOWN
1 D-Day fleet
2 Pre-college, for short
3 Must have now, in
memo-speak
4 Most peculiar
5 Stein filler
6 Kelly in Electrolux ads
Bearly by Gary Hondel
7 Mother of Don Juan
8 Transmitted
9 Natural to a region
10 Enjoy a winter sport
11 Some charity golf
tournaments
12 Cry of surprise
13 Sings like Ella
18 German river
22 Wicker worker
25 Runner Sebastian
27 Sushi bar soup
28 PC linkup
29 Tiny Tim’s instrument
30 Loosen, as laces
31 “Act Naturally” singer
Ringo
32 Puts back together
36 Picnic crashers
37 From around here
40 Infielder’s mistake
41 Academic address
ending
42 Breakfast syrup
source
44 Massage technique
45 Female in the flock
47 __ Raceway:
Pennsylvania
NASCAR track
48 Latin for “where it
originally was”
49 Creative output
50 Blockhead
51 Anti-crow’s-feet
treatment
55 Pres. Jefferson
56 Despise
57 Words to a traitor
59 Grandma
60 Unlocks, poetically
62 Subdivision unit
64 Bread for dipping,
say
(c)2014 TRIBUNE
CONTENT
AGENCY, INC.
Last Week’s Answers
24 | Friday, August 15, 2014
The Cordova Times
CONGRATULATIONS MIKE
City Council member David Reggiani swears in Mike Hicks as police chief.
LAW & ORDER
NOTES FROM CORDOVA DMV:
From Page 18
tact information with your tip. The tip information will be reviewed by the Chief of Police ONLY and he will make contact with you
personally if you are eligible for the reward
payment. Thank you for coming forward
with information and assisting the community.
p
ins
Our motorcycle road course has been repainted and is ready for the new season - if
you want to add M1 or M2 to your license,
come on down and sign up. MC road testing will be conducted on Saturdays weather
permitting
DMV HOURS:
Wednesday - Saturday from 8am to 3:30pm
unless otherwise posted. iration
co
ns
er
va
ity
adventure
tion
ch
an
ge
co
mm
un
FRIDAY August 22
Doors 6:30 pm, Films 7 pm
Cordova Jr./Sr. High School Gym
An Evening of New Adventure & Environmental Films!
• Adults $10, Students $5, Kids 12 & under FREE • Come Anytime!
• Silent Auction / Prizes
• MC’d by Kat of the Super Saturated Sugar Strings
• Concessions
• Music by Malani Towle & Annie Carlson
EYAK
PRESERVATION
C O U N C I L