Hey Tweets! Here's some good news.

Peggi
>
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Stephanie Hanna (O)
202/208-6416
>May 19, 1997 Dan Sakura (O)
202/208-4678
>
>
> SECRETARY BABBITT ANNOUNCES MAJOR LAND PROTECTION AGREEMENT
> FOR KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK
>
>Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt today signed a major agreement with an Alaska
>Native corporation, to purchase lands in Kenai Fjords National Park and the
>Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.
>
>Secretary Babbitt said "this is a tremendous conservation achievement -- the
>permanent protection of these lands, through an outstanding partnership
with the
>Alaska Native shareholders, the City of Seward and the State of Alaska."
>
>"This agreement will benefit fish and wildlife populations and provide
increased
>opportunities for outdoor recreation, while promoting local economic
>development," he continued.
>
>Department of the Interior and English Bay Corporation (EBC) negotiators
reached
>an agreement earlier this year, following four years of negotiations and
>discussions. The agreement marks one of the largest purchases of private
lands
>for inclusion in the National Park System in the last ten years.
>
>"Today's agreement, when combined with other efforts by Governor Tony Knowles,
>highlights the partnerships and comprehensive approach taken recently to
>protect the truly spectacular scenery and wildlife resources of the Kenai
>Peninsula," said Molly McCammon, Executive Director of the Exxon Valdez Oil
>Spill Trustee Council.
>
>Under the terms of the $15.37 million agreement, the National Park Service
would
>acquire a total of 32,537 acres of land within the boundary of Kenai Fjords
>National Park (30,258 acres) and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
>(2,279 acres).
>
>The lands to be acquired feature important habitat for a range of species
>injured by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, including pink salmon, sea otter,
>harlequin duck, black oystercatchers, pigeon guillemots and marbled murrelet.
>The lands also provide significant opportunities for tourism and recreation.
>
>Established in 1980, Kenai Fjords National Park includes over 675,000 acres of
>spectacular coastal lands, fjords, tidewater glaciers and the Harding
Icefield.
>With more than 275,000 visitors last year, Kenai Fjords National Park is
one of
>the most visited units of the National Park System in Alaska.
>
>The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1980 and
>includes more than 2,500 islands from the Arctic Ocean to southeast Alaska.
>Under the agreement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an Interior
Department
>agency, would receive lands on Ragged Island to be managed as a unit of the
>National Wildlife Refuge System.
>
>Protection of the English Bay lands will help to ensure the continued strength
>of the tourism sector of Seward's economy. As the marine gateway community to
>the Park, the City of Seward and the National Park Service have worked closely
>to protect the Park resources and to promote low impact tourism and recreation
>in the Park.
>
>The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council is providing $14.1 million from the
>civil settlement with the Exxon Corporation, to implement a plan to restore
the
>injured ecosystem. The Trustee Council consists of three trustees from the
>federal government and three trustees from the state government. The Trustee
>Council administers the $900 million settlement fund arising from the March
1989
>oil spill.
>
>The balance of the funding, the three federal trustees, the U.S. Department of
>the Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture/Forest Service and the U.S.
>Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, provided $1.2
>million from the $50 million criminal settlement which is administered by the
>Clinton Administration. The U.S. Department of Justice also played a
>significant role in the today's successful acquisition.
>
>According to Mr. Donald D. Emmal, President of EBC, "Our lands must provide
for
>our people forever. We will place our proceeds in a trust fund so we can
ensure
>the financial security of our children. An archeological fund will help
>preserve our culture."
>
>The English Bay Corporation, an Alaskan Native corporation, was established in
>accordance with the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. EBC is associated
with
>village of Nanwalek, formerly known as English Bay. The village is located
>southwest of Homer on the Kenai Peninsula.
>
>Under the terms of the purchase agreement, EBC has set aside $500,000 from the
>proceeds of the purchase to establish a fund to study cultural resources on
the
>lands to be sold. The fund will be used for archeological research, the
>retrieval and curation of artifacts and for educational purposes.
>
>Under the terms of the agreement, EBC shareholders would retain subsistence
>hunting and fishing rights on a portion of the lands, which are located
closest
>to the village, and furthest from the City of Seward. EBC would retain 43,000
>acres of land outside the Park in the vicinity of the Nanwalek, on the
southwest
>portion of the Kenai Peninsula.
>
>As part of the EVOS Trustee Council's large parcel habitat protection process,
>negotiations are continuing with other private landowners, including Afognak
>Joint Venture and the Eyak Corporation, which is headquartered in Cordova.
>
> -DOI-
>
>
>
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>.-
>
>
Ben & Peggi Rodgers
Aptos, CA (near Santa Cruz 122 W, 37 N)
USA
woodduck at cruzio.com


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