Alaska's wilderness resources

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, February 2011; written by Lisa Pearson.

Books about the history of Alaska’s resource development don’t ordinarily make me wax rhapsodic, but we just happen to have three really interesting new titles that all make same convincing argument; you can’t understand Alaskan history without understanding the dual roles of wilderness and resources.

“The Quiet World: saving Alaska’s wilderness kingdom, 1879-1960” is by acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley (his last book, “The Wilderness Warrior”, received glowing critical reviews). Starting with John Muir’s travels through the Inside Passage in 1879, Brinkley chronicles the fascination of Americans with the sheer size of Alaska and the unspoiled purity of her wilderness. He links various national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges with the politicians and naturalists who championed their designation and protection.

He also discusses how time and again these attempts to preserve Alaska in her natural state led to fierce opposition from those who valued the riches she contained: minerals, fish, timber and oil. One of the more interesting points Brinkley brings up is that Alaska’s identity as the last bastion of nature is so strong in the nation’s consciousness that even someone who has never been here, such as Jack Kerouac, can become inspired with the idea of living freely in Alaska’s wilderness. Brinkley’s book may not be completely objective, but it’s definitely worthwhile reading for anyone who’s interested in the forces that shaped our state.

Roxanne Willis examines a slightly different aspect of the relationship between Alaska and the rest of the country. “Alaska’s Place in the West: from the last frontier to the last great wilderness” looks at how Alaska has influenced and shaped the rest of the country. Focusing on a few large-scale development schemes, Willis demonstrates how frequently ‘down-South’ perceptions and priorities clash with Alaskan realities. Sen. Ernest Gruening championed a plan to create the world’s largest hydroelectric project by damming the Yukon River, which would flood 6.8 million acres in the Yukon Flats region. Sheldon Jackson, noting the similarities between Alaska and Scandanavia, tried to introduce reindeer farming as a way to provide more food for the Eskimos. The Atomic Energy Commission wanted to use a 2.4 million-ton nuclear explosion to create a deepwater port in the ‘uninhabited’ wilds of Alaska.

Willis also points out the impact of successful development projects: the Alaska Highway (the original Road to Nowhere), the creation of an agricultural settlement in the Matanuska Valley, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. She concludes with a bemused overview of Alaska’s recent notoriety: movies such as “Into the Wild” and “Grizzly Man”, the 2008 Presidential campaign, the ANWR drilling debate, and the effect of climate change on the Arctic. Throughout the book, she asks two basic questions “How have ideas of landscape and nature in the Lower 48 shaped development in Alaska?” and “How have environmental changes in Alaska influenced larger American ideas about land use and preservation?”

For another view of Alaskan resource development, we have “Tongass Timber: a history of logging & timber utilization in Southeast Alaska” by James Mackovjak. Mackovjak, who has lived in Alaska for over 40 years, brings a more local perspective to the issue of resource use. His book is a straight history of the timber industry in Southeast, rather than a political or environmental analysis. From the first Russian sawmill in 1833 to TLMP and recent plans for second-growth, his book is a thoroughly-documented history of logging practices, sawmill operations, Native land claims and Forest Service oversight. He also includes appendices, a glossary, and lots of historical photos. This book is as valuable a local history resource as “Handloggers” by William ‘Handlogger’ Jackson.