Letter: Why I stood in protest

I was very pleased to see your wonderful coverage of the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention now taking place in Fairbanks. I was approached by one of your fine reporters after I joined many delegates who stood in protest when Gov. Mike Dunleavy gave his speech. I had two concerns on my mind at the time. First, we are involved with a lawsuit with the state of Alaska over its herring harvest policies in Sitka and surrounding subsistence areas. The state’s stance on allowing massive overharvesting has caused multiple herring spawning grounds to fall into extinction, all the while the “scientific analysis” is causing this extinction.

Second, the governor has slashed a large part of the budget for the Alaska Marine Highway System, which is causing hardship on all communities from the Aleutian Islands to Ketchikan. Many small communities will be crippled by the loss of their ferry services. Cordova will not see a ferry for five months. Elders in villages will not be able to get to their medical appointments due to the cost of airfare.

For these reasons, I felt a need to protest against what I felt were the governor’s callous decisions that affect the lives of many coastal Alaskans.

Will Hanbury Jr.

Sitka

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