Description
The Alan Stein papers documents the work the Point Baker and Salmon Bay Protective Associations did to protest clearcut logging
and lobby for buffer strip legislation in the Tongass National Forest on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. The collection
contains materials related to two significant lawsuits pertaining to clearcutting: the Point Baker Association’s logging lawsuit
(Zieske v. Butz), and the Salmon Bay Protective Association’s lawsuit and Environmental Impact Study Appeal (Stein v. Barton).
The collection also includes the Point Baker Association’s forestry lobby legislation file for the National Forest Management
Act of 1976 and the Tongass Timber Reform Act of 1990. These papers were collected by one of the lead plantiffs, Alan Stein.
According to Stein, these records document local Alaskan bush communities’ efforts to protect salmon streams essential to
their economy and way of life.
Background
Alan Stein, a fisherman, homesteader, and activist in Port Protection, Alaska, founded the Point Baker Association in 1973.
This group of local citizens joined to protest clearcut logging near Point Baker. The Association initiated a federal lawsuit
in December 1975, Zieske v Butz, which stopped clearcut logging near Point Baker and threatened all logging on the West Coast.
Zieske (1975) spurred Congress into Passing the NFMA (National Forest Management Act, 1976) and Stein (1990) spurred Congress
to pass the buffer strip provisions contained in the TTRA (1991). In both cases, Stein lobbied Congress extensively. In 1989,
Stein organized a group of commercial fisherman into the Salmon Bay Protective Association (SBPA). They challenged the U.S.
Forest Service Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision as they affected commercial clearcut logging of trees
along approximately 1,800 salmon streams in the Tongass National Forest, as well as plans to clearcut in the watershed of
Prince of Wales Island, Salmon Bay. The SBPA won a U.S. District Court order prohibiting logging along Class I and II streams
and succeeded in persuading the U.S. Congress and Alaska State legislature to pass 100 foot buffer strip streams in the Tongass
National Forest.
Extent
4.6 Linear Feet
(9 boxes)
Restrictions
Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Availability
Collection is open for research.