Saturday’s (6-21-25) rally in Sitka was large, but quiet. Organizers arranged for a drone to film the crowd. The only hiccup? Sitka police weren’t aware that several hundred people were planning to block Lincoln Street, as the chief had not signed the permit application. (KCAW/Woolsey)
The language is embedded in a budget reconciliation bill released by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee earlier this month. Maps produced by the Wilderness Society indicate that large swaths of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands in the western United States could be eligible for sale. Large areas of the Tongass National Forest are marked for sale, including all of Kruzof Island, home to Sitka’s iconic volcano.
The justification for sale of public lands is housing and related uses, however many of the identified areas are sparsely populated, or in the case of hundreds of square miles of Arctic tundra, impractical to develop. A campaign underway by the Wilderness Society suggests that local governments or other local entities will not be able to compete with corporate interests, if the bill becomes law.
Sitkans of all political stripes were invited to participate in the rally, which was organized mainly as a photo-op. There was one large banner that read “Sitka Stands for Public Lands” but otherwise no signs or chanting. A drone flew over the crowd, which filled Lincoln Street from the stoplight, partway to St. Michael’s Cathedral. Participants were encouraged to share the resulting video on social media.
