By Kristin Bigsby

Klukwan, Inc. has re-submitted a controversial permit application to the state to spray herbicides this summer on 2,000 acres of its land near Hydaburg.

The corporation wants to control the growth of alder trees and salmonberry bushes with the herbicides imazapyr and glyphosate—the latter an ingredient in the consumer product Roundup—so more sunlight can reach young spruce and hemlock trees, prompting growth of the marketable species.

Its request two years ago to use helicopters to apply the chemicals was denied by the Division of Governmental Coordination, which determined the spraying would be harmful to subsistence harvests such as fish, wildlife and plants.

The agency—abolished last year by Gov. Frank Murkowski—was scrutinized for its decision, and the Department of Law determined aerial spraying could be permitted under forestry laws.

Now, the permit is in the hands of the departments of Environmental Conservation and Natural Resources.

In the past 30 years, the state has granted only one permit to spray herbicides aerially for forestry purposes, said Kristin Ryan, director of public health at the DEC.

But with the new regulations, adopted in December, aerial spraying may become more common, Ryan said.

"So we may be getting more applications," she said, calling Klukwan's submission for a permit "monumental."

The new rules allow for aerial spraying for forestry purposes. A 35-foot pesticide-free buffer along waterbodies will be required.

Klukwan, Inc. hopes to spray imazapyr and glyphosate on land it logged 20 years ago on Long Island, which it acquired under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971.

"If Klukwan decided it didn't want to spray by helicopter, if they wanted to do it by truck or backpack, they wouldn't need a permit," Ryan said. "The application they’re proposing we don’t think will harm the environment or public health... It’s common practice in forested areas that are logged."

But Pam Miller, director of the Alaska Community Action on Toxins, claims, "It would be a lot safer, healthier and smarter to use alternative methods such as mechanic removal." She said aerial spraying is notoriously inaccurate, and the newly instituted buffer zone is "laughable." Pesticide drift can occur up to 50 miles downwind of aerial application, she said.

The chemicals, known by the trade names Accord and Arsenal, are classified as "practically non-toxic" by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Miller, however, said the proposed herbicides are highly toxic.

"Recent studies link glyphosate’s exposure to humans with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma," she said. "It’s toxic to the nervous and reproductive systems, causes nerve damage, is toxic to fish... It’s a chemical that can affect soil health…get into the food web. The other chemical, imazapyr, it’s also toxic…it can harm fish, birds and other non-target plant species, and it’s particularly damaging to other plants. In animal studies, it can cause blood disorders, damage to the thyroid and adrenal glands, and it hasn’t been studied as to whether it can cause cancer. It’s not been adequately tested."

The potential effects of the herbicides on subsistence food have nearby tribal governments concerned.

Haida tribal councils from Kasaan and Hydaburg, as well as tribes from Klawock and Craig, have passed resolutions opposing Klukwan’s proposal. As of this week, the DEC has received letters of opposition from groups in Kasaan and Klawock, Ryan said.

"The fear is, in Southeast, forestry or logging is a predominant industry," said Anthony Christianson, environmental planner for the Hydaburg Cooperative Association. "Multiply the possibility of applying for permits to spray herbicides by X amount of corporations and their land holdings…saying yes to Klukwan opens up the door for others. We fear this might get out of control... This (spraying) would occur on a customary and traditional area at the peak of our subsistence season."

The Hydaburg tribe is 80 percent reliant on subsistence resources for food, Christianson said. "We eat everything and we need a lot of it."

"We’re subsistence people," said Paula Peterson, environmental planner for Kasaan. "Everything we live on will be affected by the spraying. If they’re spraying to get rid of trees or bushes…deer eat the leaves…it could leach through to our water…rivers that flow into the ocean that affect our seaweed and clam beds. It will have a tremendous effect on our whole lifestyle."

Ryan said even if there’s subsistence occurring on the area of Long Island owned by Klukwan, it’s private land. "If people are on that island picking berries, they should have permission…There should not be anyone on that island doing subsistence in that area, because Klukwan wouldn’t allow them if they were about to spray or had just sprayed."

Rosemarie Lombardi, environmental specialist for DEC, said spraying needs to be complete by late summer or early fall in order to be effective.

Klukwan, Inc. has not returned phone calls to Kasaan, Peterson said.

"We've tried to talk to Klukwan, Inc... we've encountered them at public hearings and they just haven't been receptive to talk," Miller said.

Corporation president Tom Crandall declined to comment to the newspaper. A handful of company shareholders contacted said they weren't authorized to discuss the matter.