Lutak Dock and the plan we choose for it will affect the sustainability of our food basket of hooligan, salmon, halibut, shrimp, and crab from our local watersheds. The plan we choose will impact whether or not we will have humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, seals, otters, bald eagles, multiple species of migratory birds coming into our inlets and estuaries each spring, starting right around Earth Day.
A dock designed to handle Handymax ships, large cargo vessels capable of hauling ore and other products of natural resource extraction, requires dredging of Lutak Inlet. A steel barrier requires pilings being driven during sensitive migration and subsistence and commercial fishing seasons.
The plan presented by LCC at the recent assembly meeting is the plan the community needs to keep our food basket healthy and sustainable. Dredging the inlet and months of pile driving will be eliminated. This plan will also help keep our highways safe. And, it provides the option for removal of lingering contaminants in the dock area. I strongly support it.
Kathleen Menke