Thanks are in order. Following more than a decade of public input and the collaborative efforts of many stakeholders, the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority has completed a major land exchange with the U.S. Forest Service . Revenues generated by timber harvest and other activities on lands the Trust acquired will directly support work to improve the lives of Trust beneficiaries – Alaskans who experience behavioral health conditions and developmental disabilities. This exchange would not have occurred without the support of Southeast communities.
The Trust is a state corporation that manages its one million acres of land to generate revenue for the sole purpose of improving outcomes for its beneficiaries. The Trust generates revenues from its lands through land sales and activities such as mining and timber harvests. These lands help provide grant funding, around $25 million this year, to beneficiary serving partners — it’s truly a uniquely Alaskan approach to supporting mental health services.
The Trust/USFS land exchange followed an extensive and multi-year stakeholder-driven public process and acts of both Congress and the Alaska Legislature. Ultimately, this exchange transfers 17,980 acres of Trust land near Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg and Wrangell to the USFS to be preserved for public use. The Trust in exchange received 18,490 acres of USFS lands on Prince of Wales Island and near Upper George Inlet that now can be developed. The exchange was successful largely due to the Tongass Future Roundtable parcel selection process. This process, facilitated by the Nature Conservancy, included federal, state and local agencies as well as policy makers, Tribal organizations, environmental groups, and communities who together participated in a consensus supported process.
This land exchange represents a win for communities, Trust beneficiaries, and for the timber industry and local economies in Southeast Alaska. Many of Alaska’s most vulnerable residents will benefit from the revenue generation that now will occur on the Trust’s newly acquired lands. With Trust funding, grantees are helping Alaskans gain better access to addiction treatment and behavioral health services, attain housing, live self-directed lives in their home communities, and more.
The Trust is grateful for all the stakeholders who participated in the process leading to this successful land exchange.
