Homer grown: the economy that we built
Homer, Alaska, the Halibut Capital of the World. Our economy was homergrown on fishing and tourism. We are known across the planet for our world-class halibut and salmon fishing. The natural beauty draws people from around the world. These waters have provided for our families through commercial, sport and subsistence fishing for generations. A robust community of small businesses arose to supplement, and compliment, all of us here at the end of the road.
Our community is strong and we look out for each other, sometimes we are the only thing we really have, here at the end of the road.
This is why I find it surprising that we are willing to risk it all for the short-term gains paid out to wealthy corporations from outside Alaska. The federal government has proposed an oil and gas lease sale in Lower Cook Inlet. If this occurs, it would offer over a million acres up to the highest bidder leading to new underwater pipelines, platforms and tankers.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Lease Sale 258, predicts a 19% chance that one or more large oil spills will occur. Read that again. A one-in-five chance that the waters that sustain us will be sacrificed for the sake of profit. Who is going to be left holding the bag? Whose businesses, livelihoods and families are going to suffer?
I urge you to look at the map for Lease Sale 258. Who will this benefit? Is it worth our homergrown economies that have proven to be sustainable?
You have until the Dec. 13 to comment on Lease Sale 258. Let’s lookout for our friends and families. We have a good thing going, let’s secure our future for another generation here at the end of the road.
Bridget Maryott, Fritz Creek
Pony Club thankful for Homer Foundation support
Kachemak Pony Club would like to say a heartfelt thank you for being included in this year’s City of Homer Grants Program at the Homer Foundation. We are a group of horse enthusiasts who follow the National Pony Club curriculum to inspire youth and adults to grow a healthy bond with horses and each other. Through education, we develop teamwork and leadership in a multi-tiered learning environment for all ages. We have fun with each other and our horses while meeting the challenges of caring for large animals. We are often seen at the Cottonwood Horse Park, on East End Road, engaging in a large variety of horse sports and horse management activities.
As our club grows in numbers and skill level, we need more supplies to address the needs of our riders. We have used our grant monies to buy a set of colorful jump poles to replace the wooden poles that have rotted from years of use. We appreciate these monies to help us through the COVID years as our annual Pony Ride Fundraisers have not been possible. We appreciate the support of the Homer Foundation and our community to spread the skills of good horsemanship.
Melon Purcel, District Commissioner, Kachemak Pony Club
Do your own research
Dear Editor,
There have been many recent letters, both pro and con, about the use of therapeutic medication for treating COVID-19. Individuals wanting to learn more about therapeutic treatment for this disease can find answers online. Some good resources are Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Pierre Kory, Dr. Robert Malone, and the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance.
Both Dr. McCullough and Dr. Kory are physicians that have been actively treating COVID-19 patients and who have also testified to the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee about the benefits of therapeutic treatment of this disease. Their video testimony is available online. The physicians referenced above have more expertise in treating this disease and might be a better resource than a curmudgeonly local family practice doctor.
Although you might not find the support you need from some local physicians, it is still possible to receive advice and treatment for COVID-19 with therapeutic medications if you search for it. Do your own research, consult with a knowledgeable physician, and make wise medical choices. It is your health; take ownership of it.
Respectfully,
Greg Sarber
Fisherman Lament
I saw Autum today … incipently, before sunset —
In spontaneous whitecaps now
shingling in the Inlet.
The wheelhouse windows display spruce
and aspen.
And watercolor leavings on the shoreline
feeling the tides ebb.
Then heard a gull’s high pitch chatter in
the camoflaged somewhere.
When all the prose of fishermen have
been written.
And all the dreams have been dreamt
without fulfilment.
And hope sustains us no longer —
Nor being drunk or busy keeps us
from remembering.
why we parted, if we ever knew at all —
How dark the harbor is, how quiet …
With its deep still tidal movement!
Aboard my boat the nights are deep
as clear water.
While the wakes of passing vessels
spawn phosphoresence …
A sandpiper calls out your name ….
John A. Anderson, Kenai
