Alaska House in New York Responds To Our Editorial

Below is the Alaska House letter and our response....

 

 

 

Dave Harbour, Founder
Northern Gas Pipelines
 
November 20, 2009
 
Dear Mr. Harbour:
 
I’d like to offer a response to the editorial regarding the recent Anchorage Daily News story and the WWF reception to clarify the mission of Alaska House, New York. Stated simply, our mission is to educate the public about both the issues and opportunities facing all Alaskans. 
 
Your editorial rightly points out the significant economic challenges facing the State and offers a call to action. This is exactly why Alaska House exists: to engage the public on these issues and represent all points of view in the search for answers.
 
As such, when the World Wildlife Fund approached us about having an event in our venue to discuss the Bering Sea, we agreed. It was an opportunity to raise awareness for the people who live in the region and share examples of the artwork born out of subsistence. It was also an opportunity to engage the public on the many economic implications of the Northern Sea Route, including the shipping of commodities and the military and industrial infrastructure developments necessary to serve and protect this trade. AHNY is not participating in activity to oppose industry.  Over the past year, AHNY hosted a number of successful events focused on economic development opportunities for the State, including:
 
    • Panel Discussion & Networking Reception on “Alaska Natural Gas: A Key to Energy Independence;
 
    • Panel Discussion on the “State of the State: What’s Next for Alaska’s Economy” featuring Chancellor Fran Ulmer, Maggie Brown, CEO of CIRI, keynoted by Dan Yergin, Chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates and author of “The Prize”;
 
    • Roundtable and Reception on “Strategic Ocean Governance in the Arctic and its Economic Implications” with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR);
 
    • “Alaska’s contribution to the Global Food Aid Program”, with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Board (ASMI) and members;
 
    •  “A Taste of Alaska” presented by the Alaska Tourism Industry Association (ATIA);
 
    • “Improving Healthcare in Alaska”, a reception sponsored by the Alaska Native Health Consortium (ANHC) for the Ralph Lauren Cancer Center Board.
 
AHNY is devoted to raising awareness to increase long-term economic opportunities for its residents, including those in the rural villages. We welcome oil and gas industry experts to explore joint programming opportunities to help educate the public about Alaska’s role in shaping the future of domestic energy policy. We are planning to facilitate further discussions on the Bering Sea, due to its importance to the national interests in the United States; the existence of vast oil and gas reserves; the need to protect sea lanes; territorial claims of the United States and other nations; and the need to protect the interests of Alaskans who depend on the bounty of the Bering Sea. We welcome your involvement. Please contact us at info@alaskahouseny.org to discuss future collaboration possibilities.
 
 
 
Best,
 
Tracey Foster
Executive Director, Alaska House, New York
___________________________________________________________
Our Response to Tracey's Thoughtful Letter
In my personal letter to Tracey, I said among other things, "As a 39-year Alaskan I agree with some of your thinking and disagree with some. In any case, your skill and dedication indicate that you will be very successful.  ...  I favor private sector fundraising, myself. That is when people give individually, from the heart, instead of having government take and redistribute their earnings to a grant seeker."  (Photo-r, Anchorage Daily News Advertisements, November 21, 2009: "What WWF does with the money it raises.")

On November 12 we editorialized about the Alaska House of New York's solicitation of public funds from the State of Alaska.  Ironically, on the evening of the day the grant request story appeared in the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska House was hosting a World Wildlife Fund fundraising event.  We observed and continue to believe it illogical for state funds to support an institution whose activities would deprive the state of resource revenues in the future, as our constitution envisioned.  

In the spirit that the truth is often more complex than simple, I share with you a nicely written letter from Tracey Foster, above.  In it, she lays out a pretty good case for her non-profit: namely, that it rents its venue to Alaska related interests to promote awareness of the region.  That Alaska House has promoted a number of laudable free enterprise and culturally related events is comforting.  That Tracey names Alaska friends whom I respect, gives comfort.  That a review of her outstanding website makes me jealous that I am not so gifted a webmaster, gives some discomfort.  That I worked for three months in the World Trade Center to raise over $300 thousand (all private donations) at a March 23, 1988 Waldorf Fundraiser for Anchorage's 1994 Olympic effort, gives me insight into Tracey's fundraising challenges.  If Alaska had all the money in the world, I would still urge that it be used to support priority in-state projects.  If a priority project is 'Arts and Cultural Preservation' then we should be more fully funding the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Municipality of Anchorage Arts Commission for in-state activity that supports the education of our youth, the preservation of our culture and expansion of art as a free enterprise that enables the flowering of creativity and the cultivation of small for- and non-profit businesses.  

As to Tracey's fundraising technique of attracting entities at great expense to travel to New York to become more aware of the Bering Sea, I'm thinking that to be an anti-environmental, money-wasting, fuel-consuming effort not well designed to result in solutions.  The 6-dozen community activities the Alaskan oil industry has hosted in Northern coastal villages is where highly useful dialogue takes place with affected parties, not only wealthy people who can fly long distances, but with the folks who live close to the sea most of their lives.

So, as nice as Tracey's letter is, I must respectfully decline as a citizen to support her employer with public money.  As an admiring citizen, however, I am sending a personal donation.  Tracey has guts and she bearded this little lion, for which she is to be respected.  I hope that, as Tracy indicated, more private enterprise interests might make good use of Alaska House to raise, "...awareness to increase long-term economic opportunities for its residents, including those in the rural villages."  My hope, I fear, is compromised.  I know that any dollar donated to this otherwise worthy New York non-profit will still support a venue that enables wealthy, environmental extremists to cloak themselves in authenticity as they send invitations out for future Alaska House fundraisers.

Thank you for the effort, Tracey; you are a star!

-dh