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VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT POINT BAKER

Point Baker is located at 56°21′9″N 133°37′43″W (56.352425, -133.628479).[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2), of which, 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (3.96%) is water. In 1975, Pt Baker made national news when Zieske v Butz, a landmark lawsuit against the US Forest Service brought by residents Charles Zieske, Alan Stein, and Herb Zieske, was decided by Judge Van der Heydt, the Alaska Federal District court judge. The lawsuit stopped planned clear cutting on 400,000 acres (1,600 km2) on the north end of Prince of Wales Island. The lawsuit was initiated by Alan Stein and the Point Baker Association which had about 30 fishermen members from the communities of Pt baker and Port Protection. On December 24, 1975, Van der Hedyt issued an injunction against all clearcutting on the North end of the island from Red Bay to Calder Bay.

Congress lifted the injunction when it passed the National Forest Management Act in 1976. Twice more Pt Baker made headlines. In 1989 many of its residents opposed clear cutting in Salmon Bay which was protected by Congress in the Tongass Timber Reform Act of 1990. This statute also protected all the salmon streams in the Tongass with 100-foot-wide (30 m) buffer strips during logging operations.

As of February 2010, Senators Murkowski and Begich are pushing Senate Bill 881 through Congress. The bill has gone through extensive community meetings and subsequently the bill has changed and controversial areas, such as north Prince of Wales, have been removed from the draft bill. The draft bill privatizes significant acreage of National Forest Land by conveying it into the exclusive ownership of SEALASKA, a native Alaskan corporation.

In 2011, having failed to pass S 881 and almost lost her seat as a result to Joe Miller in the election, Murkowski introduced S 730. Nine Alaskan towns have opposed the bill so far. Sealaska would get the largest volume class timber remaining which is vital to protecting wolves and goshawks, both of which could be listed as endangered.

Recently a recall petition has been launched from Pt Baker's sister community, Edna Bay http://www.ednabayalaska.net/