Dear Friends,

Logging is going on all around us due to the wide-spread spruce bark beetle infestation. In fact, the beetle is rapidly changing the face of the Homer area and will soon seriously impact our neighbors to the north.

As many ofyou know, KHLT holds a conservation easement preserving traditional agricultural activity and natural habitat on Yule Kilcher's 660 acre-homestead east of Homer. The easement allows commercial logging on a sustainable yield basis and cutting trees for disease and insect control. However, this easement was written before any of us understood the potential impact of the beetle infestation.

The realization that it was necessary to log most of their timbered land all at one time because ofthe beetle infestation was hard for the Kilchers to accept, and we applaud their conservation ethic througout this process. Their harvest plan requires the loggers to avoid thickets of young spruce and to leave wide corridors along the several creeks undisturbed. After the logging is completed next fall, the Kilchers will decide what land to put under agricultural use and where to concentrate reforestation.

Although we have spent extra time in meetings and monitoring the logging progress, we feel very good about how well this conservation easement is working. The beetle learning curve has been steep for us all, and we appreciate Kilchers' cooperation in trying to do what is best for the land.

We also appreciate YOU as members! Your continuing support as we grow and change to meet the Kenai Peninsula's needs is very important. Even as we build our stewardship and operating accounts and bank toward long-term sustainability, we need your support to continue to be proactive in our efforts. We could not be successful without you!

Barbara Seaman
Executive Director