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BY LAURIE ROWLAND, LOCAL AIRLIFT COORDINATOR |
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October 21, 2003— |
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BACKGROUND (from the American Land Rights Association web site): |
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The Berlin Airlift in 1948 was America’s response to a communist blockade of free Berlin. A totalitarian top-down command and control regime tried to starve out the citizens of Berlin after World War II. The Soviets closed the roads, cut the railroad tracks and all other means of access. Heavily armed military guarded the access routes into Berlin. |
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They could not shut down airplane flights. For many months, America and other countries joined to keep a starving city alive and supplied with food, fuel and other materials. |
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Now the citizens of America and especially Alaska have risen up again against a top down command and control heavy handed bureaucracy, the National Park Service, to keep the Pilgrim Family and their animals from being starved out in the Wrangell St. Elias National |
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Park and Preserve. As in Berlin, heavily armed Park Service personnel dressed like a S.W.A.T. team are preventing access for the Pilgrims. |
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After closing the only road to their property in April, NPS interim regional director Marcia Blaszak refused to consider the situation an emergency and insisted on continuing a protracted bureaucratic permitting process that has stalled the Pilgrims’ multiple requests for access all summer and fall. Bear in mind that the ‘access’ requested is a designated RS 2477 right-of-way that is also protected under the terms of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). Winter is near and the situation was becoming dire. |
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A committee of Alaskans, with assistance from the American Land Rights Association, has organized an emergency relief airlift of critical supplies, including food, clothing, medicines, money, and materials. Beginning October 8th, volunteers have been flying these resources to the marooned Pilgrim homestead located 14 miles up McCarthy Creek from the town of McCarthy. |
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We can’t possibly get all the supplies that are needed in with this airlift. That can only come with the park service coming to their senses and stopping this heartless war against this family. This is a humanitarian effort to relieve a family in distress in response to an NPS-caused and instigated crisis. |
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UPDATE from Laurie: |
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I am happy to report that the Pilgrim Family Airlift has been a “flying success!” To date, we have had four volunteer drivers and eight volunteer pilots who have ferried at least 51 plane-loads of supplies to Hillbilly Heaven, the Pilgrims’ home. |
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The majority of needed items have been safely delivered, but there are still several plane-loads awaiting transport. Some items, such as hay and construction materials, are difficult or impossible to transport by small plane, so we are still hoping for a pilot with a larger aircraft, such as a helicopter, twin otter, or caravan, to volunteer. |
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In an effort to facilitate cooperation and good will between park personnel and the Pilgrims, I asked WRST Superin¬tendent Gary Candelaria on an NPR call-in show if the NPS would consider helping out our airlift efforts with an aircraft such as a helicopter. He politely but firmly declined. |
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There has only been one mishap involving one of the planes, an Anchorage-based Cessna 180. In the words of pilot Kurt Stenehjem, “Upon landing, the landing gear suffered a structural failure, and the plane ground-looped.” Although there were no injuries as a result of the accident, the damage to the plane was extensive. Amazingly, our hero pilot expressed little regret about the loss of his $100,000 plane. “What frustrates me the most is I am grounded and I can’t fly this mission of support,” Stenehjem said. |
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The outpouring of support has been encouraging, as donations of food, clothing, supplies and money have come in from both near and far. One Oregonian expressed her feelings in the hand-written note which she slipped in an envelope along with her support check: “The extent to which members of our government are going in denying the Pilgrims the freedom to live on their own land is a disgrace to our country. I am a 90 year old widow of a veteran of 22 years service to his country. I’m glad that he didn’t live to hear of this! He would wonder whether the years of suffering because of his service were justified by these results! Would Hitler have done any worse? We need a public outcry and protest to put a stop to such persecution.” |
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If you would like to help with the airlift, please call Laurie Rowland at (907) 554 – 4498. |
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For more detailed information regarding the airlift, see: http://www.landrights.org/ak |
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If you are interested in sending a donation to help with the Pilgrim Airlift or the Pilgrim Legal Fund, send donations to: McCarthy-Kennicott Community Church, Box MXY, Glennallen, AK 99588. Be sure to designate your gift so we can direct every penny toward helping the Pilgrim Family and protecting our legally guaranteed access rights. |
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And finally, to all the hero pilots, drivers, organizers and donors, here’s a big hearty |
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Thank You! You’re the best! |