January 9, 1995

Honorable Governor Tony Knowles
State of Alaska, Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 110001
Juneau, AK 99811-0001

Dear Governor Knowles:

We want to thank you for your continuing efforts to help protect the McNeil River bears. Your recent efforts to insure that Lease Sale 149 is undertaken with high regard for McNeil River is very commendable.

Our original position on this lease sale was to do all we could to prevent it. However, the guidelines that you are suggesting be established for this lease sale greatly reduce our concerns on potential oil development. We recognize your efforts to keep the sale boundary kept north of Ninilchik and to require that all leases contain stipulations to eliminate the possibility of an oil spill reaching shore is an effort to coordinate resource development with other existing values the area has to offer. We support your efforts and hope that the exploration of this area and its development is done under the guidelines that you are establishing.

Your support of the world class values of McNeil and your efforts to require that resource development not jeopardize the McNeil River area will help ensure the treasures of McNeil are available for many future generations. That long term goal is the same as ours. We are glad we can now offer our support for the position you have taken to allow development of this oil field with measures that protect a resource valuable to the entire world.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUING SUPPORT AND THE ACTIONS YOU TAKE TO HELP PROTECT THE MCNEIL BEARS.

We will continue to send you copies of our news letters so you can keep abreast of the happenings within Friends of McNeil River.

Sincerely,

LEO KEELER
Chairman of the Board