Sitka Conservation Society (SCS) has been working to protect the temperate rainforest of southeast Alaska and Sitka's quality of life since 1967. We are based in the small coastal town of Sitka, Alaska, located on the west coast of Baranof Island in the heart of the Tongass National Forest.
The Tongass National Forest, at 17 million acres, is the largest national forest in the U.S.and the largest remaining temperate rainforest in the world. The Tongass, which comprises almost all of Southeast Alaska, is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, but it is owned by all U.S.citizens. View map of the Tongass.
We have the dual goals of protecting the Coastal Temperate Rainforests of Southeast Alaska and developing economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable communities living within the Tongass National Forest. Our tools include traditional grassroots advocacy, innovative collaborative partnerships, educating the next generation of conservation leaders, and well-honed defensive techniques.
Please browse through the Program Menu to learn about our work, and browse the Organization Menu to learn more about us and the places we love.
SCS Tongass Summer Boat Trips
Come Join Us for Our Next Boat Trip -
"PINNACLES TO PEAKS" Friday, July 23 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. $40 TICKETS AVAILABLE AT OLD HARBOR BOOKS
The land and sea comprising the south Kruzof volcanic range boasts a surprisingly diverse array of habitats, resources and local uses. We will visit amazing Kruzof Island and learn more about majestic Mt. Edgecumbe and the pinnacles that lie beneath the waters. . Click here for more information
Glass-Bottom Boat Trip
with SeaLife Discovery Tours
Peer into lush eelgrass beds and kelp forests from the comfort of a warm, dry boat while divers retrieve creatures from below. Enjoy live underwater video and microscope demonstrations, then check out the on-board touch tank. A great family activity!
Sunday, July 25th ,loading dock Special price - only $50/person. Purchase tickets at Old Harbor Books early to reserve your seat
11:30 am - 1:30 pm, Crescent Harbor
Click here for information on an snorkeling trip and a clean-up of Sea Lion Cove.
Alaska Regional Forester Beth Pendleton recently outlined a new vision for the Tongass National Forest that focuses "on a broader suite of opportunities the Tongass can provide to support a diversified economy in Southeast Alaska” by providing jobs in “renewable energy, forest restoration, timber, tourism, subsistence, and fisheries and mariculture”. Promoting community collaborative efforts and stewardship contracting are a key part of this vision.
This policy and management transition can bring more funding and capacity to local Forest Service projects that affect our communities. The Peril Strait Landscape Opportunities Project is a community collaboration that acts on this vision, so that Sitka and outlying communities can actively pursue these opportunities!
The Sitka Conservation Society, USFS Sitka Ranger District, and community partners recently convened a public meeting to gather input for the upcoming project in Peril Strait. To learn more, and add your comments, follow this link
The City of Sitka l passed a resolution on Tuesday, February 23, which asks that a Senate field hearing be held in Sitka on the Sealaska Corporation Lands Bill (SSB 881). Mayor Scott McAdams held a town meeting on Friday, March 12, where community members had an opportunity to comment on the Sealaska Lands Bill.
Click on either map to see a larger version.
Please contact these Senators to express your concerns.
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
703 Hart Senate Office Bldg. United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510
A new version of the Sealaska Land Exchange bill was introduced in Congress on April 23, 2009. Although we say "new", the bill looks very much like the previous versions. Some changes have been made but they seem to be token changes that fail to address the larger community concerns. The current bill (SB 881) selects lands that are treasured by local residents for their ecological, subsistence and recreational values outside of the original ANSCA selection box. It also includes a series of enterprise sites scattered around the Tongass and set of cultural sites which are important to local tribes. There are 246 sites across the Tongass plus approximately 80,000 acres on the southern Tongass that Sealaska would clearcut. There are many concerns that need to dealt with on this bill and details that are still uncertain.
The Sitka Conservation Society has long advocated for environmental, social, and economic health and vitality for our community and its surrounding public lands. The Groundtruthing and Community Stewardship Projects are key components to help us achieve these goals. The following link provides reports and background material on many of our current projects.
Sitka Conservation Society (SCS) has been working to protect the temperate rainforest of southeast Alaska and Sitka's quality of life since 1967. We are based in the small coastal town of Sitka, Alaska, located on the west coast of Baranof Island in the heart of the Tongass National Forest.
