Salmon in the Tongass
Salmon are a pillar of life in Southeast Alaska. They are essential to the ecosystem of the rainforest, and they drive the culture and economy of this region. Tlingit people have thrived for millennia from the bounty of salmon. Today, Southeast Alaskans are commercial fishermen, charter guides, sport fishers, and subsistence harvesters. The life cycles of salmon are intricately woven into the life of the Tongass. They need the habitat of the rainforest to survive, and people in turn need the salmon to survive.
The Forest Service currently dedicates $15 million to timber and road-building in the Tongass, while the timber industry only provides around 200 jobs. Comparatively, the Forest Service gives only $1.5 million to salmon management and restoration, though salmon provide over 4,000 jobs for Southeast Alaskans. Salmon deserve more of our public resources. The Forest Service should manage the Tongass for salmon and devote more of its budget to watershed restoration, caring for salmon habitat, and making sure fisheries remain strong so communities thrive.
We need your voice to help protect Tongass salmon! Tell the Forest Service why salmon matter!
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Science Sharing Night Monday, April 29th, 7:00 pm, UAS
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Mapping Tongass Forest Assets
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Students at Blatchley Love Local Fish Lunches
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Sealaska Continues to Pursue a “Constellation of In-holdings” Across important areas on the Tongass
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Kalinin Bay Site Selected in Latest Sealaska Bill
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Three Small False Island Timber Sales Designed to Support Small Mills
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A better, safer bridge for young scientists!
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Often Imitated, Never Duplicated: Tongass Wild Salmon
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The Renewable Energy: People Power used in the Protection of our Wild Salmon
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Review of Forest Restoration in the Tongass
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Trappers Needed: ISLES Study
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Guide to Tongass Young Growth Timber
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The Next Restoration Opportunity – Kruzof Island
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Second-growth in High School Wood Shop
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SCS helps study invasive tunicates
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Sitka High School to have Woodshop Open House Featuring Local Wood
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Tales from the Tongass
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Salmon Community
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Take Action: Tell the Forest Service to follow through
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Putting the Public Back in “Public Lands”
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SCS and Forest Service Staff on Raven Radio to Discuss Kruzof Public Meeting
SCS staff members Andrew Thoms and Ray Friedlander went on Raven Radio with Chris Leeseberg, a USFS fisheries biologist, on November 26th to talk about the Forest Service’s Kruzof Island project and a public meeting that will be happening at 6:30pm on January 16th 2013 at Centennial Hall. This upcoming meeting is unique in that [...]
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Have You Seen This Bird?
Attention all bird enthusiasts and nature-lovers! 97 birds with various sorts of colored leg bands have been spotted in Sitka. We need your help in recording sightings of these birds! The weekend before Thanksgiving, certified bird bander Gwen Baluss, Sitka High student Naquoia Bautista, and many volunteers banded Juncos, Chickadees, [...]
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My Alaskan Experience: Nora McGinn
Nora McGinn is a Junior in the Environmental Studies program at Knox College in Illinois.
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The Sitka Conservation Society’s Wild Foods Potluck 2012
Join us at the SCS Annual Wild Foods Potluck November 29th, 5:00-7:30 pm at Harrigan Centennial Hall This free, community event gives everyone a chance to come together and share meals made with locally foraged food, from fish and wild game to seaweed, berries and other traditional subsistence foods. All folks are asked to bring [...]
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Salmon Capital: The Tongass National Forest
Sitka Conservation Society board member Richard Nelson spoke on salmon during Sitka Whalefest on the theme of “Cold Rivers to the Sea: Terrestrial Connections to our Northern Oceans.” He spoke on the subject of one of the greatest manifestations of the connection between the terrestrial forests and the oceans: our Wild Alaska Salmon. His eloquent [...]
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The Future of Wild Pacific Salmon
Former Sitka Reporter Andrew Miller recently attended a presentation in Juneau by Dr. Robert Lackey on “The Future of Pacific Salmon.” Of course, the Sitka Conservation Society is extremely interested in the future of pacific salmon. Salmon are the backbone of the Tongass ecosystems as well as a critical component of the economies of the [...]
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Tracy Hunts: Take 2
The morning light began to unfold as we motored south of town, a pod of whales to our right and the sun dancing in the still water. I am witness to the incredible orchestration of the ocean, the interconnection between everything. This is just the beginning… At the hunting grounds, we anchor the skiff and [...]
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Starrigavan Stream Team 2012
It’s November and the salmon eggs are all nestled in their gravel beds, but we can still dream of next year’s Blatchley Stream Team by watching this very cool video! Each May, over 100 Blatchley 7th Graders participate in Stream Team, where they help restore fish habitat and monitor stream health. This annual event is [...]
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2012 Science Mentor Program students selected
Three Sitka High School students were recently chosen to participate in the Science Mentor Program for the 2012-2013 school year. Program Coordinator Scott Harris and UAS Professor Kitty LaBounty stand with students Kaya Duguay, Naquoia Bautista, and Melea Roman. Kaya and Melea will be working on a cedar genetics study and Naquoia will be working [...]
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Tongass-Inspired Costumes for Halloween 2012
For Halloween this year, we asked the Sitka community to look at the Tongass, consider what they love about it, and use Halloween as a way to express the beautiful national forest that surrounds us by wearing Tongass-inspired costumes. Clicking through the photos below, one can see the diverse ways kids represented the Tongass. Whether [...]
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Kruzof Island: The Crown Jewel of the Sitka Community Use Area
More than just timber and trails Just about everyone who has visited Kruzof Island on the Tongass National Forest leaves knowing that they experienced a magical place. Most everyone realizes that even though they just visited an island within the borders of our Nation’s largest national forest, that forest is much more than just a [...]
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The Future of Kruzof Island
The next item on the U.S. Forest Service agenda is the future of Kruzof Island. Decisions are being made regarding future timber operations, upkeep of cabins, shelters & trails, changes to stream & river management. These are decisions that will affect the ecosystems of Kruzof Island, all the myriad animals that depend on those ecosystems, [...]
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Starrigavan Creek Cabin
Starrigavan Creek Cabin The Starrigavan Creek Cabin is not only the most popular cabin in the Tongass National Forest, it’s also a tangible example of how sustainable second growth timber harvest can be utilized. Who needs old growth harvests when such beautiful things can be built with sustainable second growth? Even building the cabin was [...]
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How do YOU think our forests and watersheds should be managed?
We want to know your thoughts and ideas about how our forests and watersheds should be managed! Do you kayak in Silver Bay? Hike along Indian River? Hunt on Kruzof? These are the places you know and love: how do you want to see them managed? How do you think restoration and management should be [...]
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Sitka Salmon Shares: Madison, Wisconsin
Chef Rodey Batiza was recently named one of Madison Magazine’s “Best New Chefs.” He’s known in Madison for his culinary creativity and versatility, having mastered regional Italian, Japanese ramen and dumplings, and classical French cuisine. He’s worked at many of Madison’s finest restaurants, including Madison, Club, Johnny Delmonico’s, Magnus, and Ocean Grill. He now is [...]
