Wilderness
SCS was born out of the desire to protect parts of the Tongass forever as designated Wilderness Areas. Since then, we continue to be stewards of our Wilderness and advocate for more Wilderness protection. Our Wilderness crew spends countless hours bushwhacking, paddling, hiking, and climbing to chart on-the-ground conditions. We also seek to connect Sitkans and Tongass residents with their wild places by incorporating volunteers on research trips, educating the public of Wilderness values, and sharing the pristine beauty of Wildernesses locally and nationally. Learn more about Wilderness designation and the history of Wilderness on Wilderness.net.
Community Wilderness Stewardship Project
The CWSP is an effort to get Sitkans out into our Wilderness Areas to help SCS conduct research and monitoring expeditions. Find out how you can help by volunteering on a research expedition or by collecting data on your next hunting, hiking, kayaking, or fishing trip.
Wild Places
Check out the Wild places in the Tongass with SCS’s wilderness crew. Here you can see our interactive map, track the Wilderness Crew in real-time via GPS, see video dispatches from the field, scroll through photos, read our reports.
Advocacy
Wilderness designation has protected some of the most unique and beautiful places in the Tongass, but there are still threats like climate change, mismanagement, and over-use. SCS constantly works to protect our Wilderness areas from threats and actively advocate for more Wilderness designation of important ecosystems.
Climate Change in the Tongass
SCS is keeping a close watch on how climate change affects the Tongass through annual summer field work. This research, which supplements that being done by the Forest Service and other agencies, includes monitoring changes in ice packs, glaciers, and plant and animal population. While we hate to see the Tongass negatively impacted by global warming, having good data on these changes is crucial for climate change advocacy work that could ultimately prevent future harm.
Related Posts:
-
Seeking Summer Botany Intern
We are seeking an applicant who is comfortable identifying Pacific Northwest flora, documenting and cataloging herbarium quality samples as part of the Sitka Community Wilderness Stewardship Project. The Botany Intern will accompany the SCS Wilderness field crew on expeditions to identify, record, and collect plant specimens. If interested, please submit a resume and cover letter [...]
-
Expedition: Russell Fjord
In the summer of 2011, the SCS Wilderness crew traveled north to Russell Fjord Wilderness to assist the Yakutat ranger district in Wilderness monitoring. Check out the video, report, and photos to learn more about the project and this uniquely rugged Wilderness. From Disenchantment Bay, at the upper end of Yakutat Bay, heavily glaciated Russell [...]
-
Wilderness Expedition: Cross Baranof
Updated: 1/16/2010 The land enclosed in the borders of South Baranof Wilderness Area is steep, remote, and difficult to travel. Other than the intrepid mountain goat hunters, this area of the Wilderness receives almost no foot traffic. In August of 2011, as part of the Sitka Community Wilderness Stewardship Project, as expedition was organized to [...]
-
Backwoods Lecture: The Other Route Across the Island
January 15th 5:00pm (note time change) Kettleson Memorial Library, Sitka Adam Andis from the Sitka Conservation Society leads the Sitka Community Wilderness Stewardship Project. The project seeks to involve the community to monitor on-the-ground conditions in local Wilderness Areas. In the summer of 2011, the SCS Wilderness Crew spent countless hours bushwhacking in the field, [...]
-
Expedition: Stag Bay
In the summer of 2010, the SCS Wilderness crew packed up and headed north for an attempt at circumnavigating Yakobi Island by kayak. The weather and health of the crew were not cooperating, so paddling around Yakobi was not an option. Instead, the crew traveled to Stag Bay across Lisianski Strait, which turned out to [...]
-
Expedition: West Chichagof
West Chichagof Wilderness has always been near and dear to our hearts here at SCS, in fact we probably wouldn’t be here today if our founders hadn’t fought for its protection (check out the whole history here). And we still protect it today, by monitoring on the ground conditions that lead to effective management decisions [...]
