Our Partners
Tongass National Forest
In Alaska’s southeast panhandle, the Tongass National Forest is made up of soaring spruce, hemlock and cedar forests that cover hundreds of miles of islands and coastal areas.
The Tongass National Forest is the largest remaining temperate rainforest in the world. After decades of large-scale timber exploitation, much of the forest is scarred and damaged by clear-cutting.
Why the Tongass National Forest
Despite environmental damage caused by decades of large-scale commercial logging, Tongass National Forest is capable of supporting local communities with a stable, sustainable economy based on forest restoration, recreation, tourism and commercial fishing. By protecting this forest from saws and roads, The Wilderness Society helps protect ancient trees and one of the world’s best remaining wild salmon fisheries.
Work we are doing
The Wilderness Society helps transition the Tongass forest from old-growth harvest that destroys habitat and degrades water supplies to more sustainable second-growth harvest. We also work with communities to better realize other valuable resources in the area, including commercial fishing and recreation.
Our Partners
The Wilderness Society works with a number of local, regional and national conservation groups to help protect the Tongass National Forest.
Why Wilderness
Wilderness is a precious resource with many human, natural and economic benefits that we need to protect.
Notes from the Field
Learn more about issues affecting the places we work to protect with our Notes from the Field.
mywilderness
Hear artists, activists and adventurers share what the ownership and legacy of these American wildlands means to them.
Thursday, May 16, 2013Visit us in the Eco-Village at this summer’s Dave Matthews Band concerts.
Thursday, May 16, 2013It is a haven for geology lovers as water and erosion has exposed millions of years of deposited sedimentary rock. Recreationists of all kinds are awed by its natural sculptures: rock formations, canyons, mesas and gorges.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013A new rule will protect proposed renewable energy sites from conflicting mining development on public lands in the Western states, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said at the end of April.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013Yet, here we are, with people and the government unable to stop furloughs, job losses, and lower revenue to keep the government functioning. Our public lands have certainly not been spared from this indiscriminate budget ax.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013But Alaska’s Sen. Lisa Murkowski refused to accept that decision. She and residents of the tiny community of King Cove are fighting to have the decision overturned.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013Birdwatchers travel from far and wide to northwest Colorado to see male sage-grouse strut their stuff in hopes of attracting a mate. Early spring is prime season to catch these timid grouse dancing on the lek and shaking their tail feathers through organized tours.
Expanding energy development to meet the growing needs of America must be balanced with protecting vital wild places.
The Wilderness Society has launched a new quarterly report "By The Numbers" to track how many acres of American land have been protected by Congress and the Executive branch, and how many acres have been leased out to energy development.
April 24, 2013
Dear Senator:
In 2012, the Bureau of Land Management released Manual 6330, which replaced the agency's longstanding policy for management of Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs), known as the Interim Management Policy for Lands Under Wilderness Review (IMP). Manual 6330 does not provide for designation of new WSAs, but it does require more protective management for existing WSAs than the IMP.
Friday, May 17, 2013A draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area and Dominguez Canyon Wilderness near Grand Junction, CO would improve land management efforts and provide a sustainable path for the area over the next 20 years.
Thursday, May 16, 2013The Wilderness Society today applauded the U.S. Senate for passing the Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area Establishment Act out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
The Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area Establishment Act (S. 241) – sponsored by Tom Udall (D-NM) and co-sponsored by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) – would protect as wilderness roughly 13,500 acres of the Cerro del Yuta and 8,000 acres of the Rio San Antonio areas.
Thursday, May 16, 2013The Wilderness Society today applauded the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for passing the Pine Forest Range Recreation Enhancement Act out of committee.