Threats to Alaska Wilderness

Located on either side of the Inside Passage south of Juneau, Alaska, the Kootznoowoo and Chuck River Wilderness areas in the Tongass National Forest connect to more than 2.2 million acres of public land, including much of Admiralty Island and the Tracy Arms-Fords Terror Wilderness. The Kootznoowoo (“Fortress of the Bears” in Lingit) Wilderness was designated in 1980 and includes 989,922 acres. The Chuck River Wilderness was designated in 1990 and includes 74,876 acres, and is adjacent to the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness-totaling more than 648,883 acres.

Within the 2.2 million acres of public land, clusters of private lands left over from old mining camps exist, surrounded by designated wilderness boundaries. Management rules for these properties still allow timber and minerals to be extracted and cabins to be built.

Boats or float planes are used to travel through this largely roadless wild area. The size and connectivity of these wild lands filled with coastal rivers and muskeg wetlands provide a high level of resilience in the face of climate change that allow brown bear, salmon, mountain goats, wolves, and humpback whales to thrive. Several rural communities, including the village of Angoon and city of Kake, depend on the fish, shellfish, and deer in these wilderness areas for subsistence harvests.