We're still digesting the full contents of the proposed Tongass Plan amendment, but we've got the jist of it and are excited to see conservation measures for the Tongass 77 watersheds included. 

The most important thing you can do to ensure the most important waters for wild salmon and trout within the Forest are protected is to urge the Forest Service to conserve them. You can do so by clicking here. Or, if you would like to strengthen your comment and write a more personalized letter, you can do that here.

Read our full statement here:
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Essay by Jed McBeen
Photos by Jed and Joanie McBeen

Nearly all of the streams in the upper portion of Tenakee Inlet from are in essentially pristine condition. There has been some relatively minor (by modern standards) logging in a couple of the drainage's but not enough to significantly degrade the pristine character of these riparian ecosystems. In contrast to systems that have been extensively logged, virtually all of these streams are remarkable in their ability to produce large numbers of pink, chum and coho Salmon, even in hot dry summers. Most of them also provide habitat for small numbers of wild steelhead and large numbers of Dolly Varden.

These areas also support health populations of brown bears, Sitka black-tailed deer and numerous species of smaller mammals as well as countless numbers of birds that are all dependent on a healthy intact ecosystem. These intact watersheds maintain higher flows and cooler temperatures than similar systems that have been heavily logged, especially in a warmer-than-normal summer. It is these two characteristics that allow these streams to produce large numbers of fish even when heavily logged systems are experiencing severe die-offs. This is why it is imperative to protect these pristine watersheds so that they may continue to be as productive as they now are.

A few years ago while I was guiding some clients for salmon on one of our local steams, we encountered 3 or 4 year-old brown bear fishing for salmon. Ordinarily, when we encountered a bear like this, we would simply wait for a bit while the bear caught a fish and then wandered off a ways to eat it so we could continue up the stream. However this bear would pounce on a fish, hold it for a few seconds and then let it go. He did this over and over for several minutes and I finally exclaimed, “Well I’ll be dammed, he is doing catch and release, just like us.” I finally shooed him away and we continued fishing up the stream.

I think it goes without saying that fishing in an unspoiled area such as this is truly something special. I know that when I am fishing in many places in the “lower 48” I can’t help but wonder how fantastic it must have been before the dams and the roads and the logging. I consider myself lucky to live in this relatively unspoiled place and that is why I am so passionate about protecting what little is left.
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For more than three decades, local conservation organizations and several individuals in Tenakee have waged many legal and administrative battles with the Forest Service in an effort to keep these areas from being degraded by large-scale logging operations. Trout Unlimited has entered the arena with the Tongass 77 proposal which includes much of Tenakee Inlet. We hope this effort will result in the conservation of these areas for their outstanding fish and wildlife values as well as for the benefit and enjoyment of generations to come.

Essay by Mark Hieronymus

The Sitka area is home to fourteen T77 watersheds: Nakwasina River, Redoubt Lake, Rodman Bay, Salmon Lake, Saook Bay, Sea Lion Cove, Ushk Bay, Mount Edgecumbe, Lake Eva, Krestof Sound, South Arm Kelp Bay, Fish Bay, Appleton Cove, and Deep Bay.

From the volcanic formations that abound in the watersheds of Kruzof Island to the small lake and creek systems of the north Baranof foothills, the T77 streams of the Sitka area are as diverse a group as one can possibly imagine. I lived in Sitka for 4 years in the late 90’s while attending college and frittered away many a classroom hour daydreaming about the fish in these watersheds. When the weekends rolled around, my friends and I would be on our way to make more daydream fodder in these watersheds armed with fishing rods, cameras, and occasionally deer rifles.

The Sitka area T77 watersheds are all gems, but even among the gems there are some that stand out for their incredible fish value. The sockeye returns to the Sitka area T77 streams include one of the largest naturally occurring island system runs on islands not named Kodiak, and more than a few of the coho runs are significant contributors to both sport and commercial fishing tallies. Add to that nearly a million pink salmon coming back to the Sitka area T77 streams and you have a veritable salmon cornucopia. 

Steelhead, char, and cutthroat trout are also found in many of the Sitka area T77 watersheds, and in some cases they are the stars of the show. One of the Sitka area T77 streams has one of the largest overwintering char populations in Southeast Alaska, and another was the location of the old Alaska state record Dolly Varden catch. Finals week is pretty difficult for most every college student but for a fella like me with steelhead on the brain, the late April arrival of these fish was a true test of my academic resolve. I managed to graduate on time and carry a respectable GPA, but I spent most of my waking, non-scholastic hours going to, coming from, or angling and hunting in the area T77 watersheds.
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I haven’t had the opportunity to recreate in the Sitka area T77 watersheds since I moved to Juneau in 2001, but I still have the memories from moments stolen between labs and classes. Every year, a few friends from Sitka send me pictures of big fish from these watersheds, or big deer harvested from the surrounding uplands. I admit that sometimes I get a little jealous, but instead of feeling like they are rubbing it in, I am happy that they get to enjoy these areas in the same fashion as I did years ago. The conservation measures of the T77 would ensure that these watersheds will go on making fish, wildlife, and memories for generations to come.