Joint Comments on Kake Access Project
On July 6, 2020 Earthjustice, on behalf of the Organized Village of Kake, Alaska Rainforest Defenders, and the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council submitted a letter to the US Army Corps of Engineers on the so-called “Kake Access Project —known regionally as the “$40 Million Road to Nowhere.”
Some are under the mistaken impression that the road would connect Kake and Petersburg. But in fact, to do that, many more miles of construction would be necessary. This will literally be a “road-to-nowhere,” ending at a "proposed" boat launch 12 miles from Petersburg, on the exposed, wave-swept north shore of Kupreanof Island. It will serve no one and no commerce.
Comments on Alaska Roadless Rulemaking DEIS
In December 2019, the Alaska Rainforest Defenders submitted comments on the proposed USDA Forest Service Alaska Roadless Rulemaking process, our comments are in support the no-action alternative.
Roadless Rule exemption alternatives reflect a transparent attempt by the Alaska Governor's office, the Forest Service, and Alaska's congressional delegation to expand the scale of clearcutting in some of southeast Alaska's most ecologically important ecosystems that provide roadless refugia for salmon and wildlife in areas otherwise surrounded by clearcuts. The decision to open up unlogged, unroaded areas is unacceptable.
Comments on Central Tongass Project
In September 2019, the Alaska Rainforest Defenders submitted comments on the Central Tongass Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement to request that the USFS cease planning on this destructive project.
The Forest Service’s proposed action would remove 150 million board feet (MMBF) of old growth timber and 80 MMBF of immature recovering forests (“young growth”) over the next fifteen years. The agency would then construct/reconstruct 175 miles of temporary and permanent system road, adding to the economic and ecological cost of the project. These levels of timber extraction are unreasonable, particularly in light of the damaged ecological condition of Alexander Archipelago islands in central southeast Alaska.
Comments on Alaska Roadless Rulemaking
In October 2018, the Alaska Rainforest Defenders submitted scoping comments for the proposed USDA Forest Service Alaska Roadless Rulemaking process. We urge the USFS to select the No-Action alternative, and to immediately terminate the rulemaking process. The 2001 Roadless Rule is working quite well on the Tongass in nurturing the “economic and social fabric of Southeast Alaska”- not the opposite as the timber industry and their sycophants purport. Perpetuation of the 2001 Roadless Rule is the one easy thing the Forest Service and State of Alaska can to “improve forest ecosystem health.”—not mowing it down—as most Tongass timber sale purpose and need statements allege logging would do.
Comments on Central Tongass Project
In September 2018, the Alaska Rainforest Defenders submitted comments in response to the Forest Service’s Central Tongass project. The Forest Service has funded and planned clearcut logging on public lands in central southeast Alaska for decades. The remaining public forests are essential to a 21st century the southeast Alaska market-based economy that relies on fish, wildlife, scenery and outdoor recreation. The Forest Service’s proposed action is an archaic economic model that harms southeast Alaska communities by liquidating remaining old-growth habitat and preventing the recovery of second growth forests.
POW LLA Issue Statements and Alternatives Comments
In December 2017, ARD submitted comments in response to the Forest Service planning document entitled “Prince of Wales Landscape Level Analysis Project – Draft Issue Statements and Alternatives”. We support the no-action alternative. The Forest Service proposes three action alternatives that would extract between 330 and 689.4 million board feet of timber from both old growth forests and recovering, regenerating forests that the Forest Service once intended to recover and provide old-growth habitat for wildlife. The action alternatives provide no consideration for multiple use resource values.
Prince of Wales Landscape Analysis Comments
In August 2017 ARD submitted comments on the the Prince of Wales Island Landscape Analysis Project (POWLLA). The following comments respond to the preliminary issues identified in the updated Corrected Notice of Intent (NOI) and provide updates on resource and socio-economic issues and supplement our previously submitted comments.
Objection to Tongass Forest Plan
In August 2016, GSACC (now ARD) and allied organizations submitted a 213 page formal objection to the Forest Service’s Draft Tongass Land Management Plan amendment.
Lawsuit to Stop Big Thorne
In September 2014 GSACC (now ARD) and allied organizations sued the Forest Service to stop logging over its Big Thorne logging project on Prince of Wales Island.