S PRI NG 20 22
Ravencall
In This Issue...
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Southeast spoke up on Roadless
Land Acknowledgement
photo by Lauren Cusimano
We acknowledge the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people who have been the stewards of the forests and waters of this land since time immemorial, and on whose land we each do our work and live our lives.
Meet new SEACC staff
Staff
Meredith Trainor........... Executive Director Maggie Rabb.................... Deputy Director, Interim Executive Director Maranda Hamme........... Tongass Forest Program Manager Chiara D’Angelo............. Former Tongass Forest Program Manager Aaron Brakel................... Inside Passage Waters Program Manager Matt Jackson................... Climate Program Manager Heather Evoy.................. Indigenous Engagement Lead Shannon Donahue......... Upper Lynn Canal Organizer Katie Rooks..................... Environmental Policy Analyst Lauren Cusimano........... Communications Lead Mel Izard.......................... Development and Outreach Associate Raylynn Lawless............ Office Manager
photo by Clay Frick
Our climate focus in Southeast
photo by Michele Cornelius
Mission
To protect the special places of the world’s largest temperate rainforest, promote conservation, and advocate for sustainability in human use of natural resources. Inspired by the land, wildlife, cultures, and communities of Southeast Alaska, SEACC strives to ensure this interconnected whole exists for future generations.
Board of Directors
Natalie Watson..................................... President, Juneau Grant EchoHawk.................................. Vice-President, Ketchikan Bob Schroeder....................................... Treasurer, Juneau Steve Lewis............................................ Secretary, Tenakee Springs Wanda Culp........................................... Juneau Clay Frick............................................... Haines Steve Kallick.......................................... Seattle Bart Koehler.......................................... Juneau Ray Sensmeier...................................... Yakutat Naawéiyaa Austin Ray Tagaban........ Juneau Wayne Weihing.................................... Ketchikan
This little fish means spring
photo by Shannon Donahue
Canadian mining and Alaskan waters
photo by Michele Cornelius
Contact
Southeast Alaska Conservation Council 2207 Jordan Avenue, Juneau, Alaska 99801 907-586-6942 | info@seacc.org | seacc.org
The Ravencall is a publication of SEACC Editor: Lauren Cusimano Designer: James K Brown, Brown and Blue Cover Photo: Kayti Coonjohn
Donor spotlights
photo by Q’on Bear-Clark
With many thanks
photo by Haylee Kardek
Gear UP! Wear your love for the Tongass, Inside Passage, and SEACC on your sleeve! Head over to seacc.square.site to purchase SEACC mugs, t-shirts, bumper stickers, hats and more!
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Ravencall | Spring 2022
photo by Lauren Cusimano
Executive Director’s Note
Meredith Trainor
Although our global
comment period showed a whopping
Here at SEACC, the staff has keenly
96% of commenters supported
felt the loss of time we’d normally
keeping not just a version of the
spend in kitchens and cafes across
national Roadless Rule, but the full,
Southeast, talking about local
existing national rule in place on the
conservation and resource issues,
Tongass. Only about 1% (or 150 some-
hearing about your kids, dogs, boats,
odd people) supported getting rid of
and hunting and fishing trips. We’ve
the rule altogether, the outcome that
missed sharing in the vibrant joy
Nearly a year ago now, the Biden
the Trump administration ultimately selected — at least until the Biden
that is life in Southeast Alaska, from
administration announced it would roll back the Trump-era “Alaska-
administration announced that they
specific” Roadless Rule, which sought
would overturn it.
pandemic still looms large, in
reflecting on SEACC, our region, and the state of things this spring, the last 12 months have truly been a banner year for conservation and transition in Southeast Alaska.
to remove federal protections from 9.3 million acres of the Tongass National Forest. That announcement also shared intentions to cultivate new and improved relationships with Tribes, and to invest a noteworthy $25 million into our region as part of the Southeast Alaska Sustainability
Whenever my sense of hope has
watching the herring run in Haines to visiting the totem park in Saxman, participating in Bearfest in Wrangell, and meeting for coffee at Annie
dwindled, during the pandemic, I
Betty’s in Craig. We hope to be able
return to that 96%.
to get off Zoom and return to our
I remind myself that in a time of unprecedented partisanship, as we struggled to overcome misinformation and hate, hasten and engage deeply
longstanding practice of spending time in your communities soon, going back to (actual) face time as we work together to protect the places we love.
Strategy.
in a long-overdue racial reckoning,
It’s fair to say we all feel a tentative
The announcement in summer 2021
and replace a president who was
spark of hope for what summer
outwardly and antagonistically anti-
2022 will bring, even as we keep our
environment, even during those very
aspirations conservative in light of
dark days, 96% of people who took
recent times. We hope to see a return
time to write a letter or make a public
to the best and most reciprocal
was long-sought and hard-won, with many voices contributing to the anticipated victory — including yours. As the public comment period
comment on the Roadless Rule wanted
on the reinstatement wrapped this
aspects of our recreation and tourism
roadless protections kept in place for
January, I was overcome by emotion
economy, a healthy return of salmon
our largest national forest. At a time
while reflecting on all the good work
and herring, and a return to a life
when 96% of Americans couldn’t have
and careful intention that went
filled with potlucks, bonfires, home
agreed that the sky is (sometimes, in
into making that landmark move
Southeast) blue — we all agreed on
visits, indoor meetings and hearings,
so commonsense and achievable
keeping the national Roadless Rule
for the new administration. It was
in place. Our robust act of coming
truly a community effort, anchored
together to fight for something
enthusiastically by Southeast
important in a time of devastating
forward to when we do.
Alaskans, ourselves.
division has carried me a long, long
With hope we’ll be seeing you soon,
If you’ve supported SEACC for a
way.
long time, you already know that an
We’ve come through a time not only of
analysis done during the Trump-era
division, but separation.
photo by Steve Lewis
and hugs. We know we may not get all of those things right away, but we sure look
Meredith Meredith Trainor is on sabbatical through early July 2022.
Ravencall | Spring 2022
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Southeast Alaskans Have Spoken We Want the Roadless Rule Kept in Place by Chiara D’Angelo
WECAN is joined by SEACC to deliver Roadless Rule comments to the United States Forest Service.
During the United States Department of Agriculture’s
see some of the public process’ best
mid-1980s. We have prevailed for the
public process from November 23, 2021,
comments. But for now, here are some
most part, but the issue of roads and
to January 24, 2022, Southeast Alaskans
of our favorites.
logging just keeps coming back, and
and supporters nationwide weighed in
“I longline for halibut and sablefish; I
on the Biden administration’s promise
also troll with my family for salmon.
to reinstate National Roadless Rule
Our income depends on the Tongass and
protections on the Tongass National
the healthy fisheries habitat that the
Forest.
Tongass provides. Without question, the Tongass is worth more to the SE
The numbers tell a good story. SEACC staff and volunteers made 4,944 total calls to Southeast Alaskans during the Roadless comment period. We hosted a virtual Rally for the Tongass, which
region--and the planet--with the forest intact. The very best investment in our local economy is to keep the forest healthy to provide for our fisheries, ecotourism businesses, and coastal
had more than 280 attendees
community welfare. The
and roughly 7,000 total
very best that we can do
viewers (seacc.org/film-
for our climate is to
room). We mailed
ensure the Tongass-
5,000 comment
-which holds 40%
cards. We sent out
of the carbon
press releases,
sequestered in US
texts, and friendly
National Forests-
reminders. We
-continues to
were busy.
function as the
That means,
lungs of the planet.”
with your support, SEACC generated 2,165 comments to the Forest
pho
— Linda Behnken, to b y
L auren Cus im
Service. Conservation groups nationwide submitted more than 170,000 comments. But you tell a better story. Southeast Alaskans overwhelmingly spoke out in support of Roadless Rule protections. One thing was abundantly clear: Our communities understand the simple connection between a healthy environment and the health and prosperity of the people who reside here. Visit seacc.org/roadless-comments to
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photo by Raylynn Lawless
Ravencall | Spring 2022
ano
Alaska Longliner and executive director of Alaska
Longline Fishermen’s Association.
back. If the proponents of roads and logging would spend one day in the cathedral of this forest, they would see that there is no place for development here.” — Colleen Stansbury, Gustavus resident “I have been a lifelong Alaskan resident and commercial fisherman. I am not opposed to the proper and responsible extraction of resources. As an avid hunter, sport fisherman, and outdoor adventurer I enjoy the use of the roads that currently exist. There is however more value than is often thought of in the places in the Tongass with no road access. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come to see the natural beauty of these places. Thousands of people depend on the income they make harvesting the salmon that spawn in the streams away from constant human influence. We currently reap so many rewards financially that are often unquantified. Please don’t place the financial well-being of a few over that of the people currently reaping the benefits of the Tongass the way it is. This
“I and my husband are 50+ year
resource only becomes more valuable
residents of Northern Southeast
the longer we hold onto it.” — Charles
Alaska and Gustavus/Glacier Bay. We
McCullough, Petersberg fisherman
commercial and sport fish for halibut and salmon in Icy Strait and Cross Sound. We subsistence hunt in the Tongass. We also own a business in Gustavus which serves both the local residents as well as the summer sport
What’s next? A decision on reinstating the Roadless Rule may be reached in November 2022. Till then, help us make Roadless Rule protections permanent at seacc.org/raca.
fishers and tourists. We began fighting
Chiara D’Angelo is SEACC’s former Tongass Forest
logging and roads in the Tongass in the
Program Manager.
New Faces at SEACC
Aaron Brakel
Inside Passage Waters Program Manager
Katie Rooks
Environmental Policy Analyst
Mel Izard
Raylynn Lawless
Development and Outreach Associate
Office Manager
What excites you about the future of Southeast Alaska? I’m excited by the way people stand up for this place and I’m really looking forward to seeing and being a part of that as time goes on.
What excites me about the future of SEACC is that we have many incredible opportunities to decide our own destiny, encouraging types of resource use that foster positive economics without compromising the features that we love so much. We have opportunities to keep this place wild and rich with life.
I am incredibly excited for the future of Southeast Alaska because of the energy and passion that people hold for this place. So many Southeast Alaskans have spoken up in support of reinstating the Roadless Rule, protecting herring, and so many other issues that are vital to this land and its people.
I look forward to working together as a community to grow from the devastating impacts of climate change in a circularly sustainable way and have a healthy economy while simultaneously protecting and caring for our environment. I look forward to developing respectful and healthy relationships with our First Alaskan nations and communities to show how thankful we are to live, work, and play on their land.
What do you hope to learn through your new role at SEACC? I’m looking forward to building connections and relationships with conservation-minded people and to getting the opportunity to travel around our communities and meet other Alaskans.
Through my new role at SEACC, I hope to learn even more about the scientific, ecological, and resource management issues facing our region. I hope to be able to use that knowledge to help foster positive change when necessary or to support traditional and historic ways of life that should be preserved and kept alive.
I am hoping to learn more about and engage with all of the communities that make up Southeast. As Development and Outreach Associate, I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to communicate with our many incredible supporters and learn more about their love for this place we all call home.
I hope to learn how to be a respectful and caring environmental advocate, while also listening and learning from the peoples who came before me. I cannot say enough how thankful I am to have found my dream job. I get to spend my days working with amazing, kind, and passionate people!
What’s an experience from your life that connects you to conservation? I was 20 years old and on a seine boat heading for Sitka when we got news of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In the bloom of life of the annual herring return, we were inundated with images of Alaska North Slope Crude oil covering the beaches and wildlife of Prince William Sound.
photo by Kayti Coonjohn
One of the most formative experiences in my life was a childhood week of winter camping, exploring, and learning at an environmental learning center in Minnesota. That experience, coupled with lots of outdoor recreation with my parents, made it a certainty that I would grow up to love the outdoor world and the creatures which inhabit it.
I grew up visiting and spending weekends out in nature in western New York each summer, and being around such incredible biodiversity really inspired in me a love for the nature around me. My favorite thing growing up was hiking with my family and pointing out cool plants.
Being raised in a home that promoted playing outside and being in nature helped build the foundation for my love of the natural world. When I witness all the life that grows and thrives around us, the feeling of connection is breathtaking and awe inspiring.
Ravencall | Spring 2022
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Our Climate Focus in Southeast Following our work organizing
for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act, SEACC continues to deepen its climate work across Southeast Alaska, educating on climate impacts and celebrating climate-adaptive action. This map showcases both the THREATS our region faces and the ACTIONS Southeast communities are already taking to mitigate and adapt to our changing climate.
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Warming waters are affecting the entire north Pacific ecosystem, with impacts we are only beginning to understand. Runs of most wild salmon stocks are shrinking, and individual king salmon are 15% shorter than 50 years ago.
Juneau-based Salt and Soil Marketplace is connecting Southeast Alaskans with sources of local food, shrinking our carbon footprint and growing our food security.
The Herring Protectors are making a splash by “remembering forward” — highlighting traditional ways of relating to herring and asserting Indigenous sovereignty.
Warming waters are drastically increasing the occurrence of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, making this traditional food source a risk for subsistence harvesters.
Ravencall | Spring 2022
Approximately 20,000 acres of yellow cedar are dying each year in the Tongass from varying decreases in annual snowpack that have been tied to climate change.
Inside Passage Electric Cooperative is working hard to bring affordable renewable energy to rural Southeast, paving the way for future beneficial electrification.
Southeast Alaska Conservation Council The future of our region in this
changing climate is uncertain, but SEACC remains dedicated to continuing our over 50-year legacy of advocating for Southeast Alaska’s most precious places and celebrating communities that are leading the way in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Want to know more? Sign up for our new monthly climate report at seacc.org/seak-climate-report or email SEACC’s Climate Program Manager, Matt Jackson, at matt@seacc.org to learn how to get involved.
Entrepreneurs like Stephanie Jurries of Emerald Island Adventures are developing new, low-impact tourism businesses that blaze a trail away from extractive industries toward a sustainable future.
There are 451,000 acres of secondgrowth in the Tongass, most of which is currently approaching “stem exclusion” — aka dense second-growth that does not allow undergrowth to survive, i.e., no food for deer. Adaptive management of this second-growth is a huge opportunity to improve wildlife habitat and carbon sequestration.
Ravencall | Spring 2022
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all photos by Shannon Donahue
A Mighty Little Fish of Many Names Heralds Spring by Shannon Donahue
Crisp morning sunlight
brings the first wave of spring to Southeast Alaska after quiet, introspective, winter. Meltwater replenishes creeks, willow buds swell on branches. Lutak Inlet’s surface is still, smooth like polished emerald. A closer look reveals areas of inky darkness, where thousands of small fish school. With a sudden shift, they catch the sunlight. A quicksilver flash illuminates the inlet, fish surface, water boiling with movement. The gargantuan mouth of a humpback whale opens wide skyward, scooping hundreds of slender, oily fish. The eulachon have arrived, bringing the first pulse of spring life to Lynn Canal. The eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) is a small, mighty smelt with many names. In Lingít, they are saak. The Tsimshian people use the Sm’álgyax word, ‘ẅah. Eulachon, hooligan, and oolichan derive from the Chinookan language family. Candlefish refers to their oily richness — with a 20% oil content, dried eulachon can actually be lit like a candle. “We call them salvation fish because of the time of year they return when food stores are getting low,” Chilkoot Tribal member Ted Hart says. “We call hooligan oil liquid gold. One spoonful has enough nutrients for an elder for an entire day. It’s vital to have them return.” Eulachon have sustained Indigenous economies from California to the Bering Sea for countless generations. Rendered eulachon oil has a rich history at the heart of the coastal economy, a valuable trade commodity among Indigenous peoples. Today, however, the integrated
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Ravencall | Spring 2022
market economy fails to value this vital fish, despite all it sustains ecologically and culturally. While local people celebrate the eulachon harvest each spring, the absence of a commercial fishery means there’s little incentive — or funding — for research and monitoring. Populations in the Lower 48 and British Columbia have declined or gone extinct due to rampant development, loss of spawning habitat, overfishing, and changes in the ocean environment. An air of mystery surrounds these anadromous fish — where do they go after they leave Southeast Alaska? Some survive to spawn again. If conditions in their natal stream aren’t just right when they return, sometimes they’ll head to other streams. How do they “decide” where to spawn? After the southern population declined, Chilkoot Indian Association took the initiative to begin a research and monitoring program. Together with Takshanuk Watershed Council, Skagway Traditional Council, and Oregon State University, a long-term research program has been established for Lynn Canal. Ketchikan Indian Community will also begin monitoring the Unuk run this spring. These data will help inform conservation measures to ensure the eulachon’s survival into the future.
What we do know is that eulachon need clean rivers and streams to spawn, and healthy oceans to mature. Local knowledge recalls years when the fish didn’t come, after the construction of the Haines Highway, and again after airport construction on the Chilkat River. Some question whether piledriving on Lutak Inlet caused the Chilkoot run to spawn elsewhere in 2015. Hart tells me there may have been other factors at play that year, like river level, but, “I can imagine how loud that would be for them underwater, definitely not very inviting for them. Salmon have that huge will and desire, and they must go spawn where they’re born. The eulachon, saak, aren’t necessarily like that. They’re pretty sensitive.” That highlights the need for region-wide habitat conservation efforts, to ensure they have suitable places to spawn. SEACC’s work to conserve the Tongass National Forest and waters of Southeast Alaska helps to ensure the survival of eulachon populations for future generations. To support, visit seacc.org/ protect-chilkat and seacc.org/raca. Shannon Donahue is SEACC’s Upper Lynn Canal Organizer.
We Won’t Face a BC Mining Boom Lying Down by Aaron Brakel
So it’s no surprise the BC government
stocks of concern. Significant fishing
Protecting Southeast
would prefer to continue ignoring
restrictions have been put in place in
concerns regarding transboundary
Alaska to protect these transboundary
waters and allow their current
king salmon runs.
Alaska waters and shared salmon runs from threats from Canadian
mining projects in the transboundary watersheds is one of the toughest challenges we face at Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. And it’s not just SEACC. Every entity
inadequate and circumscribed regulatory processes to play out for as long as
Mining-related threats to the spawning grounds and watersheds where these
possible.
salmon propagate are a matter of
The risks, however, are
international concern.
serious and pressing.
Some of the most
working on this from the Alaska side
BC is moving
is facing the same challenge. Whether
rapidly to throw
it is Tribal leaders, local government,
its full weight
non-governmental organizations,
impacts to these
behind a
transboundary
mining boom
rivers relate to
district without
the involvement
consideration
of Indigenous
of how these
Alaskans. Alaska
or commercial fishermen, we are all running up against a British Columbian government that appears entirely unconcerned with protecting key water resources that affect Alaskans downstream. BC does not have a good track record of serious engagement with Alaskans’ very real concerns. That’s not to say there aren’t issues on this side of the border as well. We struggle with a politically disinterested Governor of Alaska, Mike Dunleavy, who has shown he is unwilling to stand up to BC in order to uphold Alaska’s transboundary priorities, regardless of the long-term consequences. But Alaska is looking down the barrel of a BC mining boom, and that is a tough spot to be.
important questions about watershed
plans will affect neighboring watersheds. The
Tribes must have a pho
to b y
Co nno r Ga l l ag
long-term consequences of
meaningful seat at the table where there are threats
to the king salmon from upstream
constructing open-pit mega mines,
mining in these watersheds. These
acid-generating waste rock piles, and
king salmon are the inheritance of
massive tailings dams in the shared
people who have lived in this area for
waters of the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk
hundreds of generations. What consent
rivers, are enormous. The abandoned
framework will be adopted that involves
Tulsequah Chief mine, which continues
Alaska Tribes? How will downstream
to send toxic acid drainage into the
communities’ interests be safeguarded?
Taku River watershed near Juneau is a
Where will the protections for salmon
stark example of BC’s failure to provide
habitat be enshrined?
financial assurance for mine clean up and closure. The Taku and Stikine rivers alone support over 70% of Southeast Alaska’s
Mining interests are tremendously
wild king salmon. And these wild
powerful in BC and in Canada.
salmon stocks are in trouble. The Alaska
According to Natural Resources Canada,
Board of Fish designated the Unuk
Vancouver, BC, is home to the largest
king salmon run as a stock of concern
cluster of mining exploration companies
beginning in 2018. The Taku and Stikine
in the world, and the consulting firm
river king salmon runs also meet the
PricewaterhouseCoopers put BC mining
stock of concern criteria and have been
revenue at more than $12 billion (CAD)
recommended by Alaska Department
in 2018.
of Fish and Game for designation as
photo by Clay Frick
he r
SEACC, our partner organizations, Tribes, communities, and commercial fishermen continue to fight for clean water and a healthy future for Alaska’s king salmon runs. Watch these spaces as we take it up a notch. Want to know more? Visit seacc.org/ inside-passage or email Aaron Brakel, SEACC’s Inside Passage Waters Program Manager, at aaron@seacc.org. Aaron Brakel is SEACC’s Inside Passage Waters Program Manager.
Ravencall | Spring 2022
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photo by Q’on Bear-Clark
SEACC Supporter Spotlight by Mel Izard
Corinne Conlon
Kashudoha Wanda Loescher Culp
is a gathering instructor, the
President of Southeast Alaska
is a well-known advocate for
Master Gardeners Association,
conservation and food sovereignty.
and the author of “Gardening
Being in nature, smelling and feeling
Near Glaciers: Growing
it around you, is something Culp
Vegetables in Southeast Alaska.”
values dearly. “There is no better
This season, she’s looking
experience in your soul than that.”
forward to the delicious edible plants around Southeast Alaska. Fresh greens, like fireweed
photo courtesy of Corinne Conlon
Culp is of the Chookeneidí clan of
photo by Q’on Bear-Clark
Glacier Bay. She first got involved with conservation in the
shoots, nettles, and pushke, are up first. We’ll then see wild cucumber, twisted stalk, violet leaves, deer heart, and spruce tips. As spring turns to summer, we can look out
1980s when clearcut logging came to Hoonah. “It was just a plan that affected the villages under the disguise of economic development,” she says. “Jobs for who? Not for us.” Culp
for beach asparagus, loveage, and goose tongue.
began speaking up for her community, committed to getting
Conlon says there can be strong intergenerational ties
the voices of her elders out there.
when gathering and gardening. For example, her greatgrandmother was an herbalist. “Although I didn’t
In 2016, Culp became the Tongass Regional Coordinator
know my great-grandmother, I still feel like I have that
for Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN)
connection with someone who saw everything that was
International, an organization of women who act on climate,
out there in order to feed and help heal people.”
the environment, and socio-economic inequalities. “[The founder of WECAN] reeled me in like a king salmon,” Culp
Conlon’s passion for gathering and gardening also connects to her conservation practices. “You’re collecting from and nurturing yourself from the local forest,” she
says. While she was initially hesitant to join after many challenging years of conservation advocacy, Culp is now glad she did. She feels empowered by the ability to connect with
says, “But you do it in a way that doesn’t impact [the ecosystem].” She emphasizes plants too deserve respect and have needs, and gathering and gardening can connect us to the natural world. “I think there’s different ways of looking at the world and for me, knowing the plants and
women globally on the same issues. Culp believes that we are capable of influencing change right now. She and other members of WECAN Tongass have been advocating for food sovereignty among other issues, and the National Roadless
having that connection with things deepens my tie to it.”
Rule, collaborating at times with SEACC.
SEACC resonates with Conlon’s work as well as with her
Culp got involved with SEACC personally in the 1980s, and
personal values. “If we have areas where there are toxins in the water and in the land, then eventually, they’ll impact us,” she says. Conlon has been a monthly sustainer
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Though currently living in Juneau,
continues her support by volunteering, donating, and taking action. She says she values SEACC’s willingness to speak out against environmental harm and collaborate with Indigenous
of SEACC since 2016 in an effort to get more involved in
communities. “We’ve been drawn towards SEACC throughout
local organizations. Now, over five years later, she still
the years because they listened to us and helped us defend
donates monthly to SEACC because of our work on the
important places that our Indigenous families historically
Tongass and climate while balancing the economic and
used throughout time,” she says. “SEACC helped us save
sustainability needs of Southeast.
those places, some places, from clearcut logging.”
Ravencall | Spring 2022
Thank you for supporting SEACC!
Thank you, business partners!
Support SEACC’s Work Today
A healthy Southeast Alaska is a healthy future. Share $35 or more with SEACC today to keep old-growth standing and wild waters clean. See seacc.org/donate.
☞ Sustain us As practice makes a master, so too do small donations add up to big differences.
Sign up for recurring monthly, quarterly, or annual donations for any amount at seacc.org/donate.
Plan for the Long Term
✉
Look to the future and pledge a portion of what you can’t take with you to SEACC. Reach out to Deputy Director Maggie Rabb (maggie@seacc.org) to learn about Stock Donations, IFQs, or how best to make your legacy the Tongass’ legacy.
Landscape Alaska Inc. | Juneau
Baranof Wilderness Lodge | Sitka
Rainbow Glacier Adventures | Haines
The Blue Heron Inn | Yakutat
Southeast Exposure OAC, Inc. | Ketchikan
Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks | Gustavus
Tongass Kayak Adventures | Petersburg
Conservation Groups Are Telling the Biden Administration to
photo by Michele Cornelius
Join us
✍
Art Matters | Juneau
“Let trees grow!” A coalition of more than 80 conservation groups, including SEACC, recently launched the national Climate Forests Campaign to call on the Biden administration to take executive action to protect mature trees — critical in the fight against climate change. Here in the Tongass, this would entail strengthening existing protections for our old-growth forest. Carbon-absorbing older forests like ours are also the best habitat for salmon, bears, Bald Eagles, and much more wildlife. “If the Tongass National Forest is often called the ‘crown jewel’ of the National Forest system, then our old-growth trees are what make that jewel sparkle, and what brings millions of tourism and recreation dollars to Southeast Alaska each year,” says SEACC Executive Director Meredith Trainor. “Protecting old-growth and mature trees and forests is an easy way for the Biden administration to hit its climate goals without sacrificing Southeast Alaska’s most sustainable economic drivers.” To send your thoughts about the Tongass to the Biden administration, see Climate-Forests.org.
Thank you, volunteers!
We’re a grassroots organization, then, now, and always, and these volunteers have stepped up in various ways to keep our work going. Abby Wyman, Althea Wunderler-Selby, Andrea Feniger, Andrew King, Anna Adsit, Brita Mjos, Carol Race, Cathryn Coats, Deborah Gravel, Derek Poinsette, Dylan Janus, Elisabeth Dabney, Elsa Sebastian, Father Séamus Finn (OMI), Hayden Kaden, Honalee Elkan, Hunter Mallinger, Jack Dodson, Jennifer Kardiak, Jennifer Quinto, Jill Steward, President Joel Jackson, John Sonin, Judy Brakel, Kaitlyn Conway, Kari Ames, Katherine Richardson, Linda Behnken, Logan Smith, Luann McVey, Mamie Williams, Marvin Willard, Matt Hamilton, Meghan Hogben, Mike Tobin, Naomi Michalsen, Nicole Windhausen, Paulette Moreno, Portugal. The Man, Rachel Howell, Rebekah Sawers, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Riley Moser, Robin Laurain, Ryan Hartsock, Ryland Bell, Scott Pearce, Sofia Tall, Sue Harris Walker, Susana Osorio, Tisa Becker, President Trixie Bennet, Valerie Massie, Wanda Culp, Zak Gruey Ravencall | Spring 2022
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photo by Kayti Coonjohn