Southeast Alaska is a unique place, where wild salmon still fill the rivers and streams, bald eagles still soar across the sky, bears still roam the forest, and people still make their living off the land. The 17 million acre Tongass National Forest is a part of the Alexander Archipelago and includes a narrow mainland strip of steep and rugged mountains, icefields and glaciers, and over one thousand islands. Extending 500 miles north to south, the Tongass is a place where the people of Southeast Alaska are raising their families among the rich and pristine beauty of spectacular glaciers, deep fjords and lush old-growth forests.

Most of this area is owned by all Americans—over 97% of Southeast Alaska is federally owned, with about 80% included in the Tongass National Forest and managed by the U.S. Forest Service.