As we enter this season of giving, Alexander Archipelago wolves in the Tongass National Forest face two deadly threats: loss of their habitat and people who want to kill them. Their numbers have plummeted from roughly 350 in the 1990's to just 170 last month(1), and with a no-quota kill season now underway, we could lose even more.
Today, efforts to allow new roadbuilding in the Tongass could make it easier for people to kill wolves in the short term and could destroy the habitat they need to survive in the long term.
Between now and Giving Tuesday, a generous donor has agreed to match any gifts to fight this plan and ensure that Tongass wolves have the wild lands they need to roam. Donate to preserve protections that make our Tongass National Forest a safe place for wildlife. From now until Giving Tuesday, your gift will be matched!
Like salmon and Sitka black-tailed deer, Tongass wolves on Prince of Wales Island strongly prefer intact old-growth forest. They den amidst the roots of ancient trees where they feed on deer that the forest sustains.(2) And they avoid roads that bring them into contact with people.(3) This is not surprising; when studying Tongass wolves, researchers identified that wolf deaths from trapping and hunting rose and fell in correlation with the amount of roads in study areas.(4)
Roadless areas give wolves the space they need to roam...and steer clear from people. If President Trump succeeds in exempting the Tongass from the Roadless Rule, new roads will allow people deeper into the forest to not only kill more wolves, but decimate the old-growth forest that deer and wolves need for long term survival.
On Giving Tuesday, protect the ancient trees and the wolves and deer that depend on them. Donate to protect the Tongass National Forest and help us keep the Roadless Rule in place.
Thank you,
Adam
Executive Director
P.S. Did you know that the Forest Service lost an average of $20 million per year on timber sales in the Tongass over the last decade? American taxpayers footed the bill to destroy our own forest. Stand up for our old-growth Tongass and the wolves that rely on this landscape by giving generously today! Your gift will be doubled!
(1) ADF&G, Tom Schumacher, 10/20/2019, "Wolf harvest season announced for GMU 2, new process explained"
(2) Person, David K.; Kirchhoff, Matthew; Van Ballenberghe, Victor; Iverson, George C.; Grossman, Edward. 1996. The Alexander Archipelago wolf: a conservation assessment. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-384. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 42 p.
(3) Gretchen H.Rofflera; David P.Gregovicha; Kristian R.Larsonb. 2018. Resource selection by coastal wolves reveals the seasonal importance of seral forest and suitable prey habitat. Forest Ecology and Management Volume 409, 1 February 2018, Pages 190-201
(4) Person, David K.; Kirchhoff, Matthew; Van Ballenberghe, Victor; Iverson, George C.; Grossman, Edward. 1996. The Alexander Archipelago wolf: a conservation assessment. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-384. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 42 p.
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