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A C T I O N A L E R T
The Tongass Rainforest is under attack!
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Dear Friends and Allies,
This week, the Trump administration unveiled a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that will devastate long-standing protections against logging and road-building in the Tongass National Forest, a vital old-growth temperate rainforest in Southeast Alaska that exists within the traditional territories of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples.
The Tongass National Forest has been called "America's Climate Forest" as it is the single most important national forest for carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation in the U.S.
A collective of Alaska Native activists, Alaska-based and national organizations, including the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network, released a statement of opposition in response to the DEIS, finalized weeks after revelations that President Trump exerted pressure to allow new clear-cuts in the Tongass.
The DEIS is now open for public comment. Please join us in protecting over 9 million acres of ancient forest, defending the climate, and standing with Indigenous land defenders and all forest protectors by submitting a comment demanding the administration keep the federal 2001 Roadless Rule intact and current protections in place for national forests in Alaska.
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The Roadless Rule is an important measure that protects upwards of 58 million acres of national forest lands from further development, virtually preventing old-growth logging; roadbuilding; and coal, gas, oil, and other mineral leasing. The rule continues to have tremendous public support, with a
2019 poll finding three-fourths of the general public in support of the Roadless Rule.
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| The WECAN Indigenous Women's Tongass Delegation, including WECAN Tongass Coordinator and Tlingit activist, Wanda Culp, advocating for the Roadless Rule in Washington D.C. alongside allies, Holly Harris (left), Earthjustice, and Osprey Orielle Lake (right), WECAN Executive Director and delegation organizer. Photo Credit: Melissa Lyttle |
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"We must holistically analyze the root causes of habitat destruction
in the Tongass National Forest along with its directed social
injustices, while quickly seeking solutions to the very real climate
crisis today
that is hugely impacting all the life on the lands we
depend upon, including ours."
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Wanda Culp, Tlingit Activist, Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) Tongass Regional Coordinator
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As parts of Alaska are warming at roughly twice the rate of the rest of the planet, maintaining an intact Tongass ecosystem is critical to providing climate change solutions for Alaska and international climate efforts. Additionally, keeping the Tongass intact will also protect unique habitat for hundreds of species, like salmon, bears, and deer, all of which, in turn, support local economies based on fishing, hunting, and tourism. Currently,
tourism and fishing account for 25 percent of jobs in Southeast Alaska while logging only provides 1 percent.
The WECAN Indigenous Women's Tongass Delegation and allies understand the gravity of the issue and are united in calling for support of the current Roadless Rule and its protection of the Tongass, which is also vital for Indigenous peoples' survival in the region.
If the federal government is successful in opening up the Tongass to more catastrophic, industrial-scale logging, they will not only destroy the forest and further harm our global climate, but they will actively contribute to the ongoing genocide of Indigenous Peoples whose identities, cultures, and livelihoods are integral to the forest.
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Alaskans and allies come together on the steps of the Alaska State Capital in Juneau, Alaska to support the National Roadless Rule at the "Turn out for the Tongass" rally on June 22, 2019. Photo Credit: WECAN International/Katherine Quaid
This coming November, members of the WECAN Indigenous Women's Tongass delegation will travel to Washington D.C. once again to advocate for the protection of the Roadless Rule. Please consider donating to support the Tongass delegation's advocacy efforts in D.C.
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To learn more about our 'Women for Forests' campaign in the Tongass National Forest and other regions,
please visit our website, and watch our most recent videos down below!
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TONGASS UPDATE:
Judge Halts Timber Sale in The Tongass!
While we march steadily ahead in the fight to protect the Roadless Rule in Alaska, there has been some important success in regards to a recent timber sale in the Tongass National Forest.
On September 23, the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska issued a preliminary injunction halting implementation of the Prince of Wales Landscape Level Analysis Project, protecting thousands of acres of old-growth habitat from destruction.
A path leading into the old-growth forests on Prince of Wales Island in the Tongass National Forest. Photo credit: WECAN International/Emily Arasim
The court cited that the environmental impact statement fell short of legal standards and raised serious questions about whether the Forest Service's approach violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). With the leadership of fierce local organizations in Alaska, WECAN International advocated to stop this old-growth logging.
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FOR MORE UPDATES:
WECAN and the Tongass in the News
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We need your support for this ongoing battle
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For the Earth and All Generations,
The WECAN International Team
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