The Tongass is where the land and the ocean meet and salmon are the connection between both
The state of Alaska is vast, but our communities are close-knit, connected to each other by the salmon that sustain us. The Tongass National Forest boasts over 15,000 miles of salmon rivers and streams and over 123,000 acres of lakes and ponds that support salmon.
We all depend upon salmon in different, intricate ways. Hungry bears fish in the streams for spawning salmon to feed themselves and their cubs. When the bears catch their prey, they bring the salmon carcasses into the forest, where the leftovers decompose and fertilize the trees that make up the Tongass. Salmon is the lifeblood of Southeast Alaska.