Coming spring 2010

“I would like people to come away with a few lightbulbs turned on, a sense of amazement, and the understanding that there's a tipping point to the ecosystem when we continue to chip away at the pieces that comprise the whole.” – Amy Gulick

 

Photography by Amy Gulick; essays by Carl Safina, Richard Nelson, Rosita Worl, Richard Carstensen, Douglas Chadwick, Brad Matsen, John Schoen; illustrations by Ray Troll.

Like blood pulsing through veins, wild salmon flow into the countless rivers and streams of Alaska’s rainforest year after year, bringing an infusion of life unrivaled anywhere on earth. The adult salmon return to their birth streams after maturing at sea to pass on their genes to the next generation. They also pass on their nutrient-packed bodies to bears, eagles, people, and trees. Yes—trees. Salmon fertilize the trees, and in turn, the forest nurtures the salmon. By shading the spawning streams, trees keep water temperatures cool for developing eggs, and fallen trees in the streams shelter young salmon. Nowhere is this connection more apparent than in the Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska.

At 17 million acres, the Tongass comprises nearly one-third of the world’s remaining old-growth temperate rainforest and is America’s largest national forest. Sitka spruce and western hemlock achieve towering heights on over 1,000 islands strung out along 500 miles of glacier-carved coastline, all the way from Ketchikan to Yakutat. Mountains rise from the sea, and bald eagles, grizzly bears, and all five species of Pacific salmon thrive in one of the most rare and biologically rich ecosystems on earth.

The Tongass is a forest in which people—scattered throughout dozens of diverse communities ranging from the state capitol of Juneau to remote native villages—and wilderness still coexist. The Native Alaskan people have strong cultural ties to the land, and many of the local people rely on the sustainable use of the rainforest’s natural resources for their livelihoods. But with increasing global demand for timber, minerals, seafood, and tourist destinations, the region faces increased pressure for its biological treasures that have taken millennia to develop. Today, the Tongass stands at a crossroads. Will the biological integrity of the rainforest be preserved so that communities, both human and wild, can continue to thrive—or will it be exploited and lost?

Through beautiful photography by Amy Gulick and thoughtful essays by noted natural history writers, conservationists, Native Alaskans, and scientists, Salmon in the Trees tells a hopeful story of a rare ecosystem that still contains all of its original pieces, and in which local people continue to manage its resources in an innovative and sustainable manner. It is a story of the unexpected connections that tie the coastal rainforest to the ocean, marine wildlife to terrestrial wildlife, and all of these elements to the people. Along with a traveling museum exhibit and multimedia presentations by Gulick, this title will be one component of an outreach program aimed at educating people and policy makers about the importance of preserving the Tongass.

Salmon in the Trees will be published in partnership with Alaska Wilderness League and will be used to support public education of its rainforest preservation campaign. A member of the Alaska Coalition, Alaska Wilderness League is at the forefront of the movement to gain permanent protection of intact watersheds throughout the Tongass and Chugach national forests. They support enacting locally-supported, comprehensive legislation to provide durable protections for this one-of-a-kind ecosystem. Gulick has also worked with the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, Trout Unlimited, the Sitka Conservation Society, and Audubon Alaska.

For the latest on Tongass conservation, click here.

For more on Amy Gulick, click here.