Support a Balanced Future for the Tongass and Chugach Forests in Alaska

Looking for more information?

Explore our latest news, policy updates, and conservation resources to get the information you need.

posted in: General

September 12, 2025

Help sustain public access, fish and wildlife habitat, and the outdoor traditions we all value

The Tongass and Chugach National Forests are two of the most spectacular and unique landscapes in the United States. Together, they encompass more than 22 million acres of intact habitat for fish and wildlife, support local economies, and provide opportunities for rural subsistence as well as recreational hunting and fishing. These lands are part of what make Alaska truly extraordinary.

On August 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a proposal to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule across the National Forest System, including in Alaska. If completed, this action would remove important conservation measures that have helped maintain some of the best remaining big game and salmon habitat in the state.

Why These Forests Matter

The Chugach National Forest supports key salmon streams and moose, bear, and mountain goat habitat. Because of its proximity to Anchorage, these nearly 6 million acres are crucial to local communities that depend on accessible public lands.

The Tongass National Forest is home to all five species of wild Pacific salmon and provides high-quality habitat for black-tailed deer, brown bear, and mountain goats. These nearly 17 million acres in Southeast Alaska are also vital for subsistence users, as well as fishing and tourism economies.

Old-growth forests on the Tongass—dominated by large western hemlock and Sitka spruce trees in roadless areas—provide a critical mosaic of habitat for deer, especially during heavy snow years. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, severe winter weather is one of the biggest factors influencing deer populations, making intact habitat all the more important.

The Tongass is also at a turning point. Millions of acres of young-growth forests are now ready for restoration and management that can both support the forest products industry and strengthen habitat for fish and wildlife. Rather than remain locked in old debates over large-scale old-growth logging, this is an opportunity to invest in young-growth management that benefits local communities, hunters, anglers, and the long-term productivity of public lands in Southeast Alaska.

A Need for Dialogue

Hunters and anglers need to remain at the table as decisions are made about national forests in Alaska. We believe it is possible to support local economies, provide flexibility for responsible management, and sustain the fish, wildlife, and access values that are so important to hunters, anglers, and rural communities.

Sportsmen and women must weigh in to help shape this outcome. By submitting comments, we can encourage the Forest Service to pursue a balanced approach that maintains consistent safeguards for roadless area habitats while also supporting restoration, young-growth management, and community needs.

Take Action

The USDA is accepting public comments on the future of the Roadless Rule in Alaska until September 19. Hunters and anglers can make a difference by speaking up for intact habitat, strong local economies, and lasting outdoor traditions.

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS HERE BY SEPTEMBER 19!

Sample Comment

As a hunter, angler, and public land user, I encourage a thoughtful approach when reevaluating roadless areas in Alaska’s Tongass and Chugach National Forests. Roadless areas provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife, support local economies, and offer important opportunities for hunting, fishing, recreation, and subsistence. Please ensure that any changes to the Roadless Rule will maintain these values and benefit both current and future generations of Alaskans.

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS HERE BY SEPTEMBER 19!

Do you have any thoughts on this post?

Click here to cancel reply.

by: Joel Webster

posted in: General

Weigh in on Behalf of America’s Backcountry

Hunters and anglers can help shape the future of our national forests

Anyone who has spent time hunting and fishing on our national forests knows that success often depends on putting some distance between yourself and roads. Roadless areas—casually called the backcountry—are essential to America’s sporting traditions and wildlife management.

These roadless landscapes provide secure refuge for elk, mule deer, and other big game species, ensuring healthy herds and sustaining increasingly rare over-the-counter hunting opportunities. State wildlife agencies have long emphasized that blocks of secure habitat are critical for effective herd management and for preventing displacement of wildlife onto private lands.

For anglers, roadless areas conserve cold, clean headwaters that sustain wild trout and salmon, and roughly 70 percent of roadless areas contain habitat for native fish.

These qualities are why the sporting community values roadless areas and sees them as a crucial part of the future of hunting and fishing in America.

The Proposal to Rescind the Roadless Rule

On August 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a notice proposing to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule—a long-standing policy designed to maintain these backcountry values. The public comment period is open through September 19.

A primary argument for rescission is to allow more flexibility for wildfire suppression and forest management. Hunters and anglers understand this does not have to be an either/or choice. We can support proactive management to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health while maintaining safeguards that are critical for fish, wildlife, and our sporting traditions.

A Balanced Path Forward

Hunters and anglers support a middle ground approach to managing roadless areas. This approach respects backcountry values and provides flexibility where it’s needed. That means:

Conserving core backcountry habitat for fish and wildlife while allowing thinning, prescribed burning, and restoration projects to protect communities and improve habitat.
Limiting costly new road construction so that scarce agency funding can go toward maintaining the 370,000 miles of existing national forest roads that already provide access for hunters, anglers, and local economies.
Accommodating multiple uses, including livestock grazing and motorized and non-motorized recreation.

The Roadless Rule was designed to strike this balance. Rather than scrapping it altogether, the USDA should work with hunters, anglers, and other stakeholders to adapt and improve the rule to ensure it remains durable, practical, and true to the values we share. We have seen this approach work before with the Idaho and Colorado Roadless Rules, and we can apply that success to the rest of the National Forest System.

Take Action

This comment period is our chance to ensure that the future of America’s backcountry reflects hunting and fishing values. By speaking up, we can help secure lasting hunting and fishing opportunities for future generations of sportsmen and women.

Hunters and anglers can make a difference by commenting before September 19.

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS HERE BY SEPTEMBER 19!

Here are some important talking points to include in your comments:

Roadless areas are critical to America’s sporting traditions. They provide secure habitat for elk, deer, and other big game, and conserve headwaters that sustain native trout and salmon. These landscapes ensure that future generations of hunters and anglers will have the same opportunities we enjoy today.
Hunters and anglers know that flexibility can be added to the rule to reduce wildfire risk while also improving forest health and maintaining conservation safeguards that are critical for fish, wildlife, and sporting traditions.
The Forest Service should work with hunters, anglers, and other stakeholders to adapt and improve the rule so it remains durable, practical, and true to the values we share.
A balanced approach will ensure our forests remain healthy, our communities are safer, and our sporting traditions persist.

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS HERE BY SEPTEMBER 19!

by: Madeleine West

posted in: General

September 9, 2025

Fix Our Forests Act a Bipartisan Solution to a National Problem

Wildfire resilience and forest management have never mattered more

Across the West, when we look at our mountains, we don’t just see the beautiful landscape, we see the lifeblood of the people who live here. These peaks store our water, support our economy, and shape our way of life. But this summer, like every recent summer, is a reminder of what’s at stake: smoky skies, communities on edge, families and businesses evacuated, and whole watersheds under threat. As far as the East Coast, smoke of fires from Western blazes reach across the nation, reminding us that we breathe the same air.

So far in 2025, over 1 million acres have burned in large wildfires across the country. Wildfire risk has become constant throughout the year in many areas, and now “normal” means living with an expectation of frequent and bigger blazes. Responding to this reality isn’t a one-and-done project — it’s a generational commitment.

That’s why bipartisan support in Congress for wildfire resilience and forest management has never mattered more.

The Fix Our Forests Act was first introduced by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a strong bipartisan vote earlier this year. The bill has now gained momentum in the U.S. Senate with bipartisan support led by Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah), Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.). The bill reflects that old-fashioned American idea that when a crisis hits, we work together to find solutions.

The bill is designed to accelerate the pace of wildfire mitigation while maintaining the necessary safeguards for fish and wildlife that matter to all of us. Central to the bill is the concept of “Fireshed Management Areas,” targeted zones of up to 10,000 acres where wildfire poses the greatest danger to people and water supplies. Within these zones, risk-reduction projects like ecological thinning, prescribed fire, and fuel breaks can move forward faster by cutting through red tape, while still benefiting fish, wildlife, and their habitat.

The Fix Our Forests Act is also innovative. For the first time, this legislation recognizes that projects to restore and improve floodplains and wetlands can demonstrably reduce wildfire risk to downstream communities, including the long-term impacts wildfires can have on valuable drinking water supplies for rural and urban populations. Identifying the need for smarter, more coordinated responses to wildfire, the bill also creates a national Wildfire Intelligence Center, a state-of-the-art hub for real-time fire data and rapid agency coordination modeled on proven science and public safety systems.

The Fix Our Forests Act is pragmatic, collaborative, and designed for the scale of the threat. The senators’ approach — building consensus, defending conservation values, and insisting on urgency — reflects what leadership looks like when the stakes are highest. Congress has the opportunity to enact into law this piece of legislation that will directly benefit communities throughout the West, and America, for generations to come.

A version of this blog originally ran in The Daily Sentinel out of Grand Junction, Colorado, on August 30, 2025.

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: General

September 8, 2025

TRCP Expands Government Affairs Team with Promotion and New Hire

Nakayama promoted to Senior Manager; Haynes joins as Advisor to strengthen conservation advocacy

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), the largest conservation coalition in the United States, is pleased to announce the promotion of Ian Nakayama to Senior Manager, Government Affairs, and the hiring of Grayson Haynes as Government Affairs Advisor. Together, their experience will strengthen TRCP’s ability to advance bipartisan conservation policy on behalf of hunters and anglers nationwide.

Nakayama joined TRCP in 2021 and has played an instrumental role in advancing legislative and administrative priorities for TRCP and across the conservation community. As Senior Manager, Government Affairs, he will continue to contribute to TRCP’s federal policy strategy and expand engagement with lawmakers on issues ranging from public land access and habitat conservation to water resources and fish and wildlife management. Nakayama previously worked in legislative offices, including Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton’s office, and for Delegate Paul Krizek in the Virginia General Assembly, and is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

“We are proud to recognize Ian with this well-deserved promotion,” said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the TRCP. “His deep expertise and strong track record on Capitol Hill have made him a trusted resource for policymakers and TRCP partners alike.”

The TRCP also welcomes Grayson Haynes as Government Affairs Advisor. Haynes brings experience working across both Congress and the conservation nonprofit sector. He began his career on Capitol Hill as a staff assistant for the House Agriculture Committee during the 118th Congress. Most recently, he worked with the National Audubon Society’s Working Lands team, where he partnered with ranchers, landowners, and producers to advocate for Farm Bill conservation programs.

A Virginia native from a military family, Haynes grew up fishing and exploring the coastlines with his grandfather. He is an avid hunter of waterfowl, deer, and turkey on Chesapeake Bay public lands.

“Grayson’s firsthand knowledge of agriculture policy, combined with his personal connection to hunting and fishing, will be a tremendous asset to TRCP’s advocacy work,” said Pedersen. “We’re thrilled to welcome him to the team.”

With these additions, TRCP’s government affairs team is well positioned to secure lasting, bipartisan policy outcomes that aim to guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt and fish.

Learn more about TRCP’s leadership HERE. 

The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: General

September 4, 2025

Bipartisan Headwaters Protection Act Reintroduced to Safeguard America’s Forests and Watersheds

Hunters, anglers, and conservation groups applaud legislation aimed at new investments in source watersheds and resilient forests.

On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators – including Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and James Risch (R-Idaho) introduced the Headwaters Protection Act in an effort to invest in America’s forests and watersheds by expanding support for two U.S. Forest Service Programs created in the 2018 Farm Bill: The Water Source Protection Program (WSPP) and the Watershed Condition Framework (WCF). These two programs are unique in that they are the only Forest Service authorities that specifically support efforts to identify and implement conservation and restoration efforts to improve the quality of water originating on National Forest Service lands, which provide benefits for both downstream water users and fish and wildlife.

If passed, the bill would support critical public-private partnerships working to ensure our National Forests provide clean water to downstream communities, benefit agricultural water users, and safeguard fish and wildlife habitat that hunters, anglers, and communities rely on.

Originally introduced in 2023, the reintroduced bill aims to make important updates that will expand participation, increase funding, and boost resilience.

“Healthy source watersheds improve water reliability and quality, bolster resilience to drought and wildfire, and sustain the fish and wildlife habitat that hunters and anglers depend on,” said Alex Funk, TRCP’s director of water resources. “The Headwaters Protection Act will strengthen public-private partnerships to accelerate restoration and conservation of these landscapes, and we applaud Senators Bennet, Crapo, Hickenlooper, Luján, and Risch for their leadership in introducing this important bipartisan legislation aimed at keeping our forests and watersheds healthy.”

From backcountry trout streams to irrigation canals that sustain farms, healthy headwaters are the foundation of both America’s sporting traditions and our economy. National forests supply drinking water to more than 150 million Americans and sustain countless fish and wildlife species that hunters and anglers depend on. The Headwaters Protection Act would:

Reauthorize the Water Source Protection Program (WSPP) and increase the authorization of appropriations for the program from $10 million per year to $30 million per year.

Broaden the range of water users, including rural communities and Tribes, who could participate in and benefit from the WSPP.

Reduce financial barriers for water users to participate in the WSPP by providing more flexible match requirements.

Prioritize WSPP projects that benefit drinking water quality and improve resilience to wildfire and other natural disasters.

Make a technical change to the Watershed Condition Framework (WCF) that ensures healthy watersheds do not become further degraded and authorizes $30 million in new appropriations per year for the implementation of locally led watershed restoration plans.

The WSPP and WCF projects would: 

Conserve and restore freshwater resources within National Forest System Lands and nearby non-federal lands, which supply drinking water to one in five Americans and contain much of our country’s best remaining cold-water habitat for salmon, steelhead, and trout.

Complement and strengthen the Forest Service’s efforts to respond to growing wildfire risk by encouraging partnerships with water users to reduce threats associated with wildfire to water supplies.

Learn more about TRCP’s work on Habitat & Clean Water | Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

Hunters and anglers have always been the unsung heroes of conservation in America, quietly paying it forward every time we buy a license, a box of ammo, or a tank of boat fuel. We know you’re not satisfied with simply going hunting or fishing and then going home—so go the extra distance. You can take action on the conservation issues that matter right now. Click here to get started.

Hunting & Fishing Access

MAPping Public Access

Unlocking Public Lands

Public Land Access

Brian Flynn, Two Wolf Foundation's Story

Key Issues for America’s Hunters

Chronic Wasting Disease

Wildlife Corridors

Sage Grouse Conservation

Ryan Sparks's Story

Key Issues for America’s Anglers

Forage Fish Recovery

Restoring the Mississippi River Delta

Colorado River

David Mangum's Story

Stewardship on America’s private lands

Farm Bill Conservation Programs

Wildlife Corridors

Sage Grouse Conservation

Ward Burton's Story

Special Places Worth Protecting

Alaska

Colorado River

Pennsylvania

The Lolo and Bitterroot National Forests

The Pacific Northwest

Restoring the Mississippi River Delta

Franklin Adams's Story

Healthy Habitat Powers Every Pursuit

Wildlife Corridors

Colorado River

Nature Based Solutions

Alex Harvey's Story

Science That Guides TRCP

Science Speaker Series

Science Snapshots

Science Blogs

Jamelle Ellis's Story

Conservation Across America

Step Into The Arena

Sign Up for Forage Fish Updates

Conservation Economy

To guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt & fish

Meet the TRCP Team

Our Partners

Corporate Council

Looking for more information?

To guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt & fish

Capital Conservation Awards Dinner

Step Into the Arena

Roosevelt Roast

TRCP Appreciates Make America Beautiful Again 250 Strategy and Migration Announcements

Stay Informed

New TRCP Staff Member to Focus on Mississippi River Basin Conservation

USDA Announces Conservation Reserve Program Signup for 2026

Colorado River Decisions Will Shape the Future of Fish, Wildlife, and the Southwest

Looking for Press Releases?

Hunting & Fishing Access

MAPping Public Access

Unlocking Public Lands

Public Land Access

Brian Flynn, Two Wolf Foundation's Story

Key Issues for America’s Hunters

Chronic Wasting Disease

Wildlife Corridors

Sage Grouse Conservation

Ryan Sparks's Story

Key Issues for America’s Anglers

Forage Fish Recovery

Restoring the Mississippi River Delta

Colorado River

David Mangum's Story

Stewardship on America’s private lands

Farm Bill Conservation Programs

Wildlife Corridors

Sage Grouse Conservation

Ward Burton's Story

Special Places Worth Protecting

Alaska

Colorado River