We invite you to participate in this update to the 

“2004 Shoreline Outfitter 

and Guide Record of Decision and Environmental 

Impact Statement 

(Shoreline O/G EIS)” analysis for Admiralty Island 

National Monument and 

Hoonah, Juneau, and Sitka 

Ranger Districts, Tongass 

National Forest. 

The Forest Service is continuing to update our recreation use analysis along 

5,291 miles of shoreline in 

the Tongass, including 1⁄2-

mile inland. This 

“shoreline zone” allows for 

easy access by boat in a 

land that has few roads. 

Recreation experiences 

abound in the shoreline 

zone, such as viewing nature and wildlife, hunting, 

fishing, hiking, camping, 

cruising and kayaking. 

Visitors come from around 

the world to experience the 

landscape through commercial outfitters and 

guides under permit with 

the Forest Service. Local 

residents also value the 

area to pursue employment, recreation and subsistence lifestyles. 

PROJECT OVERVIEW 

INPUT TO DATE 

Discussions about this project have begun. District 

rangers met with the public 

in February in Sitka. They 

also met with outfitters and 

guides in Juneau and Hoonah in April. 

Many O/Gs have expressed 

interest in going beyond 

1/2 mile from shore, especially at creeks, lakes and 

roads. People have concerns that uses like bear 

hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing are incompatible with each other. People 

are concerned about competition for anchorage 

sites/drop off points and 

competition for subsistence 

resources. People have noted that some areas are 

overused and that some 

areas could be used more. 

Shoreline II Outfitter and Guide Management Plan 

Newsletter TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST 

YOUR INPUT—SITKA RANGER DISTRICT (SEE MAP ON P. 3) 

Due to the size of the project area, we are including 

what we have heard from 

you so far, for each district, 

starting with the Sitka 

Ranger District. The map 

on page 3 of this newsletter 

shows the locations of 

most O/G use along with 

some of the areas of highest observed use, areas of 

interest, and areas of concern. 

This is the starting point. 

As additional input is gathered, we will add it to our 

maps and our project record. We’ll include other 

districts and the input gathered about those districts 

in future newsletters. We 

hope that people will contact us with more information about who they see, 

where they go, and what 

activities that they do on 

the Forest. This will help 

us refine our maps and our 

future proposed action. 

ISSUE 2—SUMMER 2012 

Give us your input!

Go to go.usa.gov/

Pzi, and click on 

“Comment on 

Project” on the right

-hand side of the 

page. Email us at 

comments-alaskatongasssitka@fs.fed.us with 

‘Shoreline II’ in the 

subject line. Or mail 

to Tongass National 

Forest, Attn: 

Michelle Putz 

(Shoreline II), 204 

Siginaka Way, Sitka, 

AK 99835. 

Opportunities 

USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider 

and employer. 

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture 

Forest Service 

Alaska Region 

R10-MB-752(b) 

June 2012 

Hikers on Nugget Falls Trail, Juneau, 
Page 2 

Much of our work this 

summer will focus on 

looking at what is happening out on the ground 

related to recreational 

use. Forest Service employees will be looking 

at: 

Opportunities— are 

there places where 

more guided use could 

happen with little effect to unguided users 

or the environment? 

Current uses— how 

much and what kind of 

recreation use is happening? Where is use 

happening? 

Conflicts— at sites 

used for recreation, are 

resources like rare 

plants or archaeological sites being damaged? Are there conflicts among users? 

Are there ways to reduce conflicts? 

We’ll do surveys 

throughout the summer 

on all three districts and 

on Admiralty National 

Monument. 

We will use the information to get a better 

sense of how well past 

management has worked. 

We’ll also try to learn 

from this data and use it 

to make smart changes to 

our upcoming proposed 

action. 

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS SUMMER—FIELD SURVEYS 

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND HOW TO PARTICIPATE 

WHAT’S NEXT? 

SHORELINE II OUTFITTER AND GUIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN 

NEWSLETTER TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST 

Talking to passengers on a cruise ship 

ject” on the right-hand 

side of the page. You 

can also view what other 

people have said about 

the project in the Public 

Comment Reading 

Room, the link is in the 

same right-hand side 

box. 

You can also send hardcopy comments to Tongass National Forest, 

Attn: Michelle Putz 

(Shoreline II), 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, AK 

99835. 

We are interested in 

knowing how and where 

To learn more or participate in the analysis, 

please visit the project 

website at go.usa.gov/

Pzi. As updates, public 

meetings, and documents 

about this project become available, we will 

post them to this website. 

Send your comments on 

this project via email to 

comments-alaskatongass-sitka@fs.fed.us

with ‘Shoreline II’ in the 

subject line. Or you can 

go to the webpage, 

go.usa.gov/Pzi, and click 

on “Comment on Proyou recreate, concerns 

you may have about recreation use in specific 

areas or its effects on 

resources or other uses, 

and if you have unmet 

recreation interests. 

Cruise ship visiting Hoonah 

essary to assist us in 

providing access, services, or other assistance 

for recreationists to safely and properly enjoy 

Wilderness. 

An assessment of need is 

required by the Wilderness Act of 1964. The 

dominant decision criteria for management of 

any activity in wilderness 

is preservation of wilderness character (such as 

opportunities for solitude 

and primitive/unconfined 

recreation). For a commercial activity to be 

needed in wilderness, it 

must be dependent on 

We continue to work on 

Wilderness Commercial 

Needs Assessments 

(WNA). We hope to 

have draft versions written for each wilderness 

area in the Shoreline II 

area by this fall. 

A WNA determines if 

private enterprise is necoccurring in wilderness. 

Past use, existing conditions of wilderness character, desired conditions, 

and the need for special 

knowledge and skills to 

do activities are used to 

help us determine what 

the need is. 
TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST Page 3 

Comments on specific 

recreation use areas 

are very helpful. 

Please use this map to 

comment by area 

number about your 

favorite spots. 
go.usa.gov/Pzi 

Admiralty National 

Monument and 

Hoonah, Juneau, and Sitka 

Ranger Districts, 

Tongass National Forest 

We want your ideas, information, and concerns about recreational 

use of these areas. We invite you to participate now and throughout this process. For more information, please visit the project 

website at go.usa.gov/Pzi. To comment, click on “Comment on 

Project” on the right-hand side of the page. 

Thank you for your interest in this project. If you have any questions, please contact Sue Jennings, Shoreline Team Leader at (907) 

723-0477 or sjennings@fs.fed.us. 

From: 

Sitka Ranger District, Tongass National Forest 

204 Siginaka Way 

Sitka, AK 99835-7511 

 

 TO: 

 

This process will not allocate use to unguided forest 

visitors and will not limit 

unguided use; unguided 

users can continue to use 

the shoreline zone as they 

do now. 

Guided Anglers on Lake Eva Trail