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 ROD)” 

analysis for Admiralty Island National Monument 

and Hoonah, Juneau, and 

Sitka Ranger Districts, 

Tongass National Forest. 

The Forest Service is continuing its recreation use 

analysis along 5,291 miles 

of shoreline in the Tongass 

National Forest, 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—JUNEAU RANGER DISTRICT 

This summer, Forest Service personnel took to the 

woods to monitor resources and get your input! 

On the Juneau District, 

wilderness rangers, boarded and cruised with various 

commercial operators. These interactions 

provided managers a better 

understanding of how outfitters and guides (O/Gs) 

use areas to provide high 

quality recreation experiences that support businesses. 

Various O/Gs report that 

current Large Group Areas have difficult or inadequate anchorage, lack desired scenic features, or are 

located such that they do 

not fit companies’ itineraries. 

Shoreline II Outfitter and Guide Management Plan 

Newsletter TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST 

WE NEED YOUR INPUT—JUNEAU RANGER DISTRICT (MAP ON P. 3) 

This newsletter features 

Juneau Ranger District. 

The Juneau Ranger District 

map on page 3 shows the 

locations used by O/Gs 

including Large Group Areas in the 2004 Shoreline 

decision. 

We still want to learn more 

about who you see, where 

you go, and what activities 

you do on the Forest. We 

also want to learn more 

about the uses at and usefulness of our Large Group 

Areas. 

So far, we have received 

little site-specific feedback 

and comments about the 

Juneau Ranger District. 

This is just a starting point. 

We’d like to add your input 

to our maps, our project 

record, and our future proposed action!

ISSUE 3—FALL 2012 

Public meetings in 

Angoon: 

November 20, 2012 

February 19, 2013 

6 pm—8 pm 

Angoon Community 

Association Office 

We’ll discuss recreation use levels for outfitters and guides on 

Admiralty Island National Monument and 

the areas surrounding 

Angoon, including 

Mitchell Bay. 

Fill out our online 

survey about use in 

this area! For instructions, see this 

newsletter’s back 

page. 

Opportunities 

USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider 

and employer. 

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture 

Forest Service 

Alaska Region 

R10-MB-752(c) 

November 2012 

Hikers at Williams Covel, Juneau, Alaska 
Page 2 

Much of our work this 

summer focused on looking at conditions on the 

ground related to recreation use in Large Group 

Areas. 

Many Large Group 

Areas appear to have 

little or no use by outfitters and guides. 

Impacts appear to be 

more ‘social’ than 

‘physical’. In other 

words, the District 

found more instances 

of crowding amongst 

user groups, than soil 

erosion, spread of invasive weeds, or disturbance to archeology 

sites. 

Small areas of resource damage have 

been noted—these tend 

to be areas where visitors have created trails 

through areas like wetlands or moist forest. 

Field surveys noted a lot 

of use on the saltwater 

and air that affect visitor 

experiences on the shoreline. These uses are 

managed under other 

jurisdictions beyond the 

Forest Service. The 

analysis will consider 

how these uses impact 

experiences on the shoreline zone. 

THIS SUMMER’S FIELD SURVEYS 

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND HOW TO PARTICIPATE 

WHAT’S NEXT? 

SHORELINE II OUTFITTER AND GUIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN 

NEWSLETTER TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST 

As WNAs and other documents get completed, 

we will post them there. 

Send your comments on 

this project via email to 

comments-alaskatongass-sitka@fs.fed.us

with ‘Shoreline II’ in the 

subject line. Or click 

“Comment on Project” 

on the right-hand side of 

the webpage. You can 

also view what other 

people have said about 

the project in the “Public 

Comment Reading 

Room.” 

Send hardcopy comHaven’t sent us your 

thoughts on recreation 

use of the shoreline area, 

yet? We’ve made it even 

easier! Provide us your 

feedback online at: 

www.surveymonkey.co

m/s/WPV6XLB. 

To learn more or participate in the analysis in 

other ways, please visit 

the project website at 

go.usa.gov/Pzi (case sensitive). We’ve updated 

the website with documents about upcoming 

meetings in Angoon, the 

online survey, and more. 

ments to Tongass National Forest, Attn: 

Michelle Putz (Shoreline 

II), 204 Siginaka Way, 

Sitka, AK 99835. 

necessary to provide 

access, services, or other 

assistance for the public 

to safely and properly 

enjoy areas set aside as 

Wilderness. 

Recreation visitor capacity is the number of recreation visitors that can 

be accommodated at a 

location, while balancing 

the need for a variety of 

visitor experiences and 

resource protection 

measures. The analysis 

will consider the figures 

in the 2004 Shoreline 

O/G EIS. In the end, 

capacity will set an upper 

limit on the number of 

This year’s field season 

is behind us. We continue to work on Wilderness Commercial Needs 

Assessments (WNA) 

and will be initiating an 

analysis to determine 

visitor capacities. 

A WNA determines if 

commercial enterprise is 

visitors that can sustainably use an area. 

We expect to complete 

WNA’s for all Districts 

this winter and visitor 

capacity analysis this 

Spring. We also hope to 

bring you a O/G proposal 

as a starting point for 

discussion this winter. 

Taku Glacier, Juneau Ranger District 

Boreal toad found during field 

surveys 
Page 3 TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST 

Comments on specific recreation 

use areas are very helpful. Please 

send your comments using area 

numbers to help identify your 

favorite spots. 
Project Website: go.usa.gov/Pzi (case sensiƟve) 

Admiralty National 

Monument and 

Hoonah, Juneau, and Sitka 

Ranger Districts, 

Tongass National Forest 

We invite you to participate now and throughout this process. For 

more information, please visit the project website at go.usa.gov/

Pzi. To find the newest information, meeting information, and 

more about our survey, look under “Documents”. 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 Chad VanOrmer, lead Shoreline Ranger at 

(907) 789-6202 or cvanormer@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. 

Take our visitor use 

survey: 

Go to our web site: 

Use these QR codes & your smartphone to: 

Boat in front of Taku Glacier Cabin