Friend,
The Tongass is one of the most awe-inspiring places in America, with glimmering fjords, austere mountains and dense groves of centuries-old trees.
This incredible land and its ancient trees are in danger, threatened by logging and mineral mining -- but we have the opportunity to change that.
The U.S. Forest Service has opened a public comment period as it considers restoring Roadless Rule protections to the Tongass. This could be our best shot at protecting these ancient trees and could even pave the way for stronger protections for all our forests. If we can raise enough public support before the deadline, the Forest Service will have to listen.
That's why, this Giving Tuesday, we're mobilizing to restore protections to the Tongass.
We need your help to amp up our campaign to save the Tongass, and we've set a goal of raising $50,000 before midnight tonight. Will you donate to help protect the Tongass?
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Protecting the Tongass is about more than just the beauty of the forest and the legacy of ancient trees. It's also about fighting climate change. The Tongass is one of our largest carbon sinks, holding 44% of all sequestered carbon in the entire National Forest System.[1]
And it's not just the Tongass that's in danger. Invaluable forests full of large, ancient trees are spread across the country, and they all need our help.
* The boreal forest, a pine forest stretching across Alaska and Canada, is home to caribou, lynx and bison. Slow-growing boreal trees withstand harsh winters, straining to take in what little sunlight they can. But each year, the boreal loses a million acres to logging, just to turn these huge trees into toilet paper.[2] Environment Colorado has called on Procter & Gamble and Costco to stop deforestation by not flushing our irreplaceable forest down the toilet.
* The Ashley National Forest in Utah is a mountainous wilderness full of golden eagles, antelope and bighorn sheep.[3] The Forest Service is considering building a railroad to transport crude oil through a designated roadless area of the Ashley National Forest, through the ancient pines, juniper and aspen trees.[4]
* The Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area in Minnesota is a forest interwoven with lakes and streams, and is the most visited wilderness area in the country.[5] Home to moose, otters and gray wolves, it is threatened by dangerous copper mining. Our network has worked hard to protect the Boundary Waters for years, and we're close to securing a 20-year ban on mining around the wilderness.
By protecting the Tongass, we can pave the way for stronger protections for all our forests. We're committed to protecting ancient trees and the wildlife and ecosystems that depend on them, but we need your help.
We need your help to protect the Tongass and all our forests from logging and mining. Donate today to help save these irreplaceable places.
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While our country has grown and grown, these ancient trees have stood by, steadily stretching their branches over our heads.
Even if you look past the soaring spruce, cedar and hemlock trees across the 17 million acres, the Tongass is more valuable for absorbing carbon and providing habitat for hundreds of species than it is for logging and mining.
The Tongass needs our help. We've worked to protect the Tongass before by taking the Trump administration to court and speaking out on behalf of the forest. In 2001, we led the charge to protect all our forests by gathering 700,000 voices to help establish the Roadless Rule.
But right now, we have an incredible opportunity to protect the entire Tongass before it's too late. Once these ancient trees are felled, there's nothing we can do to restore their place in the ecosystem.
Make your Giving Tuesday gift now to help us protect the Tongass.
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Thank you for protecting the Tongass,
Rex Wilmouth
Senior Program Director
1. Mitchell Ukropina, "The Climate solution we don't have to invent," Environment America, June 2, 2021.
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2. "We need to protect the boreal forest, and Procter & Gamble shareholders can help," Environment America, September 24, 2020.
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3. "Ashley National Forest," U.S.D.A. Forest Service, last accessed November 10, 2021.
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4. Ellis Juhlin, "The Uinta Basin Railway proposal may go through, pending Forest Service approval," Utah Public Radio, October 29, 2021.
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5. "About the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness," Ely, last accessed November 10, 2021.
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Your donation will be used to support all of our campaigns to protect the environment, from saving the bees and protecting public lands, to standing up for clean water and fighting climate change. None of our work would be possible without supporters like you. Environment Colorado may transfer up to $50 per dues-paying member per year into the Environment Colorado Small Donor Committee.
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