Friend — Right now, we have a critical opportunity to reverse a dangerous decision made by the Trump administration that stripped away protections for the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska, putting wildlife, local communities, and the planet at risk.

Last year, the Trump administration made the disastrous decision to exempt the Tongass National Forest from the Roadless Rule, opening the land to road-building, logging and destruction and ignoring the voices of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples in the region.

Right now, we have the chance to reverse this damaging exemption — but we need to make sure key decision-makers know where we stand. The U.S. Forest Service is proposing to restore protections for 9.3 million acres of the Tongass, and they need to hear from you.

Can you be one of the 5,000 people we need to tell the Forest Service today to reinstate the Roadless Rule in the Tongass National Forest, so this essential ecosystem remains protected?

The Tongass is a national treasure. One of the world's only remaining intact temperate rainforests, it has more biomass per acre than any other rainforest in the world and holds 44% of all carbon stored in all U.S. national forests. Preventing logging there is key to meeting our climate goals.

Its breathtaking ancient trees — many over 800 years old — are home to a myriad of rare and endangered wildlife. Keeping the Tongass intact will protect the habitat of hundreds of species, including the largest bald eagle population in the world.

Furthermore, the Tongass forest is within the traditional homelands of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples and is of paramount importance to local tribes' way of life. The tribes' desire for the protection of these traditional lands is an essential part of the petition to restore protection to the Tongass.

That's why protecting and restricting harmful development in the Tongass is critical in our fight against the climate crisis, protecting Alaska's communities and long term economy, and fulfilling Biden's commitments to protect 30% of our nation's land and waters by 2030.

Support the Forest Service in fulfilling President Biden's climate promise: reverse the Roadless Rule exemption for the Tongass so we take an essential step in our fight in the climate crisis.

Thank you for joining this crucial campaign.

Benjamin Alexandro
Senior Government Affairs Advocate, Conservation
League of Conservation Voters