Tongass Rain Forest In Alaska Seen Up Close In New Book, 'Salmon In The Trees' (PHOTOS)
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From the iLCP:
One of the rarest ecosystems on Earth, the Tongass rain forest fringes the coastal panhandle of Alaska and covers thousands of islands in the Alexander Archipelago.
It’s a place where humpback whales, orcas, and sea lions cruise the forested shorelines. Millions of wild salmon swim upstream into the forest, feeding some of the world’s highest densities of grizzlies, black bears, and bald eagles.
Native cultures and local communities benefit from the gifts of both the forest and the sea. It’s a place that is still
thriving as it has for millennia.
Remarkably, all of the species that existed at the time of European settlement in the 1700s are still here. But the global demands of our modern world may threaten this great forest’s biological treasures. Is it just a matter of time until this glorious part of the planet is carved up into scraps of its magnificent self?
Acclaimed photographer Amy Gulick, a Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers, spent two years paddling and trekking among the bears, misty islands, and salmon streams to document the intricate connections within the Tongass, the largest national forest in the United States, and home to nearly a third of the world’s remaining old-growth temperate rain forest.
Her book, “Salmon in the Trees: Life in Alaska’s Tongass Rain Forest” , is a tribute to one of the wildest and rarest ecosystems in the world. “There is still time to get it right here, to conserve this astounding ecosystem for the benefit of both people and wildlife,” says Gulick. “The question is will we?”
Gulick is using her book, traveling exhibit, and social media outlets like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter to reach as many people as possible.
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First Posted: 05/09/11 02:37 PM ET Updated: 07/09/11 06:12 AM ET