ALASKA—Kootznoowoo Wilderness, a haven for wildlife and nature lovers, has just grown by 23.84 acres.

Thanks to a partnership between the Forest Service and land trusts, a prime piece of riparian wildlife habitat along Wheeler Creek is now safeguarded for future generations and promises even more spectacular outdoor experiences.  

Nestled within Admiralty Island National Monument, Kootznoowoo Wilderness is a treasure trove of natural wonders. Towering rainforest, majestic alpine peaks and salmon-filled creeks are home to one of the planet’s densest populations of brown bears. When translated from the local Tlingit language, the name of the wilderness area means “Bear Fort,” an apt name for what the Forest Service is trying to accomplish with the acquisition. With more than 35% of Tongass National Forest’s 17 million acres designated as wilderness, spanning 19 wilderness areas, the agency is on a mission to close private land gaps and fortify Alaska’s wild character.

Covering nearly a million acres, this wilderness has been protected since 1980, offering refuge from mining, logging, and development and the opportunity for solitude and connection with the natural world.

It might come as a surprise that scattered amid this vast expanse of wilderness are privately owned remnants of old homesteading claims and mining camps. These pockets of private land, unseen by most visitors, have caught the attention of nonprofit land trusts dedicated to preserving the wild.

One such pocket of land is along Wheeler Creek, vital spawning grounds for pink and chinook salmon. Originally part of a 1924 homesteading claim, this land exchanged hands multiple times before The Trust for Public Land secured 63 acres in 1988, which it then sold to the Forest Service for protection.

A few years ago, two more parcels along Wheeler Creek became available. With its boat access and pristine beauty, Forest Service staff were concerned this land could be a prime target for commercial development such as a lodge, which could result in adverse impacts to surrounding wilderness.

Forest Service realty specialist Krista Garrett, part of the Alaska Lands Team, says that in this moment, the Forest Service saw an opportunity to acquire the parcels to avoid boundary management challenges as well as preserve their wild character.

“Wilderness areas are designated as places where ‘man is a visitor that does not remain,’” explained Garrett. “Acquiring private parcels protects the intent of the wilderness designation and ensures that visitors can enjoy the remote beauty for generations to come.”

The Lands team works to facilitate the vision of the districts and forests by ensuring they have the right to use the underlying land. This can mean acquiring easements across other landowners’ property, exchanging lands or purchasing parcels, as they hoped to do along Wheeler Creek.

Two nonprofit land trusts, The Conservation Fund and The Wilderness Land Trust, were also anxious to see this land, with its top-notch riparian habitat and carbon-capturing old growth forest, protected as wilderness. Because the private landowner wanted to sell quickly, each organization acquired a parcel to hold onto while the Alaska Lands team completed the lengthy acquisition process.

“Lands projects can be very time consuming to complete, so it is exciting to work with partners like land trusts,” said Garrett. “They can often act much more quickly than us, purchasing and holding property until the Forest Service is ready to complete the acquisition.”

As of early 2024, the Forest Service land purchase is now complete, and the newly designated wilderness is available for public recreation and enjoyment, including almost a mile of stream front along Wheeler Creek.

The Alaska Region’s Lands team has discovered that partnerships with nonprofit land trusts are proving to be a powerful strategy for safeguarding the future.

With the new parcels protected, the Forest Service can now celebrate the additional acres protected, like a shielded fort, on this fortress island of brown bears and salmon.

In memory of Allison Gillum, who played an instrumental role in this land acquisition and many other Alaska Lands team projects. Her colleagues and friends in the Forest Service remember her brightly burning light of kindness, thoughtfulness and joy.