A Journey Through Karst Management on the Tongass National Forest: an Oral History with Jim Baichtal

By Anna Harris, Geologist, Tongass National Forest
Edited by Daniel White

Anna Harris conducting an oral interview with Jim Baichtal. — *Dr. Baichtal and Anna Harris conducting the oral history interview, recorded by Marcus Hockett. Screenshot of interview video courtesy of Lima Soto.*

One cannot open a book or read an article about the Tongass rainforest without seeing mention of Jim Baichtal, Forest Geologist for the Tongass National Forest. As part of the oral history interviews celebrating the International Year of Caves and Karst, I sat down with Dr. Baichtal on June 9, 2021, to discuss his life’s work after 36 years with the Forest Service, and 31 years on the Tongass.

Born in Longview, Washington, Dr. Baichtal was always destined to be a geologist. He recalled his childhood growing up on a farm and the lapidary work he and his dad picked up as a family hobby. Discovering agates and petrified wood instilled in Dr. Baichtal at an early age a longing to understand these earth processes that formed these minerals, which drove him to pursue a career in geology. 

Dr. Baichtal’s career with the Forest Service started in 1984, working at the Ochoco National Forest, Oregon. He arrived on the Tongass on a rare sunny day in July 1990. His primary duty upon starting his new position was serving as a liaison between the Forest Service and the Quartz Hill Mine, which shut down not long after his arrival. Soon after, sitting in on a timber sale meeting, mention of some caves on the north end of Prince of Wales Island in the proposed timber units piqued his interest, and launched Dr. Baichtal on an unforeseen path into the unexplored world beneath his feet. Although the Federal Cave Resources Protection Act (FCRPA) of 1988 laid out the foundation for protecting significant caves on federal land, there was no existing management plan designed for the Tongass National Forest.  Dr. Baichtal decided then and there to tackle caves and karst management on the forest.

Childhood photo of Jim Baichtal. — *Dr. Baichtal at his childhood home in Longview, Washington. Photo courtesy Jim Baichtal.*

Jim Baichtal exploring Thrush Cave. — *Dr. Baichtal exploring Thrush Cave on Prince of Wales Island, early in his career. Photo courtesy of Jim Baichtal.*

With a lot of work ahead, Dr. Baichtal began his caves and karst journey, ultimately creating the first Tongass National Forest Karst Vulnerability Plan. Karst vulnerability ratings are assigned to landscapes based on the karst development of the landscape and how likely these landscapes would be affected by development activities such as timber harvest and road building. Karst vulnerability mapping entails rating the vulnerability of the karst landscape from low to high, with different management styles for each rating. This system guides how karst resources are protected and understood on heavily managed landscapes and is what the Tongass National Forest still uses today.

During the interview, Dr. Baichtal recalled one of the most memorable moments of his career. Alone on remote Baker Island, having just been dropped off on the beach by helicopter, he found himself eye-to-eye with a snow-white wolf. That night, sleeping just outside the entrance to a cave with a fire on the beach illuminating the cave’s paintings, the value of protecting these ancestral lands and delicate resources became clear.

Together, Dr. Baichtal and I have mapped, studied, and traversed the forest. I am grateful for the path charted before me and the knowledge passed down from Dr. Baichtal, my friend and mentor.