Alec Boyd-Devine walks into the Tongass National Forest on Admiralty Island to go Sitka Black-tailed deer hunting.
Jimmy Carter’s Alaska Public Lands Legacy
For Jimmy Carter, conservation was a no-brainer. An avid hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman, in single term as president of the United States, Carter left an incredibly impactful legacy of conservation for generations to come. He began conserving public lands in Alaska early in his presidential term. In 1978, Carter signed proclamation 4611, thus protecting and conserving extraordinarily important land on Admiralty Island.
Map Photo: U.S. Forest Service.
Admiralty island is part of the 17-million-acre Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the country. Admiralty is popularly known for its robust Sitka Blacktail-ed deer, Bald Eagle and Brown Bear populations. Along with fly fishing, hunting, and river rafting, Jimmy Carter was also an avid bird watcher. At the time of the proclamation’s signing, Admiralty Island boasted more Bald Eagle nests than the rest of the lower 48 combined. Admiralty is a popular destination for residents from local surrounding communities, and nonresident hunters to pursue Sitka Black-tailed deer.
Photos: (Top) Bald Eagle. (Right) Coastal Brown Bear swimming off the coast of Admiralty Island.
By: Alec-Boyd Devine
Less than two years after proclamation 4611, Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) into law. This legislation effectively doubled the size of the National Parks System by adding 33 million acres of designated wilderness. Carter’s legacy accounts for approximately thirty percent of the 111 million acres of designated wilderness in the United States.
The State of Alaska and the various government entities which manage Alaska’s wild spaces have recently been faced with several questions regarding wild public lands management. Projects like the Ambler Road, call into question how to continue to manage Alaska and U.S. natural resources. As the Tongass National Forest embarks on their Forest Plan Revision, it is important to keep in mind what Jimmy Carter valued and envisioned when he conserved this wild and important landscape.
Thank you, Jimmy Carter, for the legacy and the foresight.
About Alec Boyd-Devine