Tlingit & Haida has issued a formal letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) condemning the federal government’s unilateral decision to rescind Roadless Rule protections for the Tongass National Forest—a move made without consultation and in violation of the federal trust responsibility to tribal nations. Tlingit & Haida is urgently calling for the immediate suspension of the rescission and demanding meaningful, government-to-government consultation with all 20 federally recognized tribes in Southeast Alaska, whose sovereignty, lifeways, and homelands are directly impacted by this decision.
Statement from Tlingit & Haida:
Tlingit & Haida is deeply concerned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to rescind Roadless Rule protections for the Tongass National Forest. This action was taken without any prior consultation with our Tribe or other Southeast Alaska tribes. As a sovereign Tribal nation, we do not recognize the validity of federal actions impacting our traditional homelands when undertaken without meaningful government-to-government consultation, as required by law and respect for our inherent sovereignty.
The Tongass is more than an ecosystem—it is our home. It is the foundation of our identity, our culture, and our way of life.
We understand the need for sustainable industries and viable resource development in Southeast Alaska. Our communities need opportunities for economic growth, but that growth must be guided by those who call this place home. It must be done with us—not over us.
We stand ready to engage in decision-making processes that affect our ancestral lands. Any action that fails to include tribal nations is not only shortsighted—it is a failure to uphold the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities and a direct affront to our sovereignty.
Tlingit & Haida has formally called on the USDA to suspend this decision until meaningful consultation is held with tribal nations, as required under federal law and trust obligations.
The Roadless Rule, originally established in 2001, prohibits road construction and timber harvesting on over 58 million acres of national forest lands, including 9.2 million acres in Southeast Alaska. These protections have preserved the ecological integrity of the Tongass National Forest—one of the last great temperate rainforests in the world—and safeguarded the lands that Tlingit and Haida peoples have stewarded for thousands of years.
For the Tlingit and Haida peoples, the Tongass is far more than public land—it is a sacred ancestral homeland and a living source of cultural identity, food security, and traditional knowledge.
The Tribe expressed serious concern that rescinding the Roadless Rule opens the door to potentially harmful logging operations, road construction, and industrial activity that would damage salmon habitat, sacred sites and sustenance practices that are protected under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) Title VIII.
Take Action: Help Protect the Tongass & Tribal Sovereignty
Tlingit & Haida urges all tribal citizens, allies, and concerned Alaskans to take immediate action to oppose the federal government’s rescission of the Roadless Rule protections in the Tongass National Forest.
Tell your elected officials: Respect tribal sovereignty. Protect our homelands. Uphold the Roadless Rule.
Use your voice to call, email, or write to your congressional delegation and urge them to:
- Oppose the rescission of the Roadless Rule
- Demand meaningful consultation with Southeast Alaska tribes
- Support the long-term protection of the Tongass and our way of life
Find and contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives in Alaska:
You can find contact information for U.S. Senators and Representatives in Washington State here.
You can also search for legislators using a ZIP code at www.congress.gov/members.
Together, we must hold our elected leaders accountable. Stand with Tlingit & Haida to protect the Tongass, defend Indigenous lifeways, and ensure tribal voices are not ignored.
Our land. Our rights. Our future.