Tongass National Forest

A History of Kootznoowoo Wilderness

Fifty years ago, much of Admiralty Island was destined for intensive logging to supply a proposed pulp mill in Berners Bay, near Juneau. The Forest Service sold three separate contracts to log the island between 1950 and 1972, although only limited harvests actually took place.

More than 90% of Admiralty Island was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1980, when Congress passed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. This one bill more than doubled the amount of designated Wilderness in the United States.

Today, the Forest Service manages the Kootznoowoo Wilderness to preserve its wilderness character, and to provide outstanding opportunities for primitive recreation.