At 17.2 million acres the Tongass National Forest is our nation's largest. This vast region spans the entire Southeastern "panhandle" of Alaska and contains approximately 40% of the world's remaining intact temperate rainforests. With jagged snow and ice-capped mountains, numerous icefields and glaciers, steep walled fjords, alpine and muskeg meadows, densely forested slopes and valleys, and countless rivers flowing into the bays and inlets, the Tongass National Forest encompasses an amazingly rich and diverse ecosystem.

For this past week we've enjoyed cruising through this wondrous world of green and gray. We've seen many different and exciting things, spotted both terrestrial and marine wildlife, have strolled beneath the stately spruce and hemlock trees, and mucked amongst the inter-tidal pools of the shoreline. Of the things we've learned, perhaps the most important is that all of what we've seen is inextricably tied together. We've learned that there is a wonderful web of life where everything is inter-woven and interconnected, and that the health of the forest directly relates to the health of all within it's biotic community.

The Tongass National Forest is our nation's largest. For those who live within it, and for those who have an opportunity to travel through it, it may just be one of the greatest as well. We all hope it stays that way.