Port Alexander

The Port Alexander Inventoried Roadless Area covers 120,681 acres on southern Baranof Island within the Tongass National Forest—part of the Alexander Archipelago in the Gulf of Alaska. The area's topography is defined by Ommaney Peak, Mount Kolloen, Mount Muravief, and Ptarmigan Peak, which descend steeply to a highly articulated coastline at Cape Ommaney, Kekur Peninsula, and Point Conclusion. Drainages include Deer Creek, Sashin Creek, and Conclusion Creek, flowing into bays and inlets of major hydrological significance: Ommaney Bay, Redfish Bay, Little Port Walter, and the enclosed waters of Deer Lake and Cliff Lake. The coastline incorporates a complex of tidal passages—First Narrows, Second Narrows, Ship Cove, and Toledo Harbor—that maintain strong exchanges between inland and marine environments.

On Baranof Island, the forest is structured by Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), and Alaska-cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis). Devil's-club (Oplopanax horridus), salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), and Menzies' burnet (Sanguisorba menziesii)—assessed as vulnerable by the IUCN—dominate the mid-story, while the forest floor supports deer fern (Struthiopteris spicant), stairstep moss (Hylocomium splendens), and lanky moss (Rhytidiadelphus loreus). Boggy openings carry common labrador-tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum), bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia), small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos), and the tall white bog orchid (Platanthera dilatata), assessed as vulnerable. The intertidal fringe includes sea sacks (Halosaccion glandiforme), sea brush (Odonthalia floccosa), and scouring-pad alga (Endocladia muricata).

Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), and dolly varden (Salvelinus malma) use the Sashin Creek and Deer Creek drainages. Brown bear (Ursus arctos) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) inhabit the forested interior. In the marine waters, humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) are confirmed. The sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides), assessed as critically endangered by the IUCN, historically dominated intertidal and subtidal zones; sea star wasting disease has dramatically reduced its populations. The marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), IUCN endangered, depends on old-growth forest for nesting—placing Cape Ommaney's forests in direct ecological connection with offshore feeding waters. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris), IUCN endangered, occurs in nearshore kelp habitats. Portions of this area fall within the potential range of several federally listed species; see the Conservation section for details.

The two Mist Cove trails—a 0.4-mile main route and a spur—provide access to the area from the coast. Both routes traverse native-material surface through old-growth Sitka spruce forest, where the dense canopy filters light and the understory fills with oval-leaf huckleberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium) and five-leaf dwarf bramble (Rubus pedatus). At the coast, the transition from closed-canopy forest to exposed rocky intertidal is abrupt. Black oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) works the rocky shorelines, and tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) can be observed offshore. The Kekur Peninsula and Cape Ommaney coastline present significant marine mammal and seabird activity, particularly during salmon runs when predators concentrate around creek mouths.

For at least 8,000 to 8,600 years, people occupied the shores of Baranof Island, where archaeological investigations at the Hidden Falls site on the island's northeastern coast have documented one of the earliest-known human occupations in southeastern Alaska. [1] Tlingit oral history places the Kiks.ádi clan at Sitka Sound since at least the eruption of Mt. Edgecumbe—approximately 4,500 years ago—and Tlingit presence extended along Baranof's full length. [1] Salmon was the foundation of Tlingit economic and cultural life along this coast: the most valuable property a clan held was its fishing ground, a lineage possession never encroached upon by others, and the people managed stream barriers to concentrate salmon while ensuring adequate upstream spawning runs. [4]

The cove at the southern tip of Baranof first entered European records in 1795, when British explorer Captain George Vancouver sailed in while seeking Alaska Natives to trade with; he found only a deserted village. [4] The site received its modern name in 1849 from Captain Mikhail D. Tebenkov, Chief Manager of the Russian-American colonies, who named it for Alexander Baranov. [4]

Commercial fishing transformed the area beginning in the late nineteenth century. By 1878, the first commercial herring production had begun in Alaska, and by 1889 thirty-seven canneries were operating in the region. [3] The Killisnoo oil-reduction plant on Admiralty Island processed 1,520 tons of herring in 1882 alone. [3] In 1912, the United States Whaling Company established a station at Port Armstrong on southern Baranof Island, operating until 1923 and processing nearly 1,600 whales. [3] Trollers discovered the rich salmon grounds of southern Chatham Strait in 1913, and Port Alexander developed quickly as a seasonal fishing base; two floating salmon canneries arrived soon after. [4] By 1916, a shore station operated by Northland Trading and Packing Company, a supply store, and a bakery had been established. [4] Norwegian immigrant Karl Hansen opened the Pacific Mild Cure Company, buying fish and supplying fuel. [4]

Port Alexander's salmon economy reached its peak in the early 1930s. In 1932, approximately 2,000 people occupied the settlement during fishing season, and the harbor was known as the King Salmon Capital of Alaska; the main product was salted kosher Chinook salmon exported by the barrel to markets in New York and Europe. [4] The collapse of fish stocks beginning in 1938, followed by the disruption of World War II, effectively ended the industrial fishery. By 1950, only 22 residents remained year-round. [4]

President Theodore Roosevelt established the Alexander Archipelago Forest Reserve in 1902, and created the Tongass National Forest by proclamation on September 10, 1907, bringing Baranof Island under federal management. [2] In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps arrived to build campgrounds, trails, and roads in the forests of southeastern Alaska. [2]

Today, the Port Alexander Inventoried Roadless Area—120,681 acres spanning the southern reaches of Baranof Island—is protected under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule within the Sitka Ranger District of Tongass National Forest.

Vital Resources Protected

Interior Forest Habitat The 120,681-acre Port Alexander Roadless Area maintains contiguous Sitka spruce, western hemlock, mountain hemlock, and Alaska-cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis) forest across southern Baranof Island, providing intact nesting habitat for the marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), assessed as endangered by the IUCN. The marbled murrelet requires large-diameter old-growth conifers with wide, moss-covered branches for nesting—a structural condition that roadless forest maintains over the long successional timescales that support old-growth development. Logging, documented as an extreme-severity threat affecting 11–30% of the marbled murrelet's range, is typically facilitated by road construction; the roadless designation prevents the forest access that enables industrial timber harvest.

Cold-Water Stream Integrity Sashin Creek, Deer Creek, and Conclusion Creek drain the island interior to major hydrological features including Little Port Walter, Ommaney Bay, and Redfish Bay, with Deer Lake and Cliff Lake providing interior freshwater habitat. The roadless condition maintains these drainages without the culverts, stream crossings, and riparian clearing that roads impose, preserving the cold, sediment-free water conditions that pink salmon, coho salmon, and dolly varden require. Intact riparian buffers along these streams regulate stream temperature and supply the large woody debris that creates pool and riffle sequences in salmon-rearing habitat.

Marine-Terrestrial Interface The coastline of this area—including Cape Ommaney, Kekur Peninsula, and the tidal passages of First and Second Narrows—provides rocky intertidal and nearshore habitat for the IUCN-endangered sea otter (Enhydra lutris) and historically supported dense populations of the critically endangered sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides). The tall white bog orchid (Platanthera dilatata), assessed as vulnerable, and Menzies' burnet (Sanguisorba menziesii), also vulnerable, occupy the bog and coastal margins that remain intact under the roadless designation. Road development along coastal margins directly displaces intertidal-dependent species and increases the frequency of disturbance events that affect haul-out and foraging behavior.

Potential Effects of Road Construction

Forest Fragmentation and Old-Growth Loss Road construction in the old-growth forest of southern Baranof Island would open access for industrial logging, eliminating the large-diameter conifers that provide marbled murrelet nesting platforms. The recovery time for old-growth structural conditions—accumulation of large-diameter trees, complex canopy layers, and standing snags—spans multiple human generations; once logged, the nesting habitat cannot be restored on a management-relevant timescale. Alaska-cedar, already documented as facing climate-driven decline, is particularly susceptible to canopy disruption that increases soil temperature and accelerates stress in disturbed stands.

Sedimentation of Salmon-Bearing Streams Road construction on the steep terrain of Baranof Island would generate chronic sediment input to Sashin Creek and Deer Creek from cut slopes, fill areas, and impervious road surfaces that concentrate runoff. Fine sediment deposited in stream channels buries spawning gravels, reducing egg survival and blocking the hyporheic flow that oxygenates incubating salmon eggs. Sedimentation effects persist long after construction ceases, because the disturbed soils of road shoulders and cut slopes continue eroding through rainfall events and freeze-thaw cycles.

Shoreline Disturbance and Marine Species Displacement Road construction reaching the coastal margins of the Kekur Peninsula and Cape Ommaney area would increase vessel traffic, human access, and noise levels in nearshore waters used by sea otter and the federally endangered short-tailed albatross (Phoebastria (=Diomedea) albatrus). Recreational and commercial activity facilitated by road access is a documented threat to sea otter, which is sensitive to disturbance during foraging; repeated disturbance causes energetic costs that compound the effects of other stressors. The intertidal zone at rocky points and headlands—already stressed by sea star wasting disease that has devastated sunflower sea star populations—faces additional physical disturbance from road-associated activity.

Port Alexander is a small community on the southern tip of Baranof Island accessible only by floatplane or boat. The adjacent 120,681-acre roadless area wraps the outer coast and the sheltered bays of the island's lower section, with no road connections to the area. The Mist Cove Trail (31455) is the primary maintained route, running 0.4 miles over native-material surface through old-growth Sitka spruce–hemlock forest to the coastal margins at Mist Cove. The Mist Cove Spur A (31455A) provides a short additional branch. Both trails are designated for hiker use. No maintained trailheads or campgrounds are documented in the roadless area.

Marine recreation is the primary draw for visitors reaching Port Alexander by floatplane or boat. Sea kayaking along the coast provides access to the Kekur Peninsula, Cape Ommaney, and the series of named coves—Denmark Cove, Graveyard Cove, Driftwood Cove, Lovers Cove—that characterize the outer Baranof Island coastline. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), sea otter (Enhydra lutris), and dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) are all confirmed in adjacent marine waters. Tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata), black oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani), pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba), and rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) are confirmed on the rocky coastlines accessible by kayak. Black-footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) and ancient murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus) are confirmed offshore.

Sport fishing targets pink salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon, chum salmon, and halibut in the waters of Ommaney Bay, Redfish Bay, Little Port Walter, and the surrounding passages. Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) and yellowtail rockfish (Sebastes flavidus) are confirmed in the area. Deer Creek and Sashin Creek provide freshwater salmon access, with dolly varden (Salvelinus malma) documented in these drainages. Big Port Walter, the area's single eBird hotspot, documents 76 species with 55 checklists—reflecting the remote access.

Brown bear (Ursus arctos) is confirmed in the area and is active around salmon-bearing streams during late summer and fall runs. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) occupies the forest interior. The marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), IUCN endangered, nests in old-growth forest here; the characteristic dawn flights of murrelets to and from nesting sites are observable in old-growth stands along the Mist Cove Trail in early morning during the breeding season.

Wildlife photography along the Mist Cove Trail and by kayak along the Cape Ommaney coast provides access to intertidal species—harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) haul-outs on isolated islets, black oystercatcher nesting pairs on exposed headlands, and the rocky intertidal communities at Kekur Point and Eagle Rocks. The transition from closed-canopy old-growth Sitka spruce to exposed rocky intertidal is abrupt at this coast, making the contrast a distinctive photographic environment.

The recreation character here—quiet coastal kayaking, dispersed sport fishing in clean salmon streams, marbled murrelet observation in old-growth forest—depends on the area's roadless condition and the remote access it preserves. Road construction would enable logging access to the old-growth forest that provides murrelet nesting habitat, increase vessel traffic and shoreline disturbance in the sensitive intertidal zone, and introduce sedimentation to Sashin Creek and Deer Creek that would degrade the salmon habitat anchoring both the fishery and the bear activity the area supports.