The Lost Coast is a long, narrow swath of old-growth rainforest that connects the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and the Tongass National Forest. These majestic forests of spruce, hemlock, and cedar are home to bear, mountain goat, salmon, and a few rugged artists, trappers, loggers and prospectors. It is truly a wild frontier. Sadly, it has been home to Alaska's largest public land timber sale. Over the past few years, 20,000 acres of pristine public lands were clearcut and the logs were shipped overseas. The loggers have now gone home, leaving a 40-mile clearcut that is devastating local mountain goat, bear, and salmon populations.

The Lost Coast Restoration Project is a grassroots, community-based effort to restore this devastated landscape. Cascadia Wildlands created a Restoration Plan with input from local residents, wildlife experts, and experienced restoration ecologists. The plan calls for hands-on, pick-and-shovel restoration activities that local community members can do without heavy equipment or huge expenses (i.e., the plan is realistic). In 2009, we completed several pilot restoration projects on the ground with a team of volunteers. Cascadia Wildlands continues to provide guidance and resources, but local residents and subsistence dwellers are taking over the restoration work for the long term! For more information click here.