ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Avalanches have been reported in the Turnagain Pass area as avalanche danger Sunday is high in the that area and considerable in the Summit Lake area, according to the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center.

North American Public Avalanche Danger scale has five levels: low, moderate, considerable, high and extreme.

Andrew Schauer, the center’s lead forecaster, said there were multiple avalanches in Turnagain Pass between Friday and Saturday.

“This included large natural and human-triggered avalanches on the motorized and non-motorized zones at Turnagain Pass. Some avalanches were over 1,000′ wide. One skier was caught and carried in one of these, but luckily nobody was buried or injured. We’re concerned that we’ll see similar activity following this storm,” he said.

He said the snowpack has “multiple, buried weak layers deeper in the snowpack,” which causes a weak foundation for the snow above.

“Right now, it’s stormy, there’s a lot of wind, it’s raining and snowing. And it’s pretty obvious that the avalanche danger is elevated. But what catches people off guard is that, even in the breaks between storms right now, because we have that weak foundation, it’s still going to be dangerous avalanche conditions,” Schauer said Sunday morning.

He said the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center recommends when the danger is high like it is right now, people stay out of the mountains.

He said it’s tricky when the concern is moderate or considerable, levels two and three on the five-part scale.

“The clues are a lot less subtle. It’s also when the snowpack is a little bit more stubborn. So, a bunch of people can get away with getting into steep avalanche terrain without having anything bad happen. And then, one person just pulls the unlucky card and ends up triggering an avalanche,” he said.

He said that’s when those who choose to be in the field need to rely on assessments of the snowpack in front of you.

“We can give people some clues to where the most dangerous conditions might be. But ultimately, that’s a really hard assessment to make. And so, the one thing that people can always do to avoid avalanche danger is to just avoid those steep slopes and run out zones,” Schauer said.

He said he urges people to check the conditions before going out because they change quickly.

And he recommends anyone who does go into any kind of avalanche terrain in the winter to carry a basic rescue kit with an avalanche beacon, rescue shovel and probe, and that you know how to use them.

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As the U.S. Forest Service considers the future management of the Tongass National Forest, I hope that Alaska’s congressional delegation will listen to what Southeast Alaskans already know: Wild salmon are one of the Tongass’ most valuable resources. If we leave the trees standing and protect the habitat that fish need, the Tongass will continue to generate billions of dollars in natural dividends, in turn supporting thousands of fishing jobs and providing millions of pounds of nutritious seafood year after year.

Southeast Alaska, where I live and fish, runs on seafood. Seafood is the bedrock of our local economy and supports our intergenerational way of life. The economic output of Southeast’s seafood industry exceeds $800 million annually, accounting for 15% of regional employment, with 4,400 resident commercial fishermen and 2,900 processing jobs across more than 30 coastal communities. Salmon are a key driver of our region’s fishing industry, accounting for more than half of Southeast’s total commercial catch most years while also supporting significant subsistence harvests, tourism and sport fisheries. Salmon keep Southeast’s fishermen employed year-round, which is critical in our rural communities where employment options are limited.

Southeast Alaska’s salmon abundance is not an accident — and it also cannot be taken for granted. Hundreds of intact and diverse watersheds around the region form a complex mosaic of prime salmon habitat. The Tongass’ watersheds, which are globally unique in their water quality and productive capacity, pump out 50 million salmon per year. With the largest tracts of undisturbed coastal temperate rainforest in the world, the Tongass is unmatched in its biological diversity and productivity.

For decades, Southeast Alaska’s communities and fishermen have fought industrial logging in the Tongass. Despite the recorded ecological degradation, dwindling economic return, and growing local opposition, there are a few decision-makers who remain committed to subsidizing industrial timber extraction. We know where that leads. In the Pacific Northwest, industrial logging and road construction have destroyed salmon spawning and rearing habitat. Taxpayers have spent billions of dollars trying to recover local salmon populations through hatcheries and habitat restoration — with limited success. Why would Alaska repeat that mistake, especially when timber, in recent sales, is going for less than the price ​​of a Big Mac at $2 per thousand board feet? Alaska has the chance to get it right, to protect the natural capital that supports our fisheries and sustains our local economies. We can harvest the rewards of bountiful salmon runs and save money on habitat restoration — it’s a win/win.

The harmful impacts of industrial logging on Southeast Alaska’s salmon watersheds and our natural dividends are not hypothetical. The timber industry has caused extensive damage to some of Southeast’s most productive salmon watersheds through decades of old-growth logging and the construction of 5,000 miles of roads around the region. These activities have resulted in barriers to salmon passage, with failed culverts blocking over 240 miles of spawning streams and costing fishermen an estimated $2.5 million per year in forgone catch. Past logging has also driven changes in adjacent areas to stream flow and temperature, sedimentation, water quality, and the risk of landslides and floods. By allowing industrial logging to continue in the Tongass, we are undermining Southeast’s economy and future.

Protecting the Tongass is not a charitable act; it is the most cost-effective way to improve ecosystem productivity and ensure the prosperity and well-being for all who call Southeast home. We need our lawmakers and the Forest Service to prioritize protection of the natural capital that sustains our rural communities and local businesses. Our livelihoods depend on it.

Linda Behnken resides in Sitka, where she has commercial fished for over 40 years. She is the executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association and president of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust.

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