At the end of October Trump & his Administration opened up roads & other areas of land in Alaska that have been closed from destruction for hundreds of years. A little more than half of Tongass National Forest is now open to being destroyed. This is America’s largest rainforest. By destroying Tongass National Forest there will be many negative effects.

    1.) Over 400 species of land & an aquatic species will lose their homes. Deer, fox, moose, elk, brown bears, wolves, barred owls, great horned owls, Queen Charlotte goshawks, bald eagles, water buffalo, beavers, trout, salmon, & anglers are a few of the many species that will die as a result of losing their homes.

    2.) Brown bears, fox, wolves, hawks, owls, & bald eagles are all examples of keystone species. Without these animals the food chain will fall apart. Consumers such as deer, elk, moose, rabbits, squirrels, snakes, mice, mink, raccoons, & skunks will all over populate. This will cause plants like (fruits & vegetables)  to not be around for humans to eat. Therefore, people will not have enough food to eat.

    3.) Rainforests are carbon sinks. By destroying a large amount of rainforest causes a huge amount of Carbon to be released into the atmosphere. Next more thermal energy is left in the atmosphere. Ultimately over time too much thermal energy from greenhouse gases causes a rise in temperatures globally across Earth.

    4.) Soil will become less most & more dry with fewer trees. Without trees to absorb the water & return it to the soil there will be less water in the air from the water cycle. 

    5.) Less trees will cause soil erosion, flooding, & pollute waterways. Trees help soil keep in water & nutrients. People will begin to see soil wash away from the land into waterways (rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, marshes, bays etc) which pollutes the water & causes fish + other aquatic species to die. Bodies of water will overflow destroying land.

    6.) Indigenous Tribes will lose their homes & ways of life. Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes all live right in & around Tongass National Forest. They grow potatoes, often hunt seafood (fish, oysters, clams etc), roots, & eat berries. All three tribes make spears, fires, canoes, clothes, paddles, & houses from wood. Some of their clothes are made from animal skins. By clearing out a vast majority of Tongass National Forest will cause Tlingit, Hadia, & Tsimshian tribes to not know how to survive. Ultimately these three tribes will have nowhere to live, grow crops or have fertile soil, make their clothes, homes, & hunt if all of America allows Tongass to perish in a raid fashon due to man-made eradication.

    In conclusion, I am asking people to stand up to The Trump Administration & not let Tongass National Forest be wiped out. Do not let species die because you do not care about their lives. Stop the global warming, soil erosion & flooding of waterways. Tsimshian, Hadia, Tlingit tribes have been around for 5,000 to 11,000 years in Alaska. Let these tribes continue to thrive & live their lives.