In 1970, the sound of chainsaws and heavy equipment clearcutting trees for two giant pulp mills filled many parts of the Tongass.  The pulp mills targeted places with the biggest trees, the same places that provide the best habitat for salmon, bears, Sitka black-tailed deer, and other wildlife.  The Forest Service's long-term management plan called for clearcutting more than 95 percent of the commercial timber on the Tongass at an alarming rate.

A small group of dedicated Southeast Alaskans wanted to halt the damage to the forest they called home.  They decided to take on the seemingly impossible task of reforming the management of the Tongass.  In June of 1970, these local conservation groups formed a coalition, soon called the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.