Forests on Prince of Wales Island have been heavily logged over the years, with severe consequences-swaths of clearcuts scar the landscape, and road systems fragment wildlife habitat. Eudora Roadless Area on the island's southeastern coast stands in sparkling contrast. Johnson Lake/Johnson Stream watershed, which comprises the core of the roadless area and feeds into Moira Sound, is a scenic and biological treasure. Its towering streamside spruce forests dot the floodplain and nurture huge spruce trees, many of which are more than nine feet in diameter and exceed 200 feet in height.
This watershed is a major producer of sockeye, chum, coho and pink salmon-fisheries that are known for their biological values as well as for the benefits they provide to the recreation and commercial fishing industries. Because of its remarkable fish production and ecological values, conservation groups have recommended Johnson Stream for designation as a wild river under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
The Moira timber sale, the largest proposed timber sale on the Tongass, will offer up to 60 million board feet of timber for logging, all within Eudora's 201,887 acres. This sale will riddle the Johnson Lake/Johnson Stream watershed with new logging roads and clearcuts. At present, the Forest Service is in the beginning stage for this timber sale.
