About Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska

If you’re like most sportsmen or women, you’ve had a dream of one day visiting Alaska.

As “industrial” tourism and resource extraction on Alaska’s forests and other public lands continues to exponentially expand, pristine wildlife habitat is at serious risk.

It’s not a stretch to say that Alaska represents the pinnacle of outdoor experiences in America – a place to pursue your passions for hunting and fishing in some of the biggest, most remote and unspoiled stretches of wild country left out there.

We’ve got some great news. A lot of Alaska is owned by you! That’s right. Alaska holds over 230 million acres of lands that are owned by you and every other American citizen. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management oversee management of these lands which are home to some of the most productive fish and game public lands anywhere. These lands stretch from the rainforests of Southeast Alaska to the salmon-rich streams of Bristol Bay. From the windswept islands of the Aleutian chain to the highest peaks of the Brooks Range. From the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the waters of Prince William Sound.

This variety of landscapes and habitats supports an equally impressive array of game and fish species which are pursued by both resident and visiting sportspersons…Caribou in herds numbering up to nearly a half million animals. The largest moose in the world. Dall sheep. Mountain goats. Bears of three varieties – brown, black, and grizzly. Sitka black-tailed deer. The oceans off Alaska and the streams and rivers of the State support all five species of Pacific salmon – Chinook (King), Coho (Silver), Sockeye (Red), Chum (Dog), and Pink (Humpback) – as well as steelhead, rainbow and cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden, arctic char, grayling, halibut, cod, northern pike, sheefish, and others. Alaska’s skies are graced by hundreds of bird species, including numerous waterfowl species such as pintail, mallard, wigeon, teal, snow geese, Canada geese, white-fronted geese, harlequin ducks, long-tailed ducks, tundra swans, and others.

However, if we are to maintain the quality of experience to be had in Alaska for hunters and anglers, we must be vigilant. Because these lands are publicly held, they face uncertain futures. Will we decide – as sporting organizations such as the Izaak Walton League of America, Federation of Fly Fishers, National Wildlife Federation, Trout Unlimited, and others have done in the past and continue to do so today – to weigh in on the management of these lands, giving hunters and anglers a voice in the process? Or will we sit idly by while the productivity of these habitats and access to these lands is reduced by threats such as oil and gas development, mining, clearcut forestry, mass tourism, and others? The Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska can be your link to issues impacting fish and wildlife habitat and your opportunities to hunt and fish on public lands in Alaska. We seek to engage hunters and anglers from around the country as well as the groups that they belong to in these matters to provide a balanced management of Alaska’s public lands for our and future generations of sportsmen and women to enjoy.

We invite you to browse our web site to learn more about Alaska and our efforts. If you like what you see, Join Us and tell your friends about us – we welcome you and your interest and willingness to make a difference. If you have any questions or comments, just Contact Us, and we’ll be happy to visit with you.

A beautiful late season arctic char taken from the Bristol Bay region. Photo by Patricia Edel

Fish on! Angling for spring steelhead in the Tongass National Forest, Southeast Alaska. Photo by Ian Davis

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What People Are Saying

"Alaska is one of a very few places left on the planet where sportsmen still have access to public land that hosts outstanding populations of wild, trophy-sized fish and game animals. One doesn’t have to pay access or trophy fees, ask permission, or do much in the way of competing for a spot to recreate. The one thing you do have to do is help make sure that never changes."

— Mark Kaelke
Fly Fishing Guide in Juneau, AK

"I have guided hunters and anglers in Alaska since just after Statehood more than 40 years ago and witnessed more loss of wildlife habitat in the last 10 years than the previous 30. Unless hunters and anglers unite their considerable political clout we will see much of Alaska’s huntable public lands reduced to that of the “lower 48” in a short time."

— Jimmie C. Rosenbruch, Master Guide
Owner, Glacier Guides, Inc.
Recipient of the 2006 Weatherby Hunting & Conservation Award

"There are many large, wild areas in the world with trophy species of fish and game but none other than Alaska are located in the United States of America where sportsmen can actually have a say in protecting them through their political influence. Hunters and anglers can make sure they will always have access to these lands and waters by being informed about and getting involved with their management. The Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska will be your connection with these resources and serve to alert you when they or your access to them are threatened."

— Jay Bellinger
Board of Directors – Wildlife Forever
17-Year Manager of Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge
1998 Recipient of the Paul Kroegel USFWS Refuge Manager of the Year Award

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