Cube Cove Tracts
Alaska Region, Tongass National Forest
CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION : Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich
Congressman Don Young
Acquisition of the Cube Cove tracts directly meets Strategic Plan goals to restore, sustain, and enhance the nation’s forests and to conserve open space, as well as increasing management efficiency. These land interests are wholly within the Admiralty National
Monument – Kootznoowoo Wilderness Area. Although the tracts are contiguous, given the large acreage and significant land value, a phased acquisition is likely more feasible than a signal transaction.
Fiscal Year
FY2011
FY2012
Funding Request
$ 7,000,000
$7,000,000
Estimated Acreage per Tract
8,890 acres planned for acquisition near Lake Kathleen
8,600 acres planned for acquisition near Lake Florence
FY2013 $7,000,000 5,400 acres planned for acquisition in the Ward Creek
Drainage
Approximately 22,890 acres Total $21,000,000
SIGNIFICANCE
In § 506 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA),
Congress directed that the surface estate of the Cube Cove tracts be conveyed to Shee
Atika, Inc. to fulfill its land entitlements under Section 14(h)(3) of the Alaska Native
Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). Shee Atika, Inc. was conveyed the surface estate, subject to the usual reservations and exceptions for patented federal lands. The subsurface estate was conveyed to Sealaska Corporation as part of its ANCSA entitlement. Congress has consistently indicated its intent that the United States reacquire either the surface estate, or both the surface and subsurface estates, of these tracts. See, e.g., Section 502 of the Tongass Timber Reform Act, P.L. 101-626 (1990). Shee Atika Inc. has indicated it may be willing to sell its land interests to the United States, depending on appraised value.
The Cube Cove tracts comprise the largest single in-holding on Admiralty Island. These land interests are located along and inland from the western shore of the island, approximately twenty-five miles north of the Alaska Native village of Angoon. With the exception of the limited shoreline frontage at Cube Cove, the tracts are entirely surrounded by the Admiralty Island National Monument-Kootznoowoo Wilderness Area. These factors alone make these interests the highest priority for acquisition under the guidelines contained in the current Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan (TLMP).
Pursuant to § 503 of ANILCA, Admiralty Island National Monument was designated, in part, for the scientific purpose of preserving intact the unique coastal island ecosystem.
The Monument and Wilderness designations ensure continued opportunities remain for the study of the ecology and notable cultural, historical, and wildlife resources located on
Admiralty Island, including significant populations of brown bear and bald eagles, which

are species federally listed within the continental United States. Although timber harvesting activities have taken place in the Cube Cove area in the past, acquisition of these land interests and inclusion in the Monument and Wilderness will ensure the natural environment remains unmodified in the future, consistent with the TLMP.
Acquiring these land interests will ensure the significant ecological values of Admiralty
Island National Monument and Wilderness will not be measurably affected by current or future human uses or activities and the unique coastal island ecosystem will be maintained intact in perpetuity. There is general agreement among scientists that Alaska is likely to be affected significantly by climate change. Although there is uncertainty regarding the specific effects from climate change in Southeast Alaska, management direction in the
TLMP provides that the forest will continue to be managed for resiliency from the effects of climate change by managing the forest as a mostly intact ecosystem. Acquiring the
Cube Cove tracts is consistent with TLMP direction to mitigate the effects of climate change by ensuring the coastal island ecosystem remains intact, thereby providing for resource resiliency.
Acquisition will allow the three significant watersheds located within these tracts (Lake
Kathleen, Lake Florence, and Ward Creek) to be protected or restored. Significant riparian habitat is located throughout Admiralty Island, and acquisition will allow for the continued restoration of wildlife connectivity within Admiralty Island.
Shee Atika, Inc. constructed a road system located throughout the tracts; however bridges and culverts have been removed throughout. The previous road system will support public access for recreation, including the three existing Forest Service recreation cabins located within the tracts that were excluded from the land conveyance to Shee Atika, Inc.
Additionally, the road system will facilitate the taking of fish and wildlife for subsistence use, which is provided to rural residents on federal lands in Alaska pursuant to Title VIII of
ANILCA. Although the existence of a road system normally may result in increased costs for reconstruction or maintenance, that may not be the case here as the land interests will be completely located within Wilderness and any management activities that may be taken with respect to the road system must be consistent with the Wilderness Act and ANILCA.
Acquisition of these tracts will result in a large-scale consolidation of ownership and a boundary management savings of at least $125,000. Acquisition will be conditioned upon the absence of hazardous substances and any reservations, conditions, or covenants that may limit or impair future land management.
SUPPORT
Congress has previously indicated its desire to reacquire these tracts and there is widespread support for this purchase throughout Southeast Alaska. The Native community of Angoon supports return of these tracts to the Kootznoowoo Wilderness. The Southeast
Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC), Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the Friends of Admiralty Island all support this acquisition. The Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation is currently facilitating acquisition discussions with Shee Atika, Inc.