Kuiu Wilderness and Tebenkof Bay Wilderness
The Kuiu Wilderness and Tebenkof Bay Wilderness are federally designated wilderness areas within the Tongass National Forest, located on Kuiu Island, Petersburg Census Area, Alaska. The 60,581-acre (24,516 ha) Kuiu and 66,812-acre (27,038 ha) Tebenkof Bay wildernesses are managed by the United States Forest Service as a single area—creating a 200-square-mile (520 km2) wilderness preserve covering the heart of the island. Together, the two areas protect old-growth temperate rainforests rising from coastal estuaries to subalpine meadows more than 2,000 feet (610 m) in elevation, with a high point atop the 3,355-foot (1,023 m) Kuiu Mountain.
| Kuiu Wilderness | |
|---|---|
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area) | |
Overlooking Port Malmesbury in the Kuiu Wilderness on Kuiu Island, Alaska. | |
| Location | Unorganized Borough, Alaska, USA |
| Nearest city | Kake, Alaska |
| Coordinates | 56°17′18″N 134°04′59″W |
| Area | 60,581 acres (245.16 km2) |
| Established | November 28, 1990 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Tebenkof Bay Wilderness | |
|---|---|
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area) | |
| Location | Unorganized Borough, Alaska, USA |
| Nearest city | Kake, Alaska |
| Area | 66,812 acres (270.38 km2) |
| Established | December 2, 1980 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
Tebenkof Bay Wilderness was created by Congress and signed into law on December 2, 1980, as a provision of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The Kuiu was created by Congress and signed into law on November 28, 1990, as part of the Tongass Timber Reform Act.