Salmon in the Trees

2011 Gold Nautilus Award in Small Press Honors
2011 Silver Nautilus Award in Photography/Art
Silver Independent Publisher Book Award in Environment, Ecology, Nature

"Salmon in the Trees is a bold and lyrical counter argument to those who would sacrifice valuable, self-perpetuating runs of salmon for short-term profit. As I read through this beautiful book a mantra came to mind: ‘Save our forests, save our salmon, save our very souls." – Paul Greenberg, author of Four Fish

• Protect or exploit? The Tongass National Forest is a rare ecosystem at a crossroads
• Illustrations by celebrated artist Ray Troll
• Includes Tongass soundscape on CD by Richard Nelson
• A carbon-neutral publication

One of the rarest ecosystems on Earth, the Tongass rain forest fringes the coastal panhandle of Alaska and covers thousands of islands in the Alexander Archipelago. It's a place where everything is interconnected: Humpback whales, orcas, and sea lions cruise the forested shorelines. Wild salmon swim upstream into the forest, feeding some of the world's highest densities of grizzlies, black bears, and bald eagles. Native cultures endure with Raven, Eagle, and Salmon. Local communities benefit from the gifts of both the forest and sea.

But the global demands of our modern world may threaten this great forest's biological treasures. Salmon in the Trees: Life in Alaska's Tongass Rain Forest fully explores the entire ecosystem of the Tongass National Forest-its habitat, wildlife, and people. Here, millions of wild salmon are the crucial link between the forest and the sea, and shape both animal and human lives. With camera and rain gear in hand, photographer Amy Gulick trekked and paddled among the bears, misty islands, and salmon streams to document the intricate connections within the Tongass. Along the way, she met Alaskans – Indigenous people, bush pilots, fishermen, guides, artists -- who call the Tongass home.

Together with engaging and accessible essays from renowned conservationists, scientists, and journalists, as well as salmon-spawned illustrations from artist Ray Troll, Gulick portrays a hopeful story of a magnificent -- and intact -- ecosystem where there are salmon in the trees.

To learn more about Braided River and its mission: inspiring people to protect wild places through images and stories that change perspectives, please visit: www.braidedriver.org.

Contributors