FAQs about the Natural History of the Inside Passage

The following questions are among those that Don and Réanne Douglass are asked most frequently by northbound cruisers. Answers have been prepared by our Editor in Chief, Herb Nickles, a Certified Alaska Naturalist. Click on the question for a detailed answer and links to additional resources.

1. What's the average rainfall in Southeast Alaska and what areas/towns have the heaviest rainfall?

2. How many islands are there in Southeast Alaska?

3. How active are the tectonic plates in Southeast Alaska?

4. Do recreational boaters and campers need to worry about tsunamis? Does Alaska have a tsunami warning system? What physical evidence does a tsunami leave along the shores?

5. What is the most active volcano in Alaska? In Southeast Alaska?

6. How many tidewater glaciers remain in Glacier Bay? How fast are the glaciers retreating?

7. What percent of the population are native Alaskans? Where do they live? What cultural groups do they belong to? How does their language differ? How do their customs and history differ?

8. What is a potlatch?

9. What is the subsistance program for native Alaskans?

10. Is Tongass National Forest the biggest in the U.S.? What percent of old growth forest remains in the Tongass?

11. Is clearcutting still practiced in Southeast Alaska? How much is done by helicopter? How long does it take clearcut areas to become harvestable?

12. Does Southeast Alaska have any more sawmills and pulp mills?

13. What are the tallest trees in Southeast Alaska? In Alaska in general?

14. What types of birds live on St. Lazaria Island off of Sitka? What is the origin of the island?

15. Is the Bald Eagle still an endangered species?

16. What types of bears can you see and what are the best islands or best reserves for viewing them?

17. Are there any poisonous snakes or toxic insects and animals in the rain forest of Alaska?

18. How many types of salmon are common in Southeast Alaska and how do they differ?

19. What is being done to insure sustainability of the Alaskan fisheries?

20. What types of whales can you see and how do you view them responsibly?