The North Thorne Project Area is a set of highly valued and ecologically diverse watersheds located in the central eastern portion of Prince of Wales Island, Southeast Alaska. It is around 7 miles northwest of the community of Thorne Bay, and is 35,750 acres in size (55.7 mi2). The Project Area includes four watersheds and includes sub watersheds. Streams within these watersheds flow into the mainstem Thorne River, which flows in an easterly direction into Clarence Strait.
All of these watersheds have had past timber harvest and road construction, which began in the 1960’s. Today the Project Area is used for recreation, subsistence, timber harvest, and other resource management. The richness and diversity of resources in the North Thorne cause differing management objectives for the Project Area. This assessment reports the existing condition of the watershed resources and restoration opportunities. These opportunities are aimed at maintaining the ecological integrity and restoring the form and function of the North Thorne Project Area.
