Extensive tracts of limestone include karst features, such as El Capitan Pit (at 598.3 feet (182.4 m) high), which is possibly the deepest vertical shaft in the United States.

[3] Other terrestrial mammalian species include the American black bear (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bear (U. arctos terribilis), black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis), beaver (Castor canadensis), gray wolf (Canis lupus), marten (both Martes americana and M. caurina), mink (Neogale vison), moose (A. alces), mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus), porcupine (Erithizon dorstatum), red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), river otter (Lontra canadensis), among others.

The waters surrounding the island are home to many marine species, such as Dall's (Phocoenoides dalli) and harbor porpoises (P. phocoena), harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), orca (Orcinus orca), Pacific white-side dolphin (Sagmatias obliquidens), sea otter (Enhydra lutris) and Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), to name a few.

[9] Settlers began mining of gold, copper, and other metals on the island in the late 19th century, as European Americans entered the area to exploit the natural resources.

In 1975, the Point Baker Association and others sued the United States Forest Service to prevent logging 400,000 acres (1,600 km2) on the northern portion of the island.

In March 1976, the United States Congress responded to the suit by passing the National Forest Management Act, which removed the injunction.

Living on a floating camp beginning with the retired tugboat Irene leased as a floating hotel, employees of Robertson & Sons began cutting trees, clearing stumps, and blasting rock in order to build pads for mobile trailers for both the road construction and logging families.

[citation needed] In 2010, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich introduced S730 to privatize stands of old growth forests on the island.

Roads built for the logging companies years ago have enabled better access to different parts of the island for hiking and camping.

Commercial fishing provides the foundation of the economy for numerous towns on the island including Craig, Klawock, Hydaburg, Port Protection and Point Baker.

Historically, the Alaska Marine Highway (AMHS) intermittently served the port of Hollis, until the Inter-Island Ferry Authority began regular scheduled service.

The Inter-Island Ferry Authority (IFA) provides daily service on a three-hour, 36-mile (58 km) route between Prince of Wales Island and Ketchikan.

The idea of starting a shuttle ferry service was discussed among communities of Klawock, Craig, Thorne Bay, Coffman Cove on the Prince of Wales Island as well as Petersburg and Wrangell in 1997, which would serve on regular timetable.

The system is more than a form of transportation - it is an economic engine for southern Southeast Alaska, generating jobs, commerce, and tourism - while also increasing community well-being.

It provides access to health care for a thousand island residents who use Ketchikan's medical services without the cost, inconvenience, or weather-related delays of flying.

It shuttles workers to their jobs, reinforcing Ketchikan's status as the regional economic hub; Prince of Wales residents spent more than $14 million there in 2015 on groceries, goods, services, and medical care.

Students, tribal members, and other residents use the system to participate in basketball games, totem pole raisings, trainings, college fairs, celebrations, and funerals.

Nearly a quarter of the ridership last year were senior citizens and young children, who have saved a combined $17 million over the cost of flying since the system began in 2002.

Its reliable arrivals and departures - so precise that people are said to set their watches by it - have enabled organizations to build their business models around this daily transportation connection.