Sitka is located on Baranof Island in Southeastern Alaska, which is characterized by old growth forest and steep bedrock slopes that rise quickly to summits as high as 3,300 feet. Fjords like Katlian Bay and Nakwasina Sound shape a dramatic landscape that was sculpted by thousands of years of glacial erosion, uplift, and subsidence. Ten miles to the west, Kruzof Island is home to Mount Edgecumbe, a dormant stratovolcano, which deposited layers of ash and volcanic material across the region in post-glacial eruptions.

Being located on the northern end of the Alexander Archipelago provides a wet environment with moderate, but generally cool, temperatures. Annual rainfall of about 130 inches makes the region home to temperate rainforest, rivers, estuaries, and mountain lakes. Over the eons these varied landscapes have shifted, evolved, and rolled over each other to form the landscape as it is now, however the region continues to be dynamic to this day. This active environment allows scientist to further the understanding of how and why landslides occur, what their impact is, and what possible mitigation scenarios may be feasible.