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January 31, 2012 – The Juneau Empire reports on new legislation that would affect the Bristol Bay region and the proposed Pebble Mine in the Alaska legislature.
January 19, 2012 – Rice Lake (WI) Online profiles the two Alaska sled dog mushers who are racing a few events in the upper Midwest to raise awareness about the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
January 17, 2012 – Commercial fisherwoman Lindsey Bloom wrote a great article about the need to protect the habitats which support Bristol Bay’s prolific salmon runs in a recent issue of Pacific Fishing magazine.
January 17, 2012 – The January issue of Fly Rod & Reel includes a portrait of Steve Laurent, manager of Bristol Bay Lodge and also an accomplished photographer.
January 10, 2012 – The Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) is celebrating 40 years in existence. To mark the occasion, BBNC asked its shareholders to participate in a video project to document their daily lives. Watch the incredible Day in Our Bay, which debuted to rave reviews at the Anchorage International Film Festival in December 2011.
January 5, 2012 – The blog SkyTruth has shown the scale of the proposed Pebble Mine by superimposing its footprint on Washington, DC.
January 5, 2012 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that Alaska mining operations account for 90% of the toxic chemical releases in the four-state Pacific Northwest region in this Alaska Public Radio story.
January 2, 2012 – The latest edition of Cross Current TV features the host laying out the argument for protecting Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine project. Take five minutes and check it out on YouTube.
December 28, 2011 – KDLG radio has an excellent interview with EPA's Rick Parkin, who is coordinating the agency’s Bristol Bay watershed assessment.
December 28, 2011 – A new report places the overall value of the Bristol Bay fishery between $4 billion and $5 billion per year. Check out the report at KDLG radio and in Fishermen's News Online.
December 26, 2011 – A new television program on NBC Sports (formerly Vs.) will include an episode about fishing in Bristol Bay. Check out the awesome trailer for Season on the Edge, featuring host Ken Baldwin (a supporter of our efforts to protect Bristol Bay).
December 21, 2011 – E&E Publishing's Greenwire published a series about the fight for Bristol Bay. Read the first installment, "Battle for Bristol Bay, a resource struggle for the ages."
December 21, 2011 – SAA's Scott Hed has been named one of the “Twelve Apostles” featured this year in The Drake Magazine.
December 9, 2011 – Recognizing Bristol Bay, Alaska as one of the last pristine freshwater habitats for wild salmon, the Responsible Sourcing Vendor Partner (RSVP) program, by recommendation from FishWise, has decided to fund Trout Unlimited in their work to ensure that Bristol Bay’s fishery gets the protection it deserves.
December 8, 2011 – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced it will begin evaluations to find Southeast Alaska salmon streams most in need of restoration according to the Juneau Empire.
December 7, 2011 – The political blog for Esquire magazine just discovered the proposed Pebble Mine project…and the blogger is none too impressed.
December 7, 2011 – A Sitka-based commercial fisherman wrote an opinion piece in the Juneau Empire arguing that the U.S. Forest Service budget should focus more on fishing and tourism – the real money-makers of Southeast Alaska’s ecomony.
December 7, 2011 – The third, and final, installment in Field & Stream magazine’s “Best Wild Places” feature on the Tongass National Forest showcases Southeast Alaska's salmon and halibut fishing.
December 6, 2011 – The Bend Bulletin in Oregon features a terrific opinion editorial about Bristol Bay and the proposed Pebble Mine by longtime SAA friend and supporter (and not half-bad angler) Brian O'Keefe.
December 6, 2011 – A new poll shows strong opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine, with 77% opposed in the Lower 48 and 59% opposed in Alaska. The poll also shows strong support for EPA to take action protecting Bristol Bay if it is deemed that the mine would pollute the region’s land and waters.
December 3, 2011 – The Alaska Dispatch reports that the Pacific Seafood Processors Association has announced its opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine. It’s a change in position for the PSPA, which was willing to give Pebble the benefit of the doubt through the permit application process just 4 years ago, and the first time the organization has opposed a single development project.
December 2, 2011 – A restaurant owner and chef from Oregon wrote a tremendous letter in the Daily Astorian and the fact that nearly 100 members of her family fish in Bristol Bay each season.
December 1, 2011 – KDLG radio discusses the Day in Our Bay film project that debuts at the Anchorage International Film Festival this week. The film was created using footage shot by Bristol Bay residents on October 15, 2011 and highlights what is important to residents of the region. See the official Day in Our Bay Web site where you can see some of the clips used in the film.
December 1, 2011 – The Wrangell Sentinel reports that a group of local guides and outfitters have expressed their opposition to the Sealaska lands bill.
December 1, 2011 – OnEarth magazine featured an article with the CEO of Tiffany & Co. including much discussion of the company’s rationale behind their opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine project.
December 1, 2011 – Field & Stream magazine’s Best Wild Places 2011 feature continues with the second installment from the Tongass National Forest, this time catching Dolly Varden near Juneau.
November 30, 2011 – Field & Stream magazine partnered with Trout Unlimited on the second annual “Best Wild Places” series. Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest is featured this year, the link is the journal entry for the start of the trip – a hunt for Sitka blacktail deer.
November 29, 2011 – The Outdoor Reporter, published by the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, includes a terrific article about why protecting Bristol Bay is important to New Mexico sportsmen. Check out Too Good to Lose which is chock full of quotes from well-known figures in New Mexico’s hunting and angling community.
November 28, 2011 – The Santa Fe radio program Living Juicy featured an interview with Melanie Brown (commercial fisherwoman) and Dr. Sam Snyder (campaign leader) to discuss Bristol Bay, the proposed Pebble Mine, and what folks in New Mexico can do to help the cause.
November 23, 2011 – KDLG radio (click to listen) reports that opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine has grown to 81% among Bristol Bay Native Corporation shareholders, up 12% since 2007. Read about the poll results in the Alaska Dispatch.
November 22, 2011 – KCAW radio reports that a panel of citizens who advise Gov. Parnell’s administration on federal issues has come out against the pending Sealaska lands bill in Congress.
November 21, 2011 – The Alaska Resource Development Council’s annual conference included a presentation on the proposed Pebble Mine by the Pebble Partnership’s CEO. View the presentation here (large video file) and see the accompanying slide show.
November 16, 2011 – Bristol Bay commercial fishermen have launched their new web site, Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay, according to the Cordova Times.
November 16, 2011 – National Jeweler and YubaNet report that Alaska natives and fishermen are pressing Signet Jewelers, the world’s largest jewelry retailer and parent company of Kay Jewelers and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry, to join the 50 leading jewelers who have signed the Bristol Bay pledge.
November 16, 2011 – Fishermen's News Online reports that the early projection for 2012 Bristol Bay sockeye run is 32 million fish.
November 16, 2011 – Jewelry industry icon, Tiffany & Co. has been a leader in the efforts to protect Bristol Bay. Recently, the company launched its own sustainability website.
November 15, 2011 – Our friends at Recycled Fish have named Sam Snyder – one of SAA’s allies in the Bristol Bay fight – as their Steward of the Week.
November 15, 2011 – The Juneau Empire reports that Alaska’s Citizen’s Advisory Commission on Federal Areas finds fault in the Sealaska lands bill. A copy of the CACFA letter to Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) may be seen here.
November 14, 2011 – The wild seafood web portal Vital Choices reports on a terrific essay by a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman that points out the fatal flaws of the proposed Pebble Mine.
November 12, 2011 – KDLG radio reports that the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery was the most valuable salmon fishery in Alaska in 2011.
November 11, 2011 – A new report indicates that 2011 was a record year for Southeast Alaska salmon harvests.
November 8, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Native Corporation released recent poll results showing a majority of Alaskans are opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine. Only 32% of respondents are in favor of Pebble. Listen to a short news story on the poll results at KDLG radio.
November 8, 2011 – The Drake magazine ran an online opinion piece about mistakes and legacies, discussing the historic runs of salmon in the Pacific Northwest and the current salmon stronghold of Bristol Bay.
November 8, 2011 – Trout Unlimited and Field & Stream magazine just announced their 2011 Best Wild Places project, which will include Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.
November 7, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that a hearing has been set for January 10 in the dispute over the Lake & Peninsula Borough’s recently passed Save Our Salmon initiative, which is being challenged by the Pebble Limited Partnership as well as the State of Alaska.
November 6, 2011 – One of the campaign leaders for the effort to save Bristol Bay was interviewed by a crew from the Outdoor Channel.
November 5, 2011 – Alaska Magazine has a terrific feature The Forest of the Future in the November issue. The article is the product of a media trip to the Tongass organized and hosted by SAA.
November 4, 2011 – Northern Dynasty Minerals’ CEO blasted the recently passed Save Our Salmon initiative according to this article in the Anchorage Daily News.
November 4, 2011 – Mining Weekly reports that the State of Alaska has joined the Pebble Limited Partnership in a bid to strike down the Save Our Salmon initiative.
November 4, 2011 – The radio program Living on Earth covered the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine in an interview with the news director from the public radio station in Dillingham, AK.
November 4, 2011 – The November issue of Alaska Economic Trends from the AK Department of Labor discusses the Bristol Bay region and its reliance on the fishing industry.
November 4, 2011 – The blog Headwaters of History discusses the economic impacts of the Bristol Bay fishery, but also the values that are more difficult to measure.
November 3, 2011 – The two Save Bristol Bay Road Show participants who spoke at every event wrote a nice summary of the tour.
November 3, 2011 – Northern Dynasty Minerals (part of the Pebble Limited Partnership) issued a press release about the State of Alaska’s constitutional challenge to the recently passed Save Our Salmon initiative in the Lake & Peninsula Borough.
November 2, 2011 – An NYC-based blogger wrote about last night’s Save Bristol Bay event in New York, check it out at Deadbait. The event featured the CEO of Tiffany & Co., as well as several of NYC’s top chefs.
November 1, 2011 – The Denver Post outdoor section covered the Save Bristol Bay Road Show stop in Denver.
October 30, 2011 – Pebble Watch, a web site administered by the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, reports on pending federal legislation that could affect development of the proposed Pebble Mine.
October 30, 2011 – The Denver Post's outdoor columnist attended the Bristol Bay Road Show event this week, and wrote a nice column on the issue.
October 28, 2011 – The journal Science reported on the American Association for the Advancement of Science discussion of the proposed Pebble Mine at the AAAS Arctic Division annual meeting. It’s a very in-depth look at the Pebble proposal from the perspective of scientists involved.
October 27, 2011 – The Daily Kos reports on this week’s Bristol Bay Road Show stop in Santa Fe, NM where SAA Director Scott Hed served as the emcee.
October 26, 2011 – SAA Director Scott Hed was the emcee at the Santa Fe stop of the Save Bristol Bay Road Show last night. Read a recap of the evening here.
October 26, 2011 – The Juneau Empire reports on a new large timber sale on Kupreanof Island in the Tongass. Official USFS information on the sale can be found here.
October 25, 2011 – American Rivers provided an update on the Save Our Salmon initiative vote and there’s also a terrific 7-minute video about Pebble and the in-region opposition to the mine found here.
October 24, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that the State of Alaska has rejected a petition against the proposed Chuitna coal mine on the west side of Cook Inlet.
October 24, 2011 – The Pebble Partnership will not contest the results of the Save Our Salmon ballot initiative, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Instead, the measure will be in front of a state judge in early November to determine its enforceability.
October 23, 2011 – A columnist in the Alaska Dispatch calls many of the arguments of those opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine project “hyperbole” and “lies.
October 21, 2011 – Alaska Native News reprints an in-depth look at the science that will shape decisions about Pebble Mine and the strong interest by local residents in participating in the development of those findings.
October 21, 2011 – While not specific to Alaska, a major court ruling today upheld the 2001 Roadless Rule on 49 million acres of national forests and grasslands. Read Angling Trade for reaction to the decision from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
October 20, 2011 – Alaska Business Monthly reports on new legislation introduced today in the U.S. Senate to address a virus outbreak in Pacific salmon.
October 19, 2011 – Mineweb reports that the passage of the Save Our Salmon initiative may be a big blow to the proposed Pebble Mine project. However, it is headed to court so this is not over yet.
October 19, 2011 – The Alaska Dispatch reports that work goes on at the site of the proposed Pebble Mine, while the Save Our Salmon initiative heads for court.
October 19, 2011 – The Los Angeles Times blogged about the recent Save Our Salmon initiative vote in the Lake & Peninsula Borough with some interesting tidbits about ballot irregularities.
October 19, 2011 – The October issue of Alaska Business Monthly features a story on a direct-market seafood business that depends on the healthy habitats of the Tongass National Forest for its success.
October 18, 2011 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce covers the Save Our Salmon initiative, which passed a vote in the Lake & Peninsula Borough, but is also headed into Alaska’s court system as it has been challenged by the Pebble Partnership.
October 18, 2011 – Renowned photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum has a series of photos and discussion of the proposed Pebble Mine at National Geographic.
October 18, 2011 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded an environmental education grant for $19,094 to the Bristol Bay Guide Academy project.
October 18, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News editorialized on the Save Our Salmon vote results and the fact that the results of the EPA’s ongoing watershed assessment might be more powerful than the SOS initiative when all is said and done.
October 18, 2011 – KUOW’s EarthFix program interviewed Red Gold director Travis Rummel about making the award-winning documentary that is featured on the Save Bristol Bay Road Show.
October 18, 2011 – The Save Bristol Bay Road Show kicked off last night in Seattle; read the account of what sounds like a great evening, and see the tour when it comes to your area.
October 18, 2011 – The web journal Sustainable Business Oregon highlights the ties between Oregon commercial fishermen and Bristol Bay, as the Save Bristol Bay Road Show prepares to make a stop in Portland this week.
October 17, 2011 – KPLU public radio in Seattle provides a good overview of the Bristol Bay Road Show including quotes from two of the participants who are traveling the country over the next two weeks.
October 17, 2011 – The Associated Press reports on the Save Our Salmon initiative voting results with some good quotes from supporters and opponents of the measure.
October 17, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News is reporting that the Save Our Salmon initiative passed in the Lake & Peninsula Borough. Now it goes back to the courts…
October 17, 2011 – KDLG public radio in Dillingham reports on the ballot counting for the Save Our Salmon initiative in the Lake & Peninsula Borough.
October 16, 2011 – The Peninsula Clarion reports on a Kenai Peninsula Borough ordinance passed last summer that could affect the proposed Chuit coal mine.
October 15, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News reports on a new study about the risks and potential rewards of the proposed Chuit coal mine on the west side of Cook Inlet, which would remove more than 11 miles of salmon streams and dump more than 7 million gallons of mine waste per day into the Chuit River.
October 14, 2011 – The blog Headwaters of History discusses the attempt to streamline the mine permitting process in Alaska even further, when many argue that it’s already not stringent enough.
October 13, 2011 – SAA Director Scott Hed was interviewed on Bob Gerding's Fishing Report with morning show host T.J. Trout on Albuquerque’s KZZR 94 Rock. Both of the hosts have fished Bristol Bay and the discussion focused on the Pebble Mine issue and the upcoming Save Bristol Bay Road Show stop in Santa Fe.
October 13, 2011 – Field & Stream magazine’s Fly Talk blog covered the upcoming start of the Save Bristol Bay Road Show.
October 13, 2011 – The Seattle Weekly blog has some new info from the makers of the award-winning documentary Red Gold, which it refers to as “salmon advocates’ favorite Bristol Bay film.
October 12, 2011 – Amazon.com’s Al Dente blog reports on Bristol Bay sockeye salmon, a small Bristol Bay salmon processing business, and the fact you can order this amazing seafood through Amazon’s web site (but only if you live in the Seattle area).
October 12, 2011 – E&E News’ On Point program features an interview with the CEO of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, who is urging the EPA to block the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay.
October 7, 2011 – National Geographic ran a feature story about Bristol Bay in December 2010, and they just did an online update on the situation.
October 5, 2011 – The final salmon harvest numbers for the 2011 Bristol Bay commercial fishing season are reported in the Homer News. The official ADF&G press release also has more details.
October 4, 2011 – Forbes covered the Lake & Peninsula Borough’s vote on the Save Our Salmon initiative; the deadline to vote was today. Results should be known after the middle of October.
October 4, 2011 – The Orvis News is helping to promote the Save Bristol Bay Road Show which kicks off on October 17 and will visit seven cities in the following two weeks. RSVP today!
October 4, 2011 – The Alaska Dispatch reports that world markets and local opposition are causing investors to be skittish on the proposed Pebble Mine project and the companies that comprise the Pebble Limited Partnership.
October 3, 2011 – An article titled Pebble Mine: A Vote for Southwest Alaska's Future? ran in the Alaska Dispatch and discussed at length this week’s vote on the Save Our Salmon initiative in the Lake & Peninsula Borough.
October 3, 2011 – The October issue of the Alaska Sporting Journal discusses the entry by a Lower 48 Senator into the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine and the EPA’s role in the process.
October 2, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News reports on this week's vote on the Save Our Salmon initiative in the Lake & Peninsula Borough.
October 2, 2011 – An Alaska native subsistence hunter and fisherman wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News in response to the Pebble Partnership’s recent tactic of bringing a South African group to the Bristol Bay region to attempt to sway local residents into accepting the risks posed by the proposed Pebble Mine.

Not Worth the Risk
Click image to view full-page ad.

September 30, 2011 – KDLG radio in Dillingham runs an update about a recent trip with the Pebble developers to the mine site, the upcoming Save Our Salmon Initiative and a new YouTube video documenting some of the potential problems found at Pebble’s exploratory drill sites.
September 30, 2011 – The October issue of the Alaska Journal of Commerce reports on Sealaska Corporation’s performance during the down economy, including mention of the controversial Sealaska lands bill pending in Congress.
September 29, 2011 – Of all places, the National Enquirer ran something about the proposed Pebble Mine. Of course, it was very Palin-centric, but it certainly will reach a lot of people who’ve never heard of this issue before.
September 29, 2011 – National Public Radio interviewed their local Dillingham affiliate about the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine.
September 28, 2011 – A Superior Court Judge in Anchorage has sided with the State of Alaska in a lawsuit which challenged the constitutionality of the exploratory permits which the Pebble Partnership has been operating under. There is a high likelihood this case will be appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court.
September 26, 2011 – The popular fishing podcast Fish Schtick features an interview (beginning at 20:00) with the two women anglers of “Team Bear Trail,” the winners of this year’s 24-Hour Fish-A-Thon from Recycled Fish. The team raised money to help fight for Bristol Bay and against the proposed Pebble Mine.
September 26, 2011 – The President of the Alaska Senate, Gary Stevens, preached caution about the proposed Pebble Mine in this interview with KDLG radio.
September 25, 2011 – A geologist and director of the pro-development Truth About Pebble group responds to the September 17 opinion editorial (below) with another op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News.
September 24, 2011 – Another volley from the pro-Pebble side in the escalating opinion editorial battle in the Anchorage Daily News.
September 23, 2011 – The CEO of the billion-dollar Bristol Bay Native Corporation pens an eloquent and convincing opinion editorial as to why the BBNC and the vast majority of the residents of the region do not favor development of the proposed Pebble Mine project.
September 21, 2011 – The Fishermen's News Online reports that ballots for the Save Our Salmon initiative are in the mail. The vote is coming up on October 4.
September 19, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News reports on the spending increase in advance of the Lake & Peninsula Borough’s upcoming vote on the Save Our Salmon initiative on October 4.
September 17, 2011 – An Anchorage radio and television show host wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News about the mistruths being promoted by the Pebble Partnership to attempt to sway voters in the upcoming Save Our Salmon initiative.
September 14, 2011 – The Anchorage Press has a story that outlines the history of the Pebble claim and discusses the political battle shaping up over the future of Bristol Bay.
September 12, 2011 – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources issued a press release in response to yesterday’s report that U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) plans to ask EPA to use its authority under the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay. Senator Murkowski warns that a preemptive veto by the EPA in the case of Bristol Bay would “trample the scientific process.
September 12, 2011 – Here is the letter to the EPA from U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) asking the agency to use its authority under the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay. Senator Cantwell is the first U.S. Senator to take this big public step in defense of Bristol Bay.
September 12, 2011 – The Associated Press reports on the letter from U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to the EPA on the subject of Bristol Bay. More coverage from KDLG-Dillingham.
September 11, 2011 – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is planning to send a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking the agency to consider using the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. See the advance story on the political battle that this is likely to touch off in this McClatchy Newspapers exclusive.
September 9, 2011 – A newspaper columnist in British Columbia wrote a column about the risks of the proposed Pebble Mine in the Squamish Chief.
September 9, 2011 – Reuters did a brief piece about Five Facts on the Pebble Mine Project.
September 9, 2011 – The Financial Post reports on the risks associated with the proposed Pebble Mine project, and the efforts by Northern Dynasty to sell their share of the project. Potential buyers are mentioned in the article.
September 7, 2011 – In response to the Sept. 3 opinion editorial (below), a leader in the Save Our Salmon initiative effort lists the inaccuracies in the previous editorial.
September 3, 2011 – A pro-development editor of an Anchorage web paper (with ties to Pebble to boot), wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News decrying the upcoming Save Our Salmon initiative vote, saying it’s nothing but an effort to protect wealthy anglers.
September 1, 2011 – The latest edition of Brian O’Keefe’s online Catch magazine features a photo essay on Alaska float trips. It’s the first in a series of Alaska photo essays, so keep an eye on future editions. There are also a few great Alaska images under the “Red” photo essay section of the current issue.
August 26, 2011 – A former Alaska Attorney General has a thought-provoking two-part opinion editorial about the proposed Pebble Mine. Part one discusses the history of resource development and environmental protection in America. Part two entertains the idea of an industry-funded fisheries safety net in the form of a guaranteed income pool.
August 30, 2011 – The current issue of Alaska Business Monthly magazine has a feature touting the Pebble Partnership’s work to create an Environmental Baseline Document for the area around the mine site.
August 29, 2011 – An attorney for conservation interests in Southeast Alaska wrote an opinion editorial about Sealaska Corporation’s response to the U.S. Forest Service’s Tongass management transition plans.
August 25, 2011 – Silicon India reports that Anglo American’s CEO Cynthia Carroll has been listed among the most powerful business women in the world.
August 25, 2011 – Here’s a story about a tremendous successful restoration project in the Tongass National Forest that was years in the making.
August 24, 2011 – In the second of a two-part feature, Indian Country Today details the tangled web of inter-connected companies behind the proposed Pebble Mine and the massive amounts of money the developers are spending in an attempt to influence public opinion in the region. Again, this is a very good article – please share far and wide.
August 23, 2011 – In the first of a two-part feature, Indian Country Today chronicles the recent history of the proposed Pebble Mine debate. This is a terrific piece to share with someone just learning about Pebble.
August 22, 2011 – KDLG radio from Dillingham reports on the new owners of the Bristol Bay Times. The new owner has business dealings with the Pebble Partnership, but wishes to assure readers that will have no bearing on editorial content in the paper.
August 20, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Times reports that the commercial salmon season is winding down with lower than expected final numbers. Also, there’s a blurb about the Save Our Salmon initiative.
August 20, 2011 – The Juneau Empire reports on the visit to Southeast Alaska by a high-ranking USDA official to discuss transitional management of the Tongass National Forest. You can listen to an interview with USDA Undersecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment from KCAW.
August 18, 2011 – The Alaska Supreme Court has ruled that the Lake & Peninsula Borough will be allowed to vote on the Save Our Salmon ballot initiative this fall, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Additional coverage can be found at Mining Weekly. This ruling does not preclude the Pebble Partnership from advancing a lawsuit challenging the initiative after the vote takes place.
August 17, 2011 – A new poll shows Bristol Bay commercial fishermen overwhelmingly oppose the proposed Pebble Mine. Read more in the Anchorage Daily News.
August 16, 2011 – Next time you think about buying a can of tuna, consider canned salmon instead. That’s what noted food author Paul Greenberg says in Seattle Weekly.
August 14, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News reports on the escalating advertising battle for Alaskans’ opinions about the proposed Pebble Mine project.
August 12, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Native Corporation as asked the State to stay out of the Save Our Salmon ballot initiative court battle regarding the Lake & Peninsula Borough’s possible vote this fall which the Pebble Partnership is protesting, according to this story in the Bristol Bay Times.
August 12, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Times runs a good story about how the proposed Pebble Mine is different from other alaska mines.
August 9, 2011 – The Boulder (CO) Daily Camera profiles a local fisherman who fishes commercially in Bristol Bay and markets the wild sockeye back home on the Front Range. The article also yielded a very nice letter to the editor about the risks facing Bristol Bay.
August 4, 2011 – Listen to a story on the conclusion of the Bristol Bay sockeye season at Alaska Public Radio.
August 3, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that the developers behind the proposed Pebble Mine is trying to block a vote by citizens in the Lake & Peninsula Borough which could ban projects deemed harmful to salmon resources.
August 3, 2011 – A U.S. Appeal Court has overturned four logging projects in the Tongass National Forest, from a story in the Juneau Empire.
August 3, 2011 – A recently retired USFS research fisheries biologist and an owner of a salmon marketing business in Southeast Alaska teamed up on a great opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire about the value of intact watersheds and salmon to Southeast Alaska and the Tongass National Forest.
August 2, 2011 – The Alaska Dispatch did a story on the "Pebble Mine Girl" who has been featured in the Pebble Partnership’s television commercials. Incidentally, you can view a lot of information about the media work being done in Alaska by those opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine at Alaska Wild Salmon Protection, Inc.
August 1, 2011 – The current status of the proposed Pebble Mine is laid out in this piece from AllBusiness.com.
August 1, 2011 – The Pebble Partnership has filed an emergency petition with the Alaska Supreme Court to review the “Save Our Salmon” ballot initiative in the Lake & Peninsula Borough, according to this story in the Bristol Bay Times.
July 27, 2011 – KFSK radio reports that two resource development groups have filed to join a lawsuit to exclude Alaska's two national forests from the national roadless rule.
July 27, 2011 – An Alaska Superior Court Judge has deferred ruling on the Lake & Peninsula Borough’s “Save Our Salmon” ballot initiative until after the October election, according to the Bristol Bay Times.
July 25, 2011 – The online literary magazine n + 1 features an exceptional description of Bristol Bay commercial fishing and the fight to save the fishery from the proposed Pebble Mine, written by a third-generation Bristol Bay fisherman.
July 25, 2011 – The June/July 2011 issue of First Alaskans magazine has an essay about the Bristol Bay subsistence salmon fishery.
July 21, 2011 – Energy & Environment News reports on Trout Unlimited’s lobby efforts to protect EPA’s authority to exercise veto powers under the Clean Water Act from legislative assaults the agency is facing in Congress.
July 21, 2011 – The Huffington Post featured a story on why wild salmon is worth the fight, including a video with acclaimed food author Paul Greenberg who recently visited Bristol Bay.
July 18, 2011 – The Bristol Bay sockeye harvest topped 20 million fish, and the escapement goals were met for all systems in the region. Escapement numbers topped 7.6 million sockeye. See the details for Bristol Bay and other Alaska salmon fisheries in this article.
July 19, 2011 – The August issue of The Leader, official publication of the Steelhead and Salmon Conservation Society, features a lot of good information about Bristol Bay (and a terrific cover image from good SAA friend Brian O’Keefe).
July 18, 2011 – Sporting Classics magazine recently featured a story about fishing in the Tongass National Forest, based on the trip that SAA organized in summer 2010. The trip also yielded a nice award for Alaska's Boardwalk Lodge which graciously hosted a share of the trip for SAA.
July 15, 2011 – The Bristol Bay region and all its fish, wildlife, and culture are explored in this great feature from Indian Country Today.
July 14, 2011 – A columnist in the Washington Examiner opines about how the “big green” community is trying to kill Pebble Mine. Of course, no mention of the opposition from hard working commercial fishermen, or big game hunting guides, or the sport fishing and hunting products industry.
July 14, 2011 – SitNews reports on the legislation introduced by Alaska’s Congressional delegation which would repeal the 2001 roadless rule in Alaska’s Tongass and Chugach National Forests.
July 14, 2011 – KFSK radio details reaction to yesterday's passage of the Sealaska lands bill in the House Natural Resources Committee. Debate and vote on the House floor is not expected until after the August Congressional recess.
July 13, 2011 – A resident of Togiak, in the Bristol Bay region, writes eloquently about the subsistence lifestyle and the threat it faces from the proposed Pebble Mine in this Bristol Bay Times opinion piece.
July 13, 2011 – Alaska’s Congressional delegation introduced legislation that would repeal the 2001 “roadless rule” on Alaska’s Tongass and Chugach national forests. The Juneau Empire has an good story on the situation.
July 13, 2011 – The July issue of Pacific Fishing features an excellent call to action by a lifelong Bristol Bay commercial fisherman, asking you to support the EPA’s work in Bristol Bay.
July 12, 2011 – Commercial fishing updates: Read about the salmon season to date in The Tundra Drums and this season’s wholesale salmon prices in the Anchorage Daily News.
July 11, 2011 – KFSK radio did a story on Rep. Don Young’s (R-AK) version of the Sealaska lands bill which will be in committee on Wednesday.
July 7, 2011 – KBRK radio has a story about two potential mining projects that could impact roadless areas in the Tongass National Forest.
July 7, 2011 – EPA’s Region 10 Regional Administrator wrote a blog post about his recent trip to Bristol Bay as part of the agency’s ongoing watershed assessment.
July 6, 2011 – An owner of an Oregon-based fishing travel business wrote an impassioned guest editorial in the Oregonian about his history in Bristol Bay and the need to protect it.
July 5, 2011 – KDLG radio did a story on the recent trip to Bristol Bay by a group of influential people in the food world to learn about the proposed Pebble Mine.
July 1, 2011 – The largest online retailer of quality diamonds and fine jewelry, Blue Nile, has signed the Bristol Bay pledge making a commitment to responsible gold sourcing.
July 1, 2011 – Check out the short video “Where Are They Now?” profile of Ruben Hastings, a Bristol Bay native and graduate of the BB Fly Fishing & Guide Academy.
June 30, 2011 – A top official from EPA’s Office of Water posted this blog report about her trip to Bristol Bay this spring.
June 28, 2011 – A new poll released today shows overwhelming support by Alaskans for salmon habitat.
June 27, 2011 – A tour operator wrote an opinion editorial questioning the impacts of the proposed Sealaska lands bill on the ever-growing tourism industry in Southeast Alaska.
June 27, 2011 – The July 2011 issue of Desert Leaf magazine features an article on the Tongass National Forest by a writer who took part in SAA’s trip to Prince of Wales Island last summer.
June 22, 2011 – The Washington Post covered the Bull Moose Sportsmen’s Alliance lobby trip to Washington, DC. The relatively new group unveiled an 18-point agenda that featured the need to protect Bristol Bay.
June 22, 2011 – A commercial fisherman from Bristol Bay wrote an opinion piece in the Fishermen’s News supporting the EPA and their work in Bristol Bay.
June 22, 2011 – Fish & Fly featured a really cool promotion by artist and Bristol Bay guide Tim Pearson, who is painting for the cause of protection for Bristol Bay. SAA will receive the proceeds! Follow Tim’s work at the Angling Artist blog.
June 22, 2011 – E&E TV’s OnPoint program features an interview with the Pebble Partnership's CEO John Shively about the timeline of the proposed Pebble Mine, how he believes the mine and Bristol Bay’s fishery can coexist, and more. Click the link to watch the interview and read the transcript.
June 20, 2011 – The Juneau Empire covered the State of Alaska filing two motions against the recent reinstatement of the federal roadless rule on the Tongass National Forest. See the official press release on the challenge from the State of Alaska and the office of Gov. Sean Parnell.
June 20, 2011 – The State of Alaska has filed a legal challenge to the U.S. Roadless Rule and also appealed a district court decision from earlier this year which invalidated the George W. Bush Administration’s exemption for the Tongass National Forest from the roadless rule.
June 17, 2011 – The Globe and Mail discusses the current outlook for Northern Dynasty’s stock, which has dropped 60% from its high in February. Northern Dynasty is the junior mining company from Canada who is 50% partner in the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay.
June 17, 2011 – In response to a pro-development opinion piece written on May 31 (see below) in The Hill, a very prominent former Alaska lawmaker wrote a moving piece about the economic and jobs benefits of the Bristol Bay fishery.
June 15, 2011 – Ivan Moore, and Anchorage-based pollster for both Republicans and Democrats, commented on the British Ambassador to the US visit to Alaska in the Anchorage Press. Sounds like a good share of the ambassador’s presentation in Anchorage was devoted to British business interests in Alaska, including Anglo American’s proposed Pebble Mine project.
June 14, 2011 – Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wrote an opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire to address the controversy of the Sealaska lands bill that she is sponsoring.
June 12, 2011 – Another day, another set of dueling opinion editorials about the Sealaska lands bill in the Juneau Empire. For and against this controversial bill, with the piece against the bill written by a Sealaska shareholder.
June 11, 2011 – KDLG radio in Dillingham reports on the just completed Bristol Bay Fly Fishing & Guide Academy.
June 8, 2011 – Sealaska Corporation responded to the recent opinion editorial by the Territorial Sportsmen about the current Sealaska lands bills in Congress, in this Juneau Empire Op Ed.
June 8, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Times reports on the EPA's listening session in Dillingham to address the agency’s ongoing watershed assessment in the region. Turnout was great with unanimous opinion that massive mining development is a threat to Bristol Bay and its renewable resources.
June 8, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Working Group’s spring newsletter is now available for your reading pleasure. Lots of good stories from all corners of the campaign.
June 6, 2011 – The Salt Lake Tribune covered the recent visit to Utah’s Bingham Canyon copper mine by a group of Bristol Bay residents. The Alaskans came away knowing that they don’t want something like that in Bristol Bay.
June 5, 2011 – A columnist in The Olympian writes about the coming commercial fishing season in Bristol Bay and the dark cloud of the proposed Pebble Mine that hangs over the world’s most productive wild salmon fishery.
June 1, 2011 – The June issue of Alaska Airlines Magazine has a seven page feature about the Bristol Bay fishery.
June 1, 2011 – The Alaska Dispatch reports on the lawsuit filed by the Pebble Partnership against the Lake and Peninsula Borough over the borough’s certification of a ballot initiative that would allow citizens to vote on the “Save Our Salmon” initiative.
June 1, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News editorialized on EPA’s visits to Bristol Bay villages this week as part of the agency’s watershed assessment. In the words of the ADN: This one we need to get right the first time.
June 1, 2011 – The president of the largest sportsman group in Southeast Alaska wrote an opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire discussing how the Sealaska lands bill is a bad deal for hunters and anglers.
June 1, 2011 – The new issue of This Is Fly includes a bit by SAA Director Scott Hed about the Bristol Bay fight, and the magazine also ran the EPA support advertisement from the sport fishing and hunting community.
May 31, 2011 – A blogger on The Hill, a DC-focused media outlet, used the EPA’s involvement in Bristol Bay as an example of how the agency is stifling job creation. What about the thousands of fishing jobs at risk in Bristol Bay?
May 31, 2011 – The president of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association wrote an opinion editorial supporting EPA’s science assessment of Bristol Bay and urging the agency to use its authority under the Clean Water Act to protect the region from the threat of large mine development.
May 31, 2011 – Win a fishing trip for two to Alaska’s Bristol Bay. ExOfficio and Trout Unlimited announced today the “Keep the Bugs Away® in Bristol Bay” contest. Co-sponsored by SAA, anyone can enter the contest online or in stores during June to win airfare, lodging, guiding and adventure clothes.
May 31, 2011 – The Alaska Sporting Journal cut to the chase in an editorial about the proposed Pebble Mine. In short, “to hell with the Pebble Mine.” The editorial references the hundreds of sporting groups and businesses which SAA has organized in support of Bristol Bay.
May 30, 2011 – A biologist from Anchorage wrote a very eloquent opinion editorial about the Sealaska lands bill in the Juneau Empire.
May 28, 2011 – An Alaska radio and television host wrote an opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News about the Pebble Partnership’s lawsuit against the Lake & Peninsula Borough and the Borough Clerk. The lawsuit was filed because the clerk certified a petition to allow borough residents a vote on whether or not to allow major resource extraction that would harm salmon in the borough.
May 27, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Times reported on the 2011 Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide Academy held near King Salmon. Thirteen Bristol Bay young people participated in this year’s academy.
May 27, 2011 – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has sponsored legislation in the Senate that would curtail protections for federal roadless areas. There is a companion bill in the House. The Ketchikan Daily News editorialized in favor of the legislation.
May 26, 2011 – A retired forest economist wrote an opinion editorial on the Sealaska lands bill in the Anchorage Daily News.
May 26, 2011 – The Juneau Empire provides a recap of this week's Congressional hearings on the Sealaska lands bill in the U.S. Senate and House.
May 26, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News reports on yesterday’s U.S. Senate hearing on the controversial Sealaska lands bill.
May 25, 2011 – The Alaska legislature has re-appropriated $750,000 from 2010 that was to study proposed mining impacts in Bristol Bay. Instead the funds will be used to examine state laws, permitting requirements, and processes related to mining development in Alaska.
May 25, 2011 – A federal judge in Anchorge issued his final decision, making final a March decision to reinstate the roadless rule on the Tongass National Forest.
May 25, 2011 – Canadian officials are refusing to talk about the recent flooding of a tailings pond at the defunct Giant Mine near Yellowknife, raising concerns about mining waste potentially contaminating a nearby creek and the Great Slave Lake.
May 25, 2011 – KFSK radio reports that the Sitka Assembly has expressed "concerns" about the proposed Sealaska lands bills which received hearings in Congress this week. The story details the nearly three hour public meeting and debate in the community.
May 23, 2011 – A commercial fisherman from Sitka wrote a nice opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News about how the Sealaska lands bill will have damaging impacts to salmon in the Tongass National Forest.
May 22, 2011 – The controversial Sealaska lands bills will receive hearings in Congress this week. Read the latest on the situation in the Anchorage Daily News.
May 20, 2011 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports on the escalating showdown between the vast majority of Bristol Bay residents who oppose the Pebble Mine project and a newly-formed, Pebble-funded group representing a small minority of residents of the region.
May 19, 2011 – The Cordova Times reports that Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has expressed her opposition to the US Forest Service’s proposed settlement that would result in roadless protections for the Tongass National Forest. Read Senator Murkowski’s official press release on the matter.
May 18, 2011 – SAA friend and supporter Kyle Perkins wrote a nice blog entry over at Compleat Thought about the need to get involved with the battle for Bristol Bay.
May 17, 2011 – KTUU reports that enough signatures have been collected in the Lake and Peninsula Borough for a local ballot measure to put the brakes on the proposed Pebble Mine. If the petition signatures are validated, the vote could take place in October.
May 17, 2011 – SAA Director Scott Hed and TU’s Bristol Bay National Outreach Director co-wrote an urgent call to action to the sport fishing community. It should be surfacing various places online, but you can read it now on Ted Williams’ blog at Fly Rod+Reel Online.
May 17, 2011 – The Juneau Empire reports that six members representing small Southeast Alaska communities have withdrawn from the Tongass Futures Roundtable. The Roundtable is meeting this week in Hydaburg with 22 remaining members.
May 17, 2011 – Today, American Rivers named the Nushagak and Kvichak Rivers of Bristol Bay to the group’s list of America's Most Endangered Rivers. Click the link to take action.
May 14, 2011 – The Ketchikan Daily News editorialized with much criticism for the recent announcement that the roadless rule (with some important exemptions) has been reinstated on the Tongass National Forest .
May 13, 2011 – Greenwire reports that the Obama administration and the state of Alaska are at odds over which development projects should be exempt from the roadless rule.
May 11, 2011 – The Juneau Empire ran two guest editorials discussing the State of Alaska’s (and others’) decision to withdraw from the Tongass Futures Roundtable process and instead form a timber task force. Guest editorials by a Sealaska Corporation board member who endorses the Tongass Futures Roundtable process and a forester who served as deputy director of the Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game Habitat Division on how the timber task force may provide better opportunity for open engagement in forest management issues in Southeast Alaska.
May 11, 2011 – The Juneau Empire ran a guest editorial by a Southeast Alaska lodge owner about how the Tongass National Forest should be managed as a "salmon forest."
May 11, 2011 – The Capital City Weekly featured a story on how the Sitka Conservation Society is working with the US Forest Service on a project that enhances habitat for deer and salmon, produced jobs for local loggers, firewood for local residents, and a research project for the local high school. It’s a terrific example of projects that could become the future of the Tongass National Forest if the USFS moves toward a more sustainable management model focusing on second-growth harvest and restoration projects instead of old-growth harvest.
May 9, 2011 – The Huffington Post featured the Tongass National Forest and the awareness project done by acclaimed photographer Amy Gulick, Salmon in the Trees. Check out the online slide show, then get a copy of this terrific book.
May 6, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Times reports on a newly-formed non-profit group in Anchorage to advocate for resource development in southwest Alaska. The new group represents the small minority of residents of the region, and has ties to the Pebble Partnership. Read the response from the vast majority of the region’s residents to this new group here.
May 4, 2011 – Fishermen's News Online gives an update on recent happenings with the proposed Pebble mine, including a discussion of a newly formed in region advocacy group called Nuna Resources, Inc. Nuna represents the small minority opinion of residents from the Bristol Bay region in support of the mine project, as 80% of regional residents remain opposed.
May 3, 2011 – SAA Director Scott Hed had a feature on the Bristol Bay campaign in the Blue Collar Issue of the online fly fishing magazine Blood Knot.
May 2, 2011 – Northern Dynasty Minerals announced the Pebble Partnership has approved $91 million in expenditures for 2011, with the goal of preparing the Pebble project for permitting in 2012.
April 27, 2011 – KSKA radio has the audio files and PowerPoint presentations from the recent 2011 Southwest Alaska Salmon Science Symposium, given by two University of Washington professors who co-authored a landmark study of Bristol Bay salmon habitat.
April 26, 2011 – A new fisheries resource report based on three years of field study documents the presence of wild salmon in streams atop the Pebble Mine prospect in Bristol Bay, according to this story in the Bristol Bay Times.
April 25, 2011 – A timber economist lists five myths about the Sealaska land bill in this opinion editorial from the Juneau Empire.
April 22, 2011 – The London Mining Network reports on the Anglo American annual shareholder meeting, which includes a section on attendees expressing concern over the controversial Pebble Mine proposal in Bristol Bay.
April 21, 2011 – A diverse set of voices posted this letter in The Guardian expressing their concerns about the proposed Pebble Mine project to Anglo American on the day of Anglo’s annual general shareholder meeting in London. The signers included Alaska Native leaders, commercial fishing leaders, anglers, royal jewelers, U.K. politicians, and fisheries conservationists.
April 21, 2011 – As Anglo American and Rio Tinto (two global mining giants with ownership in the proposed Pebble Mine project) gathered for their annual shareholder meetings, Robert Redford called on the companies to abandon the controversial project in the Huffington Post.
April 21, 2011 – A scientist with over 60 years of experience working with salmon in Alaska wrote an excellent opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News about the proposal to build a coal mine on the west side of Cook Inlet which would impact salmon habitat.
April 21, 2011 – Northern Dynasty Minerals, one half of the Pebble Partnership, is looking to sell its stake in the proposed Pebble Mine according to the Alaska Journal of Commerce. Recently, Mitsubishi Corporation divested itself from its holdings in Northern Dynasty.
April 19, 2011 – Gavel to Gavel has the audio recordings of the hearing before the Alaska Supreme Court in the case of State v. Nondalton Tribal Council, et al. This is the case challenging the validity of the 2005 Bristol Bay Area Plan which has contributed greatly to the threat of massive mining projects which threaten Bristol Bay.
April 19, 2011 – Nasdaq.com reports that Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American, will be meeting with Bristol Bay leaders in London this week to discuss the proposed Pebble Mine project. The article also notes that Mitsubishi Corporation recently sold its 11% share of Northern Dynasty Minerals.
April 15, 2011 – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released a discussion draft of legislation designed to revitalize the nation’s critical minerals supply chain. Murkowski is asking for public comments on the draft by May 6. This could play a role in efforts to protect Bristol Bay or to allow mining in the region. Read the press release here.
April 12, 2011 – Researchers from the University of Washington used 50 years of data available on Bristol Bay sockeye to show the necessity of population diversity. They presented their findings at a program in Anchorage, which was covered in The Arctic Sounder.
April 12, 2011 – A coalition of nearly 30 investment organizations representing over $170 billion in assets is asking the EPA to use its authority under the Clean Water Act to review potential impacts to Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. The signers to the letter hold over 13 million shares in Anglo American plc, the UK-based mining company behind the proposed mine.
April 12, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Times reports that the Lake & Peninsula Borough has approved a mining ballot initiative application which could lead to a public vote later this year on whether or not to allow mining development in the area.
April 9, 2011 – The Los Angeles Times reports on the small Southeast Alaska town of Kake’s experience with the U.S. Forest Service's new approach to logging in the Tongass National Forest.
April 6, 2011 – Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reintroduced the latest version of the Sealaska lands bill today.
April 2, 2011 – Native Peoples magazine featured a Bristol Bay photo essay by Nick Hall that celebrates the Alaska Native culture of region and its reliance on the fishery.
March 31, 2011 – The March 2011 issue of Salmon Trout Steelheader featured a story on fishing Southeast Alaska based on last summer’s outdoor media trip organized by the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska.
March 31, 2011 – SAA Director Scott Hed was interviewed on the Outdoor Talk Network radio program about the Bristol Bay campaign and the role of hunters and anglers in the battle.
March 31, 2011 – The World Fishing Network provides a good overview of the activities in Washington DC during Bristol Bay Wild Salmon Week.
March 31, 2011 – Paul Greenberg (author of Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food) has an idea that Bristol Bay should be declared a "Strategic Seafood Reserve."
March 31, 2011 – The Associated Press reported on this week’s lobby trip to Washington, DC by Alaska Natives, commercial fishermen, chefs, and sportsmen to raise awareness of the need to protect Bristol Bay.
March 30, 2011 – The Washington Current covered the release of a letter from over 200 chefs asking for EPA to protect Bristol Bay.
March 30, 2011 – Paul Greenberg (author of Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food) writes about our nation’s history of sacrificing salmon stocks in the name of “progress.
March 30, 2011 – The Juneau Empire editorialized on the EPA's planned study of the potential effects of large-scale development in the Bristol Bay region.
March 27, 2011 – According to an article in the Anchorage Daily News, the Pebble Limited Partnership spent the most money to lobby the Alaska legislature in 2010, a full 61% more than the next-highest spender.
March 25, 2011 – KSTK radio in Wrangell reports that the Sealaska Corporation had initial success in profitably harvesting second-growth timber in 2010. It’s only a beginning, but Sealaska is anticipating further harvest of second-growth stands in 2011 and 2012.
March 20, 2011 – The Bozeman Daily Chronicle previewed a showing of Red Gold in town, featuring comments from Camille Egdorf (student at Montana State University, and also featured in the film) and Ben Knight (one of the filmmakers).
March 20, 2011 – The Juneau Empire covered the team of Bristol Bay residents who are in the Alaska Capitol to educate state legislators about the EPA’s role in the Bristol Bay mining debate.
March 19, 2011 – A food blog did a profile of a French chef and Kodiak businessman who is working to educate seafood consumers and the Alaska legislature on the threat to the world’s most productive wild salmon fishery in Bristol Bay.
March 18, 2011 – The New York Times details dueling lobby visits to Washington, DC by groups opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine and those who want the project to move forward in Bristol Bay.
March 17, 2011 – Over in the United Kingdom, the All Party Parliamentary Group for tribal people has expressed concern over Anglo American’s plans for the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay. Read the motion which acknowledged the opposition Anglo is facing both in region, in the USA, and in the U.K.
March 17, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Times had an article about the promising outlook for fisheries and their economic impact in the Bristol Bay region.
March 17, 2011 – The Juneau Empire reports that U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) pressed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson on the EPA’s plans in Bristol Bay during a Senate hearing. Murkowski stated that the EPA’s planned scientific assessment of Bristol Bay is in response to “the environmental community.” (Actually, it’s in response to Native interests, commercial fishing interests, hunters, anglers, etc.)
March 16, 2011 – The Juneau Empire did a story on a team of Bristol Bay residents who are lobbying state lawmakers about the need for the EPA’s scientific assessment of the Bristol Bay watershed.
March 15, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that a state-funded effort to study the proposed Pebble Mine project has stalled after a legislative paned failed to agree on how to approach the study.
March 15, 2011 – The New York Times editorialized about the reinstatement of roadless protections for the Tongass National Forest.
March 13, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News published an opinion editorial by Dr. Carol Ann Woody discussing how the Fraser River in Canada ought not be used as a comparison for the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
March 8, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Times reports that despite the continued assurances of the Pebble Partnership that mining and the world’s largest wild salmon fishery can co-exist, the Bristol Bay Native Corporation remains skeptical.
March 8, 2011 – The New York Times covered the reinstatement of the roadless rule for the Tongass National Forest.
March 7, 2011 – KFSK radio in Petersburg did a story about the potential for an appeal to the recent ruling to reinstate the roadless rule for the Tongass National Forest.
March 7, 2011 – The Los Angeles Times wrote a nice piece about the recent judge’s ruling to afford protection to roadless areas in the Tongass National Forest.
March 7, 2011 – More coverage of the reinstatement of the roadless rule in the Tongass National Forest can be found in SitNews from Ketchikan.
March 5, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that biologists with the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game are forecasting a commercial salmon bounty this coming season.
March 5, 2011 – BREAKING NEWS: A federal judge in Anchorage has overturned an exemption of the Tongass National Forest from the “roadless rule.” Read the AP story, reaction from conservation groups in the Juneau Empire, a critical editorial in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and reaction from Senator Lisa Murkowski.
March 4, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News provides a summary of Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll’s address in Anchorage yesterday. Mining and fisheries can co-exist according to her, and she demonized anyone opposed to Pebble stating that outside interests have no legitimacy in the debate.
March 3, 2011 – Cynthia Carroll, chief executive of Anglo American, addressed the Resource Development Council in Anchorage. She discusses the state of the Pebble project and takes on opponents of the proposed Pebble Mine in this video. She claims there is “no mine plan” and that the company will stand by its promise to not build the mine if they are not welcome. It’s an interesting speech, so take a listen. Remember, mining and fishing can co-exist!
March 3, 2011 – To mark today’s planned visit to Alaska by Anglo American’s CEO, a coalition of Alaska commercial seafood and Native organizations ran an ad in the Anchorage Daily News. In 2008, Cynthia Carroll stated that "I will not go where people don’t want us."
Feb. 27, 2011 – A long-time Alaska Republican who served 24 years in the state legislature wrote an opinion editorial in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner making the argument that the proposed Pebble Mine is too risky due to the size, location, and type of the deposit.
Feb. 27, 2011 – KFSK radio in Petersburg, Alaska, reports that some tribal leaders in Southeast Alaska are concerned about changes to the Sealaska lands bill, specifically related to the selection process for sacred sites.
Feb. 25, 2011 – National Parks Traveler gave some terrific coverage to yesterday’s announcement of the fishing and hunting community’s letter to the EPA asking for protections for the Bristol Bay region. The proposed Pebble Mine lies just 14 miles from the preserve boundary of Lake Clark National Park & Preserve.
Feb. 25, 2011 – Jim Martin, former director of fisheries for the Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, authored a great opinion editorial about the need for the EPA to protect Bristol Bay. Read it in the Oregonian newspaper online.
Feb. 25, 2011 – A small-scale tour operator in Southeast Alaska wrote a good opinion piece in the Juneau Empire about the need for the Sealaska lands bill to address the concerns of all user groups in the region.
Feb. 24, 2011 – BREAKING NEWS: At a press conference today, leaders from hunting and fishing conservation groups, the sporting products industry, and an Alaska lodge owner called on the Environmental Protection Agency to use all of its authority to protect Bristol Bay from large-scale developments, such as the proposed Pebble Mine. Today also marked the release of a letter organized by the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska, which rallied support from over 360 sporting groups and businesses from across the country in a letter to the EPA, demonstrating how critically important this issue is to America’s hunters and anglers. Listen to audio of the press conference by clicking here.
Feb. 24, 2011 – Sealaska Corporation’s vice president and general counsel gave some arguments in favor of the Sealaska lands bill in a Juneau Empire opinion editorial.
Feb. 24, 2011 – KDLG radio in Dillingham did a story about the letter from 360+ sporting groups to the EPA which was released today.
Feb. 24, 2011 – The Huffington Post is running a slide show featuring a handful of images from the brand new book Hidden Alaska - Bristol Bay and Beyond by National Geographic photographer Michael Melford and text by Alaska writer Dave Atcheson.
Feb. 23, 2011 – Northern Dynasty Minerals, one of the foreign companies involved in the Pebble Partnership, released a preliminary assessment and an updated development scenario. But the development proponents continue to say that there is nothing to oppose since there is no mine plan. How do they expect to be taken seriously?
Feb. 23, 2011 – Two lifelong residents of Bristol Bay, a pair of young women who are intimately involved with the campaign to protect the lands and waters of their home region, co-authored a very personal opinion piece in the Bristol Bay Times about the EPA’s plans to study the potential effects of large-scale development in the Kvichak and Nushagak River watersheds.
Feb. 23, 2011 – In a study funded by Northern Dynasty, the results show the proposed Pebble Mine project could be very profitable for its foreign owners. While the full report is not yet available, Northern Dynasty’s issuance of a press release on the report was not approved by its larger partner in the project – Anglo American. The story in the Anchorage Daily News has some very good information, including some new assumptions about the size, lifespan, and employment numbers for the project.
Feb. 20, 2011 – The vice president of Snopac Products, and Alaska seafood processor, had an opinion editorial run in the Seattle Times praising the EPA for their intention to study the potential impacts of large-scale development, such as the proposed Pebble Mine, in the Bristol Bay region.
Feb. 19, 2011 – The Ketchikan Daily News editorialized on the need to pass the latest version of the Sealaska lands bill, a contentious piece of legislation that has failed to pass Congress in 2007 and 2009 and is likely to be introduce soon in the 112th Congress.
Feb. 17, 2011 – KFSK radio in Petersburg, AK has a story about the upcoming meetings on the new Sealaska lands bill.
Feb. 16, 2011 – Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today sent a letter to the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, cautioning the agency against “overreaching” in their planned scientific study of the Bristol Bay watershed. Just last week (see Feb. 7 press release) the Senator praised EPA on their decision to study the potential effects of mining and other development projects in the Bristol Bay region.
Feb. 16, 2011 – The Juneau Empire ran an opinion editorial from an economist who discusses how the U.S. Forest Service’s new, more sustainable, management vision for the Tongass National Forest can help Southeast Alaska's economy. Transitioning from old-growth clear-cutting to development of renewable energy, restoration projects which benefit fish and game habitat, and second-growth timber harvest can spur economic benefits.
Feb. 14, 2011 – Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has posted a draft of the Sealaska lands bill on her Web site. The Senator’s Energy & Natural Resources Committee staff will be holding meetings to discuss changes in the bill in Ketchikan (Feb. 21) and Craig (Feb. 22).
Feb. 14, 2011 – The New York Times editorialized on last week's EPA announcement about the agency's intent to study the potential effects of large-scale development in the Bristol Bay region.
Feb. 12, 2011 – The vice president of the United Fishermen of Alaska praised the EPAs science-based approach to studying the effects of potential development in Bristol Bay in this opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News.
Feb. 10, 2011 – KFSK radio in Petersburg, AK ran a story about a recent study by the Southeast Conference ( indicating the amount of second-growth timber may be overstated on the Tongass National Forest. Incidentally, the Southeast Conference’s timber committee’s 2011 work plan urges members to use phrases like “mature timber” instead of “old growth” and a transfer of ownership and/or management of federal (national forest) lands into private hands.
Feb. 10, 2011 – Tom Rosenbauer at Orvis dedicated today’s Orvis fly fishing podcast to the EPA announcement about Bristol Bay. Listen to a great interview with Tim Bristol from TU's Alaska program. This is worth 20 minutes of your time.
Feb. 10, 2011 – The Tongass Futures Roundtable held its latest meetings last week. The Juneau Empire editorialized in favor of the continued efforts of the diverse user groups on the Tongass to keep working together to determine the future for America’s largest national forest.
Feb. 9, 2011 – Award-winning fishing and conservation author Robert Montgomery covered the latest developments in the Bristol Bay campaign on his site The Activist Angler. Major content from SAA’s press release from earlier this week as well as info on jewelry industry involvement with the campaign.
Feb. 8, 2011 – The Arctic Sounder has a very good article summarizing yesterday’s important EPA announcement on Bristol Bay along with responses from residents of the region, mining officials, and Alaska’s U.S. Senators.

Feb. 7, 2011 – BREAKING NEWS: The largest wild salmon fishery on the planet needs your help. Please take action today to protect Alaska's famed Bristol Bay region. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said today that it will review the suitability of large-scale development projects – such as the proposed Pebble mine – in the Bristol Bay watershed. Read SAA’s press release, the official EPA release, and the first news story from the Anchorage Daily News. Watch for more news in the coming days of this important announcement.
Feb. 7, 2011 – The Washington Post and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer both ran good stories on today’s EPA announcement on Bristol Bay.
Feb. 7, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News editorialized in favor of the EPA’s involvement in the study of development plans for Bristol Bay.
Feb. 7, 2011 – Alaska’s two U.S. Senators weighed in on today’s EPA announcement on Bristol Bay. See the statements issued by ranking member of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources committee Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Mark Begich (D-AK). Both Senators praised the EPA’s approach to study the potential impacts of large-scale development in the Bristol Bay region.
January 28, 2011 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce is running a two-part series on the proposed Pebble Mine. Part 1 examined the rhetoric vs. the realities in the advertising used by both sides in the Pebble Mine debate. Part 2 posed questions to the end-user groups (ex. Jewelry industry) who have expressed opposition to Pebble.
January 27, 2011 – The Anchorage Press ran a story about how Alaska Natives hope to leverage their stronger standing in dealings with the U.S. government in the effort to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. The story includes an update on the court case involving Pebble in Alaska state court.
January 25, 2011 – The Bristol Bay Fly Fishing & Guide Academy has been receiving some good press recently. Alaska magazine did a story in their Feb. 2011 issue, and Angling Trade magazine issued a call-to-action for the fly fishing industry to support the academy.
January 24, 2011 – Last November, the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association convened a panel discussion at Fish Expo (a commercial fishing trade show in Seattle). Video summaries of the discussion, which features fisheries biologists, experts on mining impacts, economic analysis, and sport fishing can be found here.
January 23, 2011 – Here’s a story in the Bristol (VA) Herald-Courier about the Tongass National Forest and collaborative efforts to work on conservation there. The story is a direct result of a trip that SAA organized for a few outdoor writers to visit southeast Alaska last summer.
January 22, 2011 – The Russian Orthodox bishop of San Francisco recently visited several villages in the Bristol Bay region to officiate "the Great Blessing of Water" ceremony. Read the story in the Anchorage Daily News as well as a follow up letter to the editor suggesting that the proposed Pebble Mine wouldn’t receive such a blessing.
January 17, 2011 – A new study, commissioned by Trout Unlimited, places the estimated economic impact of Southeast Alaska’s salmon and trout fisheries at nearly $1 billion and account for over 10% of jobs in the region. Read the press release, executive summary, and full report at the TU web site. The Alaska Business Insider section of the Anchorage Daily News provided additional coverage.
January 14, 2011 – KFSK radio in Petersburg, AK began a six-part series on the Sealaska Lands Bill today. All six segments can be read and listened to from this page.
January 14, 2011 – The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that the proposed Pebble Mine is now estimated to require 350 megawatts of power. This is being used to promote the viability of a natural gas pipeline or a huge hydropower dam on the Susitna River. In the same article, the Pebble Partnership's CEO said the project will likely begin applying for permits in 2012.
January 7, 2011 – Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued an update on the Sealaska Lands Bill as the 112th Congress convenes. Her stated goals are to hold a series of in-region public meetings in early 2011, reaching a final compromise by late winter 2011, and reintroducing the bill with hopes of it passing Congress.
January 6, 2011 – The Anchorage Daily News reported on the new collaborative restoration project that will aim to improve habitat along the Sitkoh River in the Tongass National Forest.
January 5, 2011 – Feds, state and conservation groups partner to restore key salmon river in Alaska's Tongass National Forest. Read a press release and briefing paper about this collaboration between the US Forest Service, AKDG&G, Trout Unlimited, and the Sitka Conservation Society to restore the Sitkoh River near Sitka.

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Sport Fishing Industry Campaign

The Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska has rallied the support of many leading companies in the fly fishing industry to engage in the campaign to protect habitat in Bristol Bay that supports the world’s largest runs of wild salmon, trophy rainbow trout, brown bears, caribou, and a strong commercial and sport-fishing economy. This region has provided food for the local inhabitants for thousands of years. All of this is at risk if plans to develop a major mining district in the Bristol Bay region are not stopped.

Ads like the one below have been running in major fly fishing publications since 2007 and were designed by the Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska.

Click HERE to read the press release from Trout Unlimited and the American Fly Fishing Trade Association regarding the ads showing support for Bristol Bay’s fishery resources.

Previous News

December 29, 2010 – The Vancouver Sun included an interview with jeweler Tiffany & Co. about their very prominent ad in the December issue of National Geographic expressing the company’s opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine.
December 28, 2010 – DDLG radio out of Dillingham is reporting that another Canadian mining company is planning exploratory work in the Bristol Bay region in 2011. Millrock Resources has staked claims on over 66 square miles of land roughly 50 miles northeast of Dillingham. See and listen to the story at the Alaska Public Radio Network site.
December 26, 2010 – The Anchorage Daily News ran an in-depth story about Alaska’s booming coal exports and the proposals for two large coal projects in Southcentral Alaska.
December 20, 2010 – The Wall Street Transcript published an excerpt from an interview with Northern Dynasty’s CEO and President. In the interview, Ron Thiessen states that “we think that ultimately Northern Dynasty will be taken over.” He also reiterates the company’s position that if they cannot develop the Pebble prospect without damaging Bristol Bay, they won’t advance the project. Who’s willing to bet on that?
December 20, 2010 – The Anchorage Daily News ran an opinion editorial from Rick Halford, former Alaska state Senate president as well as a licensed guide and bush pilot, about the long-term liability the proposed Pebble Mine would become to Alaska if it were ever approved and built.
December 17, 2010 – A profile of and interview with SAA Director Scott Hed was featured on the IdeaMensch web site, whose motto is “Passionate People Bringing Ideas to Life.
December 17, 2010 – The co-chair of the Alaska chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers penned a very good opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News about a lesser-known threat facing salmon streams in Alaska – a proposal to allow a coal mining operation to destroy a salmon stream by strip mining for coal. The Chuit River watershed, across Cook Inlet west of Anchorage, is the area facing this threat.
December 10, 2010 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce provides more information regarding the trial in Alaska Superior Court alleging that the Pebble Partnership’s exploratory activities violated Alaska’s constitution.
December 10, 2010 – The December 2010 issue of National Geographic magazine has a 25-page feature about Bristol Bay and the controversy over the proposed Pebble Mine project. It’s an incredible article with stunning photography. You can read the story online, but you ought to pick up a copy at your newsstand to show people too. Also, on the page facing the issue’s table of contents, Tiffany & Co. ran this fantastic full page ad.
December 10, 2010 – Opponents of the proposed Pebble Mine have objected to the use of the phrase “legal terrorism” used by the Pebble Partnership’s CEO John Shively as he described the opposition to the project. Read the article in the Anchorage Daily News. You can also view the ad which ran in the Anchorage Daily News and Bristol Bay Times, asking for a public apology for this unfortunate choice of words.
December 7, 2010 – The state trial over the legality of the exploratory work done by the Pebble Partnership began yesterday in Anchorage. Read the account in the Anchorage Daily News.
December 2, 2010 – The Pebble Partnership has contracted with the Keystone Center to host a series of “public dialogues” regarding the proposed Pebble Mine. Read this opinion piece from the Anchorage Daily News that challenges the Keystone process, and says the obvious question is not even part of the process: should a mine like Pebble even be build in Bristol Bay?
November 27, 2010 – The Pebble Partnership’s CEO used some very inflammatory language at a recent gathering of the Resource Development Council, likening those opposed to the proposed Pebble Mine to terrorists. See the story in the Seward Phoenix; it also includes a link where you can watch a video of the presentation where the comments were made.
November 27, 2010 – ESPN 710 Seattle interviewed Tim Bristol and Brian Kraft about the proposed Pebble Mine on “The Outdoor Line” hunting and fishing program. The story begins around the 12:30 mark.
November 25, 2010 – An Alaska Superior Court judge dismissed a request by the Pebble Partnership to delay the upcoming court trial over the constitutionality of Pebble’s exploration permits. The judge ordered the Pebble Partnership to turn over exploration work documents that have been requested over six months ago. The trial is scheduled to begin on December 6.
November 17, 2010 – Here’s an ad that ran in the UK during the recent visit by a contingent of Alaska residents to ask Anglo-American to live up to the promise of their CEO, namely that the company would not go where they are not wanted.
November 10, 2010 – The latest edition of the Bristol Bay Working Group newsletter features an interview with a former EPA regional administrator who recently traveled to Bristol Bay to discuss EPA's role in the proposed Pebble Mine process. The newsletter also includes news from the commercial, sport, and subsistence use components of the campaign. Take a look!
November 9, 2010 – Months after the funding was approved, Alaska’s Legislative Council is still debating the scope of a study of the potential impacts of the proposed Pebble Mine. The Council held hearings in Anchorage to debate the study, and you can read the story in the Anchorage Daily News.
November 9, 2010 – KTUU television in Anchorage is doing a three-part series on the proposed Pebble Mine. This web page has lots of good stories and links that have run up in Alaska.
November 9, 2010 – Alaska’s commercial salmon harvest in 2010 was the highest in the last 18 years, according to this story in the Anchorage Daily News.
November 6, 2010 – Check out this blog entry and photographs on the pollution at the Tulsequah Chief mine site in British Columbia. The story has at least two implications for Alaska. 1) The mine is leaching pollution into the Tulsequah River, which connects to the Taku River. The Taku is a trans-boundary river, flowing into Southeast Alaska north of Juneau. The Taku supports all five species of Pacific salmon, as well as brown bear, moose, eagles, and other species. 2) It’s another example of how difficult it is to keep mining pollution out of waterways.
November 5, 2010 – The BBC ran part two of their radio feature on the battle over the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
November 2, 2010 – The state of Alaska has assumed control over mining wastewater discharge permits from the EPA. This will affect the proposed Pebble Mine if it ever is built, but EPA will still retain authority to revoke or block state-issued permits if they do not meet Clean Water Act standards. Read the story in the Anchorage Daily News.
October 29, 2010 – A contingent of Alaskans from the Bristol Bay region are returning to London in early November to continue raising awareness about the threat facing their region from Anglo-American’s proposed Pebble Mine project. The BBC recently covered the controversy. You can watch a short video and listen to part 1 of a two-segment radio series. Part two of the radio series will be aired next week.
October 29, 2010 – UK newspaper The Guardian includes an editorial by Bristol Bay natives Bobby Andrew and George Wilson, Jr. asking Anglo-American to live up to its promise to “not go where people don’t want us.”
October 27, 2010 – SAA and the Bristol Bay campaign got a lot of coverage in the inaugural newsletter from TailWaters Fly Fishing Co. in Dallas, Tex. TailWaters is also planning to host a Bristol Bay event on January 6, 2011 at their store while SAA is in town for the Dallas Safari Club convention.
October 23, 2010 – Alaska’s candidates for Governor and U.S. Senate responded to a question regarding their position on the proposed Pebble Mine in the Anchorage Daily News.
October 21, 2010 – The Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) has released a new video on its website underlining a commitment to responsible resource development in Southwest Alaska, a region renowned for fisheries critical to commercial, sport and subsistence users. Read about the video in the Bristol Bay Times and watch the video on the BBNC Web site.
October 6, 2010 – While not associated with a mine, the Hungarian tailings dam failure that unleashed a flood of “red sludge” that reached the Danube River, killed several people, and injured over 100 others is a sad example that accidents can happen. Just a reminder…early plans for the proposed Pebble Mine have included construction of some of the largest tailings dams in the world to hold back the toxic by-products.
October 1, 2010 – The National Park Service and National Parks Conservation Association released a new report detailing how much visitation to Katmai National Park & Preserve brings to Alaska’s economy…roughly $37 million, and nearly 650 jobs. Just another reason the Bristol Bay region is not an appropriate location for a project like the proposed Pebble Mine.
September 28, 2010 – The new online fishing magazine Pool 32 provides a ton of coverage to the Bristol Bay issue. Check out the great photos and essays, including one by SAA Director Scott Hed.
September 26, 2010 – An article in the Alaska Dispatch contends that the proposed Pebble Mine‘s real obstacle is economics, not the massive groundswell of in-state and national opposition to this ill-conceived project.
September 25, 2010 – A delegation of Alaska Native leaders and commercial fishing interests traveled to Washington, DC last week to meet with officials at the Environmental Protection Agency and members of Congress from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. Check out the coverage in the Anchorage Daily News, on the Anchorage ABC affiliate, and on Alaska Public Radio.
September 20, 2010 – There is an issue related to trapping of bear sows and cubs that will be in front of the Alaska Board of Game at a meeting on October 8 and 9 in Anchorage. This is a complicated issue, one which SAA hasn’t had time to review thoroughly enough to suggest a position on the matter. This is simply an attempt to raise awareness about the issue. If you are interested, please read this opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News. It’s written by the co-chair of the Alaska chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. You can learn more, and read the proposal by visiting the AKBHA Web site.
September 17, 2010 – A food writer from Salon.com visited Alaska this summer. The current edition features a very good story on the proposed Pebble Mine and the Bristol Bay fishery including a nice slide show.
September 17, 2010 – There was a video on YouTube about the recently completed Bristol Bay fly fishing and guide academy. It has some great images and good interviews from some of the folks that put on the academy.
September 16, 2010 – Bloomberg Businessweek has yet another story about how the Sealaska bill is alive despite Senator Lisa Murkowski’s primary election loss.
September 14, 2010 – A registered dietician from Southern California wrote a fantastic opinion piece in the Santa Monica Daily Press about the value of Bristol Bay and the salmon the region produces for global food consumption.
September 13, 2010 – SAA Director Scott Hed was featured as an interviewee on Wade Bourne’s Wired2Fish radio program, which airs on approximately 300 stations across the country. The subject was the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region, and you can listen to each short segment by clicking the links for September 13, 14, and 15. (Wade also got some info from me about the South Dakota pheasant season opener. If you’re curious, check out the clip from Oct. 2.)
September 8, 2010 – ESPN Outdoors ran a story on the proposed Pebble Mine, featuring quotes from SAA Director Scott Hed. The story was written by Robert Montgomery, who received the 2010 Homer Circle conservation writing award from the American Sportfishing Association.
September 6, 2010 – The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner recently visited the site of the proposed Pebble Mine for a very informative story on the latest state of the project. Good quotes from those opposing the mine, as well as a disclosure from the Pebble side stating permitting likely won’t begin until 2012.
September 5, 2010 – The Juneau Empire ran another story on the role that the Sealaska lands bill (S.881) may or may not have played in the U.S. Senate primary race in which newcomer Joe Miller defeated incumbent Lisa Murkowski.
September 1, 2010 – KFSK radio in Petersburg AK discusses the potential for the Sealaska lands bill (S.881) to advance, even in the face of Senator Lisa Murkowski's primary election defeat.
August 31, 2010 – Tom Tidwell, Chief of the US Forest Service, discusses transitioning management of the Tongass National Forest in this interview with KCAW radio.
August 31, 2010 – On Target magazine's new issue features the debut of the SAA-developed hunting industry ad for Bristol Bay. Many top names in the hunting product industry have joined the campaign, and this will continue to raise awareness and support from hunters.
August 31, 2010 – Outside Magazine just named Red Gold as one of the top 25 nature documentaries of all time. Get your copy from SAA, see home page for details.
August 30, 2010 – There’s a terrific column in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer about the proposed Pebble Mine. Lots of very good quotes from individuals involved in the battle. This is a good one to share with anybody interested in learning more about this issue.
August 28, 2010 – The Alaska Dispatch has a short news item and great slide show on the recent Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide Academy. Kudos to all the supporters of this great project!
August 26, 2010 – SAA supporter, and famous Alaska fishing guide Cecelia “Pudge” Kleinkauf has a new book on Arctic grayling fishing. Check out the nice review in the Anchorage Daily News.
August 23, 2010 – The Homer News did a two-part series on the possible road and port that would link Cook Inlet to the proposed Pebble Mine site. Read part one and part two.
August 19, 2010 – Take a moment to urge Kay Jewelers and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry to sign the Bristol Bay Protection Pledge. Over 30 prominent jewelers have already signed the pledge, including Tiffany & Co., Helzberg, and Zales.
August 17, 2010 – SAA helped with logistics for the production of two episodes of Hooked on the Fly, a fly fishing and conservation television show on the Sportsman Channel. The episodes were filmed in the Bristol Bay region and will air in 2011. You can watch a slide show of some images they shot (it takes a while to load, so be patient).
August 16, 2010 – The Fall 2010 issue of Trophy Hunter magazine features a piece on the proposed Pebble Mine. SAA wrote the piece which includes a compilation of support statements from the hunting side.
August 13, 2010 – The Bristol Bay Native Corporation has joined six tribes and several commercial fishing groups in asking the EPA to use its authority to stop the proposed Pebble Mine.
August 11, 2010 – The Anchorage Daily News provides a very comprehensive account of yesterday’s tragic float plane crash that claimed the lives of former US Senator Ted Stevens and four others who were on a fishing trip in the Bristol Bay region.
August 10, 2010 – The Anchorage Daily News has a great piece on the EPA's role in the proposed Pebble Mine and the dustup over Rep. Don Young’s (R-AK) attempt to remove EPA from the process.
August 9, 2010 – The Bristol Bay Times has a good explanation of the role of state and federal agencies in mine permitting.
August 9, 2010 – The Montreal Gazette ran a story about how Northern Dynasty’s plans for the Pebble Mine have run into big opposition. The story also discusses how the EPA will play a role, and also how Rep. Don Young (R-AK) is attempting to interject himself into the debate.
August 6, 2010 – The Associated Press ran a news story on the swift condemnation by commercial fishermen and local tribes to Rep. Don Young’s (R-AK) bill that would strip EPA of the authority to veto Army Corps of Engineers permits if such permits will result in an unacceptable adverse impact to fisheries, wildlife, shellfish beds, recreational areas or municipal water supplies. As you’ll recall, Rep. Young introduced this bill just two days after EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson listened to local residents’ concerns about the proposed Pebble Mine during a visit to Dillingham.
August 6, 2010 – The proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay is described as a “disappointment” to Anglo American in MiningWeekly.com. The article also makes mention of Anglo CEO Cynthia Carroll’s position as a non-executive director for British Petroleum, serving on the Safety, Ethics, and Environment Committee.
August 9, 2010 – The Wild Chef blog on the Field & Stream website has a series on wild salmon. The link includes a discussion on the threats to wild salmon (including the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska) as well as a great salmon recipe.
August 5, 2010 – A professor of history at the University of Alaska Anchorage provides a historical perspective on the Sealaska lands bill and Southeast Alaska in this opinion piece from the Anchorage Daily News.
August 5, 2010 – More coverage of Rep. Don Young’s (R-AK) introduced bill that would strip EPA of the veto authority it holds under the Clean Water Act. Check it out in the Seward Phoenix.
August 5, 2010 – Ted Williams’ blog on Fly Rod & Reel online covers Rep. Don Young’s (R-AK) bill that would strip EPA of veto authority under the Clean Water Act.
August 4, 2010 – The Homer Tribune has a story on the Pebble Partnership’s preparations to enter the permitting process in 2011.
August 4, 2010 – The Los Angeles Times gives the proposed Pebble Mine terrific coverage, focusing on the Native subsistence and commercial fishing interests of the Bristol Bay region. The Times’ blog also includes an entry regarding how the battle is moving into the federal arena and how the EPA will have a significant role to play.
August 3, 2010 – The threat of the proposed Pebble Mine and the importance of Bristol Bay’s wild salmon fishery are both featured in this article on seafood on Oregon Live.
July 30, 2010 – Alaska’s Congressman Don Young (R-AK) introduced a bill today (two days after EPA administrator Lisa Jackson visited Dillingham) that would remove the EPA’s authority to veto permits issued by the Army Corps of Engineers. Things are really beginning to heat up.
July 29, 2010 – At a meeting in Dillingham, Bristol Bay residents told EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson that they will remain united in opposition to development of the proposed Pebble Mine.
July 28, 2010 – National Geographic News reports that an area south of Teshekpuk Lake has been spared from a coming lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska. The Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska has been engaged in efforts to protect the Teshekpuk Lake area from previous lease sales, as Teshekpuk Lake is a critical breeding and nesting area for numerous waterfowl species pursued by hunters all across North America.
July 27, 2010 – EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is in Alaska this week to visit several bush communities. Jackson’s visit will focus on rural issues, including how the proposed Pebble Mine would impact the Bristol Bay region. EPA will have a large role in the Pebble permitting process, expected to begin sometime in 2011. Read the stories in the Anchorage Daily News and the Bristol Bay Times and listen to the story on KDLG radio (scroll down to “EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson Visits Dillingham”).
July 27, 2010 – 58 members of the U.S. House of Representatives recently sent a letter to House committee leaders asking that the Sealaska lands bill (S.881) not be included in any omnibus public lands legislation. Story from KFSK public radio in Petersburg.
July 25, 2010 – A professor of ecology wrote this terrific opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News, countering the claims by the Pebble Partnership that the proposed Pebble Mine is not located in the headwaters of Bristol Bay.
July 19, 2010 – Alaska commissioners recently visited Japan to promote development of natural resource projects in Alaska. Asia is a large market for minerals found in Alaska…but Japan is also the single-largest market for Alaska seafood. I’m sure the commissioners assured their Japanese hosts that mining and fish can go hand in hand.
July 18, 2010 – A long-time biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game in Southeast Alaska wrote this opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News on the negative impacts of the pending Sealaska lands bill (S.881).
July 17, 2010 – Read the Bristol Bay Times for an update on the commercial salmon fishery in Bristol Bay. They're working hard to hit the projected harvest of 30.5 million fish, and are currently at 25.5 million out of a total run of 36.3 million sockeye to date.
July 17, 2010 – Click here to view an updated map of the existing mining claims on state lands in the Bristol Bay region. In addition to the proposed Pebble Mine, there are several other companies waiting in the wings, with a total of nearly 800 square miles of claims.
July 16, 2010 – Read about the Alaska legislature's plans for an independent third-party study of the potential impacts of large-scale mining development in the Bristol Bay region in the Bristol Bay Times.
July 14, 2010 – Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program recently hosted a trip to Bristol Bay for four chefs, highlighting the habitat requirements that support the world’s strongest runs of wild salmon.
July 13, 2010 – A state judge has declined to dismiss a court case alleging that state regulators violated the Alaska Constitution when they issued exploration and land-use permits to companies drilling at the Pebble copper and gold prospect in Southwest Alaska. The case is now scheduled to go to trial in December. Read the story in the Anchorage Daily News and in Bloomberg Business Week.
July 12, 2010 – Despite revisions made to the bill, residents of small communities still oppose the Sealaska lands bill (S.881) according to this audio story on KSTK public radio in Wrangell.
July 12, 2010 – The Anchorage Daily News did a nice story about the upcoming Bristol Bay Fly Fishing Academy which will be held on the Nushagak River next month.
July 12, 2010 – Northern Dynasty Minerals, one of the partners in the proposed Pebble Mine, recently picked up some neighboring leases adding 23 square miles to its holdings in the Bristol Bay region.
July 9, 2010 – The Pebble Partnership has contracted with the Keystone Center to convene a series of scientific panels to examine the potential impacts of large mining developments in Bristol Bay. The Alaska legislature recently appropriated $750,000 for an independent third-party study for much the same purpose. One has to wonder what different conclusions may be reached by a panel funded by the companies wishing to develop the Pebble Mine…
July 9, 2010 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that the Bristol Bay commercial sockeye salmon fishery is headed toward a harvest of 25 to 27 million fish, below the forecast of 32 million.
July 9, 2010 – Due to a poor return, the famed king salmon fishery on the Nushagak-Mulchatna drainage has been shut down. Read the story in the Anchorage Daily News. One can only imagine that having the massive proposed Pebble Mine in the headwaters could not help but place further pressure on this fishery.
July 9, 2010 – In the Summer 2010 issue of Fly Rod & Reel Ted Williams provides an update and timeline summary of the proposed Pebble Mine project. Click here to view the article, reprinted with permission of Mr. Williams and FR&R.
July 8, 2010 – In case you hadn’t heard…Sarah Palin is working on a reality show for the Discovery Channel about wild Alaska or something like that. Apparently, she was out in Bristol Bay filming the commercial salmon season recently. Check out this blog post about a Dillingham restaurateur and his "No Pebble" sticker – allegedly, the Palin camp asked him to remove the picture of the former governor from his Facebook page – and he told them no way!
July 8, 2010 – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) made a brief stop in Petersburg and fielded many comments and questions regarding the pending Sealaska lands bill. The Petersburg Pilot and KFSK public radio in Petersburg provide a good account of the meeting.
July 5, 2010 – While not technically a “news” story, here’s an interesting piece from the Anchorage Daily News written by a long-time Bristol Bay commercial fisherman that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the cost you pay at the store for wild sockeye salmon.
July 3, 2010 – The Juneau Empire reports that revisions to Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Sealaska lands bill (S.881) fail to adequately address conservation concerns with the legislation, which could be taken up by the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee in July.
July 1, 2010 – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released changes to the Sealaska lands bill today. View the official press release which includes a list of place names still included in this controversial bill. Despite the changes to the bill, there is still much opposition to the legislation from residents of Southeast Alaska. KCAW "Raven Radio" has a good story on the release of the revised bill. At this time, there still has not been an official hearing for the bill scheduled for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where Murkowski is the ranking Republican member.
June 30, 2010 – Eight Southeast Alaska communities have asked U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski to withdraw the controversial Sealaska lands bill. Read the story in the Anchorage Daily News.
June 30, 2010 – The American Fisheries Society included mention of the proposed Pebble Mine (along with examples of numerous mines which have caused impacts to watersheds) in a feature article about the need to update the 1872 Mining Law. Check out the latest issue of Fisheries, the official AFS publication.
June 28, 2010 – KDLG radio from Dillingham has an audio story about several lower 48 chefs visiting Bristol Bay last weekend as part of Trout Unlimited’s Why Wild program. The chefs, who all serve wild salmon already, were there to learn more about where the salmon come from and about efforts to protect the region. KGW television from Portland, Ore., did a nice story on a local Portland chef that participated in the trip to Bristol Bay.
June 25, 2010 – Alaska Governor Sean Parnell let stand a $750,000 appropriation to fund an independent third-party study of the potential effects of large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay region. Parnell had been under pressure from mining interests to veto the funding for such a study. Read the story in the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
June 16, 2010 – The Pebble Partnership has begun its summer exploration work, and their top man boldly states “where the project is there are no streams at all.” Read the story in the Bristol Bay Times.
June 15, 2010 – A staff member with the Nature Conservancy in Alaska is spending the summer with a commercial fishing boat in Bristol Bay. Follow the entries on this blog throughout the season.
June 15, 2010 – Revisions to the controversial Sealaska lands bill are coming soon. At least that’s the story on Stikine River Radio and in the Juneau Empire. This bill could have a tremendous impact on fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreation in Southeast Alaska and the Tongass National Forest. Meanwhile, a biologist who worked 17 years for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game weighed in with his views on the Sealaska bill on MongaBay.com. For the Sealaska side of the story, a recent news story and guest opinion piece ran in the Juneau Empire. It’s unlikely that all the concerns raised by residents of the region, including hunting and angling interests, have been addressed in the forthcoming amendments. Stay tuned.
June 8, 2010 – Mitsubishi Corporation owns roughly 11% of Northern Dynasty's share of the proposed Pebble Mine project. Take a minute to sign an online petition to Mitsubishi, opposing their involvement in this ill-conceived project. The petitions will be delivered at Mitsubishi's annual shareholder meeting in Tokyo on June 24.
June 7, 2010 – The Natural Resources Defense Council recently delivered another 28,000 petitions opposing the proposed Pebble Mine project to Anglo American’s office in London. Read the blog entry about that London meeting, as well as some notes from Northern Dynasty’s recent presentation to a mining investment conference in NYC. Good old Bruce Jenkins from Red Gold fame was the presenter.
June 4, 2010 – KTUU television did a three-minute story on the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon report published in Nature. Tim Bristol from Trout Unlimited Alaska and the Pebble Partnership’s John Shively are interviewed for the story.
June 2, 2010 – In this story from the Juneau Empire, efforts to address concerns over the Sealaska lands bill and its effect on the Tongass National Forest were unsuccessful in a series of private meetings between Sealaska and several environmental groups. The bill is awaiting amendments before potentially receiving action in Congress.
June 2, 2010 – A Seattle Times story reports that sockeye salmon from Bristol Bay, Alaska, make up one of the world's most valuable and dependable fisheries — largely because of the variety of ecological niches the species occupies and the varied life cycles the fish have developed as a result. The story is based on a University of Washington study published Tuesday in the journal Nature. You can also read a press release from Trout Unlimited Alaska in response to the study.

May 28, 2010 – SAA's sport show tour from last winter was included in the Bristol Bay Working Group spring newsletter.
May 26, 2010 – The U.S. Forest Service Alaska Region issued a news release proposing moving management of the Tongass National Forest from old-growth timber harvest toward a more diversified economic model for Southeast Alaska. Read the Associated Press story in the Anchorage Daily News and the response to the Forest Service’s announcement from Senator Mark Begich (D-AK).
May 21, 2010 – Two Alaska Legislators wrote a tremendous opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News, detailing the necessity for an independent third-party study of the potential impacts of large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay watershed. The Alaska legislature appropriated $750,000 for such a study in the 2010 session, but Governor Sean Parnell has been lobbied heavily by pro-development groups to veto the funding for this study.
May 20, 2010 – ESPN Outdoors provided a review of a terrific new book on the Tongass National Forest. Salmon in the Trees by acclaimed nature photographer Amy Gulick documents the largest temperate rainforest on the planet as well as the fish, game, and people who make their homes in Southeast Alaska. You can also watch a YouTube video preview of the book, but be warned…it'll have you dreaming of heading to Alaska soon.
May 20, 2010 – This story in the Alaska Journal of Commerce highlight’s the opposition by the proponents of the Pebble Mine to the Alaska Legislature’s $750,000 appropriation for an independent third-party study of the potential impacts of large mine development in the Bristol Bay region. (SAA editorial content: If this project isn’t going to cause problems, why not have an independent review arrive at that conclusion instead of relying on the “promises” of the developers?)
May 19, 2010 – A Kodiak commercial fisherman wrote a very compelling opinion piece on the proposed Pebble Mine in the Tundra Telegraph.
May 16, 2010 – One of the men at the center of the opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine near Iliamna Lake visited a couple of Southeast Alaska communities last week to make his case against the mine. KDLG radio in Dillingham has the story.
May 7, 2010 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce has a very good feature on the Pebble Partnership’s public relations efforts to gain support of Alaskans for their proposed mine in Bristol Bay.
May 5, 2010 – Bobby Andrew and George Wilson, two Bristol Bay native leaders, wrote an opinion piece asking Anglo American’s CEO to honor her company’s promise to not develop the Pebble Mine project if local communities did not support it. Read the piece in the Bristol Bay Times.
May 4, 2010 – Bob Gillam, the President of McKinley Capital Management, and one of the biggest opponents to the Pebble Mine was in Soldotna, yesterday, to speak to the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce about ongoing efforts of Renewable Resources to stop the Pebble Mine, near Illiamna. Gillam told his audience that he is pro-development. He supports oil exploration in ANWR. However, he doesn’t agree with Pebble. Check out the story here.
May 4, 2010 – Three former top administrators with the state Department of Fish and Game are warning Gov. Sean Parnell about a bill that would allow a Native corporation to hand-pick lands in the Tongass National Forest. Read the full story in the Anchorage Daily News.
May 2, 2010 – Tim Bristol, Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program director, wrote an excellent opinion piece on the need to protect the Koktuli River in the Anchorage Daily News.
April 28, 2010 – The Koktuli River, one of the rivers threatened by the proposed Pebble Mine and a major tributary of the Mulchatna River in the Nushagak River watershed, has been named as one of 2010’s Ten Waters to Watch by the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. This designation will result in US Fish & Wildlife Service funds, along with matching funds from other public and private entities, being used to continue studies of fish distribution and water flows in the Bristol Bay region. These studies should result in additional miles of waters being added to Alaska’s anadramous waters catalog – meaning more protections for these waters from potential development. Click here to read the press release on this important news on the Koktuli.
April 25, 2010 – The Alaska Department of Natural Resources reinstated the land, water and fish habitat permits to the Pebble Partnership. This decision will allow field work on the proposed Pebble Mine to resume in southwest Alaska. Read the story in the Juneau Empire.
April 23, 2010 – Most of the Alaskans planning to attend Anglo American’s annual shareholder conference were unable to travel due to the Icelandic volcano situation. There were dueling press conferences held yesterday from Native groups both opposed and supportive of the proposed Pebble Mine. Read the story in the Anchorage Daily News and watch a clip from KTUU television.
April 23, 2010 – The Spring 2010 issue of the Wild Sheep Foundation’s membership magazine features a story on the proposed Pebble Mine. While there may be no direct impacts to wild sheep from the Pebble project, the article lays out a terrific argument for why this issue should matter to all of us. Read the article here, and visit the Wild Sheep Foundation Web site to learn more about this organization.
April 22, 2010 – Congressional leaders call for protection of BLM lands in Bristol Bay. Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska and Trout Unlimited issued a press release thanking Representatives Moran and Dicks. Read the letter these Congressmen sent to the BLM and view the press release here.
April 20, 2010 – An independent review of the proposed Pebble Mine project may be in the works through action in the Alaska legislature. Read in the Kodiak Daily Mirror.
April 14, 2010 – The recent announcement by Zale’s stating the major jewelry retailer will not purchase gold from the proposed Pebble Mine drew a “Big Deal” response from the Pebble Partnership’s chief executive. Field & Stream's Field Notes blog takes issue with that cavalier attitude. Click on the blog entry and add your comments.
April 13, 2010 – A dozen additional jewelry retailers, including Zale’s (the second largest in the USA), have joined the campaign to boycott gold from the proposed Pebble Mine and advocate for permanent protection of the Bristol Bay region. Read about this major development in the Anchorage Daily News, International Diamond Exchange, and National Jeweler.
April 12, 2010 – Listen to a short radio news story about a shift in US Forest Service management plans for the Tongass National Forest. This story from KFSK in Petersburg discusses a shift from harvesting of old-growth timber to restoration projects.
April 12, 2010 – The debate over the Sealaska bill is featured in this story in the Los Angeles Times. The story about the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska features some great photos and video.
April 10, 2010 – As if we needed another reason to protect Bristol Bay…A new study indicates that wild Alaska fish boast the best protein for your diet. Want to Save Wild Salmon? Eat One!
April 8, 2010 – Please take a moment to read this beautiful essay and opinion piece written by Alaska Native Lydia Olympic for the Bristol Bay Times. Lydia was raised in the small village of Igiugig on the shores of Lake Iliamna, and is one of the activists who will be traveling to London for the second consecutive year to raise awareness of the proposed Pebble Mine threat during Anglo American’s annual shareholder meeting next week.
April 7, 2010 – Robert Kennedy, Jr. and Jean-Michel Cousteau co-wrote an excellent piece about the proposed Pebble Mine on the Huffington Post.
April 5, 2010 – Captain Sig Hansen, star of the hit television show Deadliest Catch, talked with Trout Unlimited Alaska about why he opposes the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
April 5, 2010 – Scott Newman, an Alaska Master Guide, wrote an opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News about how the proposed Sealaska lands bill will negatively impact guides and outdoor recreation opportunities in Southeast Alaska.
March 22, 2010 – In a joint hearing of the Alaska state Senate Resources and House Fisheries committees, a discussion of Alaska’s large mine permitting process as it relates to the proposed Pebble Mine project was held. Click here to read a report in Laws for the SEA (a weekly roundup of fisheries issues before the Alaska legislature).
March 17, 2010 – USA Today ran a very good article on the debate over the Sealaska lands bill and its potential effects on the Tongass National Forest.

Feb. 25, 2010 – Click here for a quick story on the Pebble Partnerships announced plans for 2010. No permits yet, but they’re continuing work in the region – including a “public affairs program to engage project stakeholders and local communities.” They realize they don’t have the support of the vast majority of people in the Bristol Bay region.
Feb. 24, 2010 – The current issue of Alaska Magazine has a very good article about Bob Gillam, perhaps the wealthiest individual in Alaska – and also a huge opponent of the proposed Pebble Mine.
Feb. 19, 2010 – Trout Unlimited has applied for special protection for the Koktuli River in Bristol Bay. The Koktuli is a tributary of the Mulchatna/Nushagak system – the largest king salmon producing system in Alaska, and also one of the major drainages threatened by the proposed Pebble mine. Read about the Outstanding National Resource Waters process, which provides protection through the Clean Water Act, in the Anchorage Daily News and the Bristol Bay Times. Listen to a story from KDLG in Dillingham, AK. TU’s fact sheet about the ONRW designation for the Koktuli may be viewed here.
Feb. 17, 2010 – Read another story about the Pebble Partnership’s permit violations for unauthorized use of water in the Homer Tribune.
Feb. 12, 2010 – The Associated Press just released a news story about the controversial Sealaska lands bill, which could have a dramatic impact on hunting and fishing in the Tongass National Forest.
Feb. 11, 2010 – The city council of the Southeast Alaska community of Petersburg recently heard testimony from residents on the pending Sealaska lands bill which could dramatically impact land uses and access in the Tongass National Forest. Read the story in the Petersburg Pilot. This legislation could see action in the United States Senate in the next month, so be ready to take action!
Feb. 6, 2010 – After a few months’ delay, the Alaska Board of Fisheries (see news item below from Dec. 5, 2009) has delivered a letter to the State House and Senate leaders asking for a comprehensive legislative review of the state's permitting system in light of the proposed Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska. See several bits of news coverage: Anchorage Daily News, AK Public Radio Network (audio clip), KTUU (tv news), and KDLG (radio clip).
Feb. 5, 2010 – Read a local Southeast Alaska resident’s view on the Sealaska Lands bill from The SitNews. This bill could see action in the U.S. Senate in the next month, so be prepared to contact your Senators in defense of prime fish and game habitat in the Tongass National Forest.
Feb. 1, 2010 – For a rather scathing indictment of the proposed Pebble Mine project, check out this opinion piece on Wild on the Fly.
Jan. 22, 2010 – Debate in Dillingham, AK about the proposed Pebble Mine. Big news: Pebble Partnership won’t be applying for permits in 2010! Listen here on KDLG radio.
Jan. 20, 2010 – Check out the report from the opening weekend of “sport show season” in Denver at the Compleat Thought blog. There are three videos featuring Curt “Ole” Olson and Dave Egdorf (both featured in “Red Gold”), who attended our Friday night party in Denver. Many thanks to Kyle Perkins at Compleat Thought for helping with logistics on the ground in Denver, leading to such a successful weekend!
Jan. 20, 2010 – Alaska Master Guide/Outfitter Phil Shoemaker wrote a terrific piece about Bristol Bay and the proposed Pebble Mine in the January/February 2010 issue of Successful Hunter magazine. This is just the type of support we need to expand awareness of the threats facing Bristol Bay among the hunting community.
Jan. 15, 2010 – Alaska Alpine Adventures hosted the trip for Men’s Journal magazine in 2008 which resulted in the MJ article about Pebble Mine. Click the link to view a new five-minute video about the trip.
Jan. 15, 2010 – The January issue of Science magazine includes an article about the proposed Pebble Mine and its potential impacts on the Bristol Bay fishery.

Dec. 28, 2009 – Click here to read a first-hand account of a visit to the Pebble Mine site this past summer, written by a Trout Unlimited national trustee.
Dec. 21, 2009 – The Bristol Bay Native Corporation is feeling the heat for its opposition to the Pebble Mine project. Read about reaction from several village corporations in the Bristol Bay Times.
Dec. 17, 2009 – The great folks at Sage are selling a special “Save Bristol Bay” hat, and $5 of the purchase price goes to TU’s Alaska program to fight for Bristol Bay. Order yours today!
Dec. 11, 2009 – Click here to listen to a Dillingham radio news story on this latest development.
Dec. 11, 2009 – BREAKING NEWS: Bristol Bay Native Corp. Opposes Pebble – The Bristol Bay Native Corp. board voted Friday, Dec. 11 to oppose the development of the massive copper and gold Pebble prospect in Southwest Alaska. Click here to read the story from the Anchorage Daily News.
Dec. 5, 2009 – Alaska Board of Fisheries approves letter to protect fisheries near Pebble Mine. See the tv news clip here. The board will now send a letter to Alaska’s state legislature, asking for additional protections for state lands in Bristol Bay. You can read stories in the Anchorage Daily News here (12/06/09) and here (12/09/09).
Nov. 27, 2009 – An Alaska judge has denied the injunction to stop exploratory work at Pebble. However, the same judge did not dismiss the suit filed by eight village corporations and several individuals. Read the story in the Anchorage Daily News.

Sig Hansen from Deadliest Catch
Sig Hansen from the hit television show Deadliest Catch.

Nov. 23, 2009 – Sig Hansen from the hit television show Deadliest Catch blogged about the attempt by the Pebble folks to boycott the Seattle restaurants featuring Bristol Bay salmon on their menus.
Nov. 22, 2009 – The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a column about the proposed boycott of the Seattle restaurants promoting wild Alaska salmon and awareness of the threat the proposed Pebble Mine poses to Bristol Bay.
Nov. 19, 2009 – A Bristol Bay commercial salmon fisherman writes an opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News, thanking the jewelry industry for taking a stand for Bristol Bay’s fishery and cultural traditions.
Nov. 16, 2009 – The Seattlest blog has an entry about a leader of “Truth About Pebble” calling for a boycott of the Seattle restaurants participating in this week's Savor Bristol Bay event. The Associated Press picked up on the story and it ran in the New York Times.
Nov. 14, 2009 – The Natural Resources Defense Council published a new online brief about the fight over the Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
Nov. 3, 2009 – Want to save wild salmon? Eat one! If you are in the Seattle area, be sure to check out Bristol Bay Wild Salmon Week from Nov. 15-21. Several local restaurants will be featuring wild Alaska salmon on their menus. Even if you aren’t in the Seattle area, click the link and you can find out how to purchase wild Bristol Bay salmon from family-owned fishing businesses.
Nov. 2, 2009 – A young girl from Pedro Bay, on the shores of Lake Iliamna, made a very good short video about how her village might be affected by the Pebble Mine project. The video was shown at the Native Youth Film Festival.
Oct. 29, 2009 – A new investor advisory released today raises significant questions about the risks associated with Anglo American plc's Pebble Mine Project in southwest Alaska. The advisory details the growing list of regulatory, legal, engineering and political challenges facing the London-based mining giant as its struggles to secure permits for the controversial gold-copper mine. Read the press release, and also view the full report.
Oct. 22, 2009 – View a few news stories about the efforts undertaken in Washington, D.C., during Bristol Bay Wild Salmon Week.
Oct. 19, 2009 – SAA Director Scott Hed participated in Bristol Bay Wild Salmon Week, organized by Trout Unlimited in Washington, D.C. It was the first opportunity for Alaska Native residents of the Bristol Bay region, commercial fishing interests, and sport fishing interests to raise awareness about Bristol Bay among members of Congress, Administration staff, and staff at agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, and Army Corps of Engineers.
Oct. 14, 2009 – Natural Resources Defense Council published "Fighting for Precious Ground," an article about Bristol Bay and Pebble Mine in their online magazine OnEarth.
Oct. 13, 2009 – The Natural Resources Defense Council announced today a new BioGem campaign to save Alaska’s Bristol Bay, the world’s most productive salmon fishery, from the development of Pebble Mine, one of the largest gold and copper mines ever proposed.
Oct. 2009 – View the ad in National Jeweler from jewelry icon Tiffany & Co. in which they explain why the company is opposed to mining in Bristol Bay.
Oct. 2, 2009 – Send a note of thanks to the jewelers pledging to not buy gold from Pebble Mine!
Oct. 1, 2009 – Class ring makers join fight, pledge to not buy gold from the Pebble Mine. Read the stories in the Juneau Empire, MineWeb, and National Jeweler.
Sept. 23, 2009 – In this Wall Street Journal blog, former Alaska governor (and current Bristol Bay set-netter) Sarah Palin commented about Bristol Bay’s amazingly productive salmon fishery in a speech given in Hong Kong. Here’s her best quote: “Over 70% of our exports came from wild organic fresh Alaska seafood, and our potential for more is massive because Alaska has the world’s richest seafood industry. We have the world’s most abundant salmon spawning grounds right there in Bristol Bay.”
Sept. 22, 2009 - The Alaska Department of Fish & Game issued their Summary of the 2009 Bristol Bay Salmon Season …Wow, over 40 million sockeye returned!
Sept. 22, 2009 – The Anchorage Daily News editorialized on the problems with pollution at the Red Dog zinc mine in northwest Alaska and the effect that those problems may have on the proposed Pebble mine project.
Sept. 22, 2009 – A new poll shows that a huge majority of Bristol Bay residents oppose development of the Pebble Mine. There’s also an article from television station KTUU that interviews some of the people involved with the poll and reaction from Pebble to the results.
Sept. 2009 – For a peek behind the Northern Dynasty curtain, here’s a presentation they gave at a mining conference recently about the Pebble project. Some technical stuff, some feel-good PR stuff, some maps showing proposed road corridor and ideas for power supply, etc.
Sept. 17, 2009 – Trout Unlimited also sent an action alert, allowing you to send a note to Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar and BLM Director Bob Abbey about protecting federal lands in Bristol Bay. Visit TU's Web site now and send your comments!
Sept. 5, 2009 – National Wildlife Federation sent an action alert about Bristol Bay’s BLM lands. Visit the NWF Web site to send a comment to BLM Director Bob Abbey asking for protections for Bristol Bay.
Aug. 26, 2009 – Read the Anchorage Daily News story by Elizabeth Bluemink, "Groups seek mining ban across the Bristol Bay watershed."
Aug. 26, 2009 – SAA helped organize a letter from 275 sporting interests to the new Director of the BLM regarding management of federal lands in Bristol Bay. Read about the effort on the American Fly Fishing Trade Association site.
Aug. 7, 2009 – Read the Alaska Journal of Commerce story about the bounty of Bristol Bay and the big season that commercial fishermen had this summer.
Aug. 5, 2009 – Two brothers are bicycling from Alaska to Argentina to draw attention to Bristol Bay wild salmon and the threat the fishery faces from a proposed open-pit copper and gold mine. Visit the Pebble Pedalers Web site and/or Download the Press Release from Trout Unlimited.
July 29, 2009 – Bristol Bay Residents Assert Pebble Exploration Violates State Constitution – Exploration permits could be suspended as a result of lawsuit filed today. Read the press release ...
Time Magazine just ran a Postcard from Bristol Bay, a short piece on the Time/CNN Web site.”
As a result of the Bristol Bay campaign’s trip to London this spring, and a London screening of “Red Gold,” The Ecologist just ran a very good overview of the Bristol Bay issue. Read it here.
The National Parks Conservation Association recently awarded Lake Clark National Park & Preserve the highest cultural resources score of any of the more than 60 parks assessed to date, a fine tribute to the region's rich history and park managers' dedication to recording and sharing the story of the people of Lake Clark and Bristol Bay. The report also finds that the Pebble mining district, proposed on lands directly adjacent to Lake Clark preserve, poses the most urgent threat to Bristol Bay's clean waters, wild salmon, traditional lifestyles and our national parks. Check out the report and the new NPCA Lake Clark Web page here.
National Parks Traveler also recently featured Lake Clark National Park & Preserve with an article that highlights the threat to the park and the Bristol Bay region from proposed mining, including the Pebble project. Read the article here.
SAA Director Scott Hed was profiled in his home newspaper, the Argus Leader, on July 8, 2009. See the story here.

Outside Magazine has an article in the June 2009 issue about the fight for Bristol Bay.

Outside Magazine has an article in the June 2009 issue about the fight for Bristol Bay. One of the main persons featured in the article is none other than Lindsey Bloom, a commercial fishing captain who works for Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program when she’s not running her boat and crew. Click here for a photo gallery of images from the story.
The-Fisheries.net is a relatively new sportfishing Web site. They just posted an interview with Dr. Carol Ann Woody, a fisheries research scientist working in Bristol Bay, about the efforts to document waterways that are important for salmon in the Bristol Bay region. This is an important aspect to the Bristol Bay campaign, and having documented scientific evidence of salmon habitat will be helpful in the fight to protect the Bay’s resources.
June 2009 – Click here to view a series of new educational/science ads being run by some of SAA's allies in Alaska – the Renewable Resources Coalition and Renewable Resources Foundation. The ads focus on effects of copper on salmon, the amount of water it would take to operate Pebble Mine, and the risk of seismic activity in the Bristol Bay region. The ads most recently ran in Kenai, Seward, and in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
May 2009 –Click here for an article on Bristol Bay and Pebble Mine from the current issue of Salmon & Steelhead Journal (PDF File Size 390k). The article is written by a great guy that lives on the Kenai Peninsula and works for the Renewable Resources Foundation to protect Bristol Bay.
Summer 2009 – The Summer 2009 issue of the Nature Conservancy magazine features a great story about the scientific work being done to study the salmon runs in Bristol Bay, and includes some good images.
Spring 2009 – The spring 2009 issue of the National Parks Conservation Association magazine has a fine article about the potential impact on Lake Clark National Park and Preserve by the proposed Pebble Mine. Read the Pebble Mine article in NPCA magazine.
Mar. 31, 2009 – Anchorage Daily News article, "Anglo American mining executive visits Alaska," PEBBLE PROSPECT: Moody-Stuart defends mining giant's record.
Mar. 28, 2009 – SAA Director Scott Hed was interviewed on the Dan Small Outdoors Radio program about the Bristol Bay campaign. Listen to Episode 413 here, and skip to the 19:00 mark to listen to just the SAA interview.
Mar. 28, 2009 – The Chairman of London-based Anglo-American (major partner in the Pebble Mine proposal) visited Dillingham, Alaska, on the weekend of March 28. View a press release about Dillingham’s response to the visit HERE along with pictures of the rally HERE.
Mar. 6, 2009 – Interview with Alaska Master Hunting Guide Tony Lee about Bristol Bay/Pebble Mine. View video here.
Mar. 6, 2009 – SAA Director Scott Hed interviewed at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Elk Camp event in Fort Worth TX. View video here.
Mar. 3, 2009 – Outdoor Life magazine’s March 2009 issue has a short Q&A with Lauren Oakes of Trout Unlimited’s Alaska office about the “Red Gold” film project. Click here (to open PDF) to read it. Also, another interview with Travis Rummel the co-director of “Red Gold” at Felt Soul Media can be found online at Outdoor Life's Web site.
Mar. 1, 2009 – SAA Director Scott Hed was interviewed by Lee Murdock of FlyFishMagazine.com at a sport show in Charlotte in February. Check out the interview here.
Feb. 12, 2009 – Read a brand new article about the Pebble Mine project and the battle for Bristol Bay in the March issue of Men’s Journal ...
Feb. 3, 2009 – The Orvis News recently ran another story on Bristol Bay. Read the article here ...
Jan. 30, 2009 – Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska Teams Up with StoneFly Vineyards - Raising a Glass to Watershed Conservation in Bristol Bay. More ...
Special Edition “No Pebble Mine / James Prosek Sockeye Salmon” T-Shirt Now Available! More ...
SORRY, SOLD OUT

Oct. 1, 2008 – Field & Stream, Salmon Paradise Under Fire. Take a trip with Hal Herring to fish Alaska's Koktuli River, one of the salmon fisheries threatened by the effects of the Pebble Mine.
On Aug. 27, 2008 the Renewable Resources Coalition (RRC) published a news release stating, "The RRC would like to acknowledge the tens of thousands of Alaskans who supported Proposition 4 as we did and the hundreds of volunteers who worked so diligently on this issue. The fight to save Bristol Bay’s wild salmon is hardly over, and the results of this election simply show how much work we still have ahead of us." Read more ...
July 31, 2008 – Letter from the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) to Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska regarding Proposals to Create Mining District in Portions of Bristol Bay Watershed. Read it now ...
Summer 2008 – Click here to read an article by David Oakes of Dallas Safari Club about the field trip organized by SAA that brought delegates from leading hunting conservation groups to Southeast Alaska in the summer of 2007 to learn about management of the Tongass National Forest (PDF File Size 1273 k).
July 2008 edition of Fish Alaska magazine features an article by Troy Letherman, "Hard-rock Mining, Pebble and the Fight for Iliamna." Read it now ...
July 4, 2008 – EFTTA members pledge support to Alaskan Bristol Bay campaign. More ...
On May 16, 2008, the Secretary of Interior announced that the BLM would defer additional oil and gas leasing around Teshekpuk Lake. More ...
Special News Report, "The Battle of Bristol Bay" from the March 2008 issue of Angling International. Read the full article ...
On Jan. 25, 2008, the U.S. Forest Service released the new Tongass Land Management Plan. More ...

How Open-Pit Mines Operate
Click Image to view full article or visit
www.fieldandstream.com.

Read Kirk Deeter's March 2008 Field & Stream article, "Salmon Roulette." Graphics show how open pit mines operate and the author writes about how Pebble Mine could destroy one of the world's best fisheries.
Abel (www.abelreels.com) will produce a limited edition of engraved red reels and donate a portion of the proceeds to the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska. Read the Press Release ...
A recent article by Joseph E. Daniel in Wild On The Fly magazine (www.wildonthefly.com) summarizes the mining threat to Bristol Bay, Alaska. Download and read the article (PDF file size 591k) ...
Want more information about Bristol Bay and Pebble Mine? Read Bill Battles' recent article in Fly Fish America magazine titled, "Ground Zero - Where Water is More Precious Than Gold."
Read about one of the leaders of the resistance to Pebble Mine, Brian Kraft, in American Angler magazine. Don't miss this great story by Tim Bristol, who runs Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program on the Bristol Bay area and the threat it faces from mining development. Visit AmericanAngler.com NOW ...
Read Scott Hed's recent article from the Dallas Safari Club's Spring 2007 issue of Game Trails, "Pebble Mine Proposal Threatens Bristol Bay" (PDF file size 2.5M).

Do you support the Pebble Mine project?

You might, even if you don’t realize it.

The major companies in the Pebble Mine project are Northern Dynasty (NAK), Anglo-American (AAUK) and Rio Tinto (RTP). If you hold any of these mutual funds in your portfolio, you could be passively supporting the Pebble Mine.

Click HERE for the latest listing (Sept. 28, 2008) of mutual funds which hold stock in these mining companies.

Disclaimer: Funds buy and sell assets often, so it’s important to have your advisor double check. This information will be updated periodically on this Web page. This type of investing is known as “socially responsible investing” and is gaining publicity and momentum. Simply ask your investment professional if there are other funds with similar (or better!) returns which do not hold stocks in the Pebble project partners.

"Wild Heritage" article in Sporting Classics

By Todd Tanner

In case you haven’t heard, we’re getting ready to trade part of the pristine wilderness that sits atop Lake Iliamna, one of North America’s most important angling destinations, for a pile of gold and copper. And if, in our shortsightedness and greed, the Pebble Mine happens to destroy what may well be the finest wild trout and salmon fishery on the planet . . .

Read Todd Tanner's complete article from the January 2008 issue of Sporting Classics (PDF file size 298k).

From Sporting Classics Magazine, Jan. 2008
Click image to view entire article.

Thank you to Sporting Classics for allowing us to post this article.
Visit their Web site at www.sportingclassics.net.

U.S. House Passes Favorable Tongass Amendment

On June 26, 2007 the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an amendment which helps protect the remaining road-free watersheds of the Tongass National Forest. These habitats support healthy populations of fish and game as well as the region’s commercial fishing industry and a growing outdoor recreation industry which includes sport fishing and hunting. The ad shown below, sponsored by the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska and Wildlife Forever, ran in Congress Daily to show support from sportspersons for the amendment.

Tongass Ad
Click image to view full size ad.