Thanks for the heads up. I’ve been watching this disaster unfold for the last few years, and it seems to be marching steadily on.

This situation exemplifies the classic Leopoldian conflict between nature and comfort.

Are we willing to destroy this last of the ancient pristine ecosystems for the cheap products that will come from this mining?

I think they are planning to build the largest earthen dam ever constructed to hold back the trailings and sludge produced by the mine and keep it from entering the rivers…

What could go wrong? 😯

I would highly recommend this film about the Pebble Mine Project, if you get a chance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aqphQc4u4w

Northern Dynasty – the company that wants to develop this mine, has already incurred numerous violations, just in the exploratory process, yet they continue to try and assure the public that this mine will be “completely safe” and that there is no chance of damaging the watershed.

At risk are some of the last pristine, big salmon runs left in the world, and a billion-dollar commercial fishery. And, unlike the mine, the Bristol Bay fishery can continue to provide jobs and food in perpetuity, if it’s just protected from horribly ill-conceived projects like this.

Shane, you are right that politics is off limits here. But this isn’t politics, it’s basic survival sanity. AK BHA is also involved in this important fight, and TBM openly supports BHA (Larry Fischer is on the national board). The very least we can do is to sign the petition and pass it around for others. It’s totally appropriate here.

Here’s more info, from TU’s Dave Stalling in MT. I just signed the petition and it took less than a minute.

URGENT: IF YOU LIKE WILD SALMON PLEASE ACT TODAY! (And Please Share and Forward)

Seven rivers feed into Bristol Bay, Alaska. One of those rivers, the Kvichak produces more sockeye salmon than any other river in the world. Another of those rivers, the Nushagak, is among… the top two producers in the world of chinook (king) salmon. Overall, Bristol Bay’s rivers contribute half the world’s supply of wild sockeye salmon.

Bristol Bay and its healthy sockeye fishery supports 14,000 jobs across multiple industries and generates more than $1 billion in revenue and value every year.

This is one of the last healthy, functioning salmon strongholds left in the world supporting a healthy, sustainable economy.

A massive mine proposed in the headwaters of the Kvichak and Nushagak rivers — one of the largest open-pit mines on earth which could generate up to 10 billions tons of toxic waste — could ruin these fisheries forever. Even without a catastrophe or series of harmful spills, up to 87 miles of salmon streams and up to 4,300 acres of salmon habitat will be destroyed by the proposed mine.

There are only three days left to persuade the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the White House to take action to forever protect the Bristol Bay from industrial scale mining. PLEASE check out this link and take action TODAY. Help protect Bristol Bay and our salmon runs.

Wild Salmon are growing more scarce, and are far more important, than anything that might be gained by the proposed mine.

PLEASE act today! Thanks. http://www.capwiz.com/savebristolbay/issues/alert/?alertid=62627501&type=CUSee More

I’ve been following this for a a good while myself. Connie’s son does salmon research on the Ugashik River. Through the use of sonar they count the smolt on their travel to the sea. This provides fisheries, the government agencies and fisherman information on future salmon numbers. He lived in Dillingham, AK for a couple of years. When I visited there a few years ago, I did not talk to anyone who thought this pebble mine was good. A two mile wide two thousand feet deep open mine, underground digging and huge dams in one of the most pristine areas on Earth, has environmental disaster written all over it. Thank you for bringing this issue to this forum.

yup signed

ShaneHarley wrote: Smithhammer thanks for posting the video.

Thank you for bringing this ongoing issue up, Shane. And if any of you have a chance to see the entire film, it’s worth it.

Signed some time ago. Musher friends of ours live on the watershed and have been fighting this for some time.

I was a resident of AK from 84-04 didn’t live there the whole time–being on active duty–but I can tell you that the rape of that land rivals WV.

Semper Fi

Mike