Latest News

Sage Hats, Save Bristol Bay
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.

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 ...
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).

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.

Sport Fishing Industry Campaign

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.

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.