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May 22, 2013 – High Country News reports on the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
May 21, 2013 – Fly Rod & Reel magazine has a great article by John Gierach about his trip to Bristol Bay last season.
May 19, 2013 – Here’s a good story about a hunting trip in western Alaska featuring SAA friend and Alaska guide Lance Kronberger. Lance guided his brother on a float trip bear hunt, and the trip was documented by KUIU Ultralight Hunting.
May 16, 2013 – The National Marine Fisheries Service is considering listing the freshwater seals of Lake Iliamna as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, a move which could impact the proposed Pebble Mine project. Read coverage in the Anchorage Daily News and the Alaska Dispatch.
May 15, 2013 – Fly Rod & Reel magazine featured a Bristol Bay do-it-yourself float trip photo essay by SAA friend Grant Wiswell.
May 15, 2013 – Not so much a news story, but here’s a good primer on fishing guides (focusing on the Kenai Peninsula) from an article on Outdoor Hub.
May 15, 2013 – KTUU television aired the State of Fish program, which you can view in six 10-minute segments. The program details mainly salmon stocks around the state, but touches on the proposed Pebble Mine, the low numbers of Chinook salmon in many parts of Alaska, and halibut quotas in Southeast Alaska...among other things.
May 14, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch ponders the cost of monitoring the waste from the proposed Pebble Mine in the Shively Spreadsheet Challenge.
May 14, 2013 – Renowned Seattle celebrity chef Tom Douglas discusses the importance of wild Bristol Bay salmon and why we should fight for its future.
May 13, 2013 – The Daily Astorian reports that the Clatsop County (OR) Democrats have passed a resolution supporting the EPA’s work in Bristol Bay to protect salmon and fishing jobs. Clatsop County is home to over 1/3rd of the 2,100 Bristol Bay commercial fishermen that reside in Oregon.
May 9, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch ran a great story about the economic study just released on the value of the Bristol Bay commercial fishery…$1.5 billion annually! Additional coverage on KPLU public radio.
May 9, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports on the study showing that Bristol Bay’s wild salmon fishery is worth $1.5 billion per year and touches people and businesses all across the nation.
May 9, 2013 – The Huffington Post announced that the Pebble Mine battle is “heating up” in response to EPA’s release of the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
May 9, 2013 – Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay released a report showing that the total economic value of the Bristol Bay salmon fishery is $1.5 billion annually, and accounts for 20% of US seafood export value.
May 8, 2013 – Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay released an awesome video about the far reaching effects of Bristol Bay’s salmon economy, which is worth $1.5 billion annually…and is threatened by the proposed Pebble Mine.
May 7, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch has a story on a bill passed in Alaska’s state legislature that would have the state study the costs and benefits of assuming primacy (taking over) wetlands permits from the federal government.
May 7, 2013 – Per Alaska Public Media now the Pebble Partnership’s own baseline environmental documents are coming under criticism from the expert scientists that are reviewing them through the Keystone Center process – which is funded by Pebble! This has nothing to do with the EPA’s work in Bristol Bay, but it does lend a lot of skepticism to the validity of Pebble’s in-house data.
May 6, 2013 – American Angler magazine has a Q&A with SAA Director Scott Hed on the release of the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
May 6, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News has a very good recap of HB77, a bill that ultimately did not pass in this year’s session of the Alaska state legislature. HB77 would dramatically affect clean water and fish habitat protections by streamlining mining regulations and application processes.
May 5, 2013 / The Alaska Dispatch discusses the interrelationship between problems with the State of Alaska’s Bristol Bay Land Management Plan (which is being revised as a result of a lawsuit from those interested in the Bristol Bay fisheries) and the need for involvement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
May 4, 2013 – The former head of environmental affairs for Cominco Ltd. (the company that formerly held the Pebble claim) penned an incredible opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News about the reality of how the proposed Pebble Mine may impact Alaska, and in ways that are far from positive.
May 3, 2013 – The Nature Conservancy’s Cool Green Blog features a 3-part series about TNC’s science-focused work on the salmon resources and habitats of Bristol Bay.
May 2, 2013 – KDLG radio reports that the king salmon season is open for sport fishermen in the Bristol Bay region.
May 2, 2013 – The Take Part blog on Yahoo! covers the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment and the ongoing public comment period.
May 1, 2013 – Alaska Fly Out’s 4th video in the Magnetic North web series is out!
May 1, 2013 – Marketwatch.com reports that the Pebble Limited Partnership has acquired interest in another claim in the Bristol Bay region from Full Metal Minerals.
May 1, 2013 – Alaska U.S. Senator Mark Begich released a statement on the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
May 1, 2013 – For a take on how the “other side” is reacting to EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, check out this piece from Watchdog.
April 30, 2013 – Alaska Native News ran the statement from Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) that praised the EPA for looking out for fishing jobs dependent upon Bristol Bay in the agency’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
April 29, 2013 – The Fly Talk blog on the Field & Stream web site covers the public comment period on the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
April 29, 2013 – The Environment News Service breaks down the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine and the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
April 27, 2013 – The Fairbanks News-Miner editorialized on how the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment was none too good for the proponents of the proposed Pebble Mine.
April 26, 2013 – BREAKING NEWS: The EPA has released the Revised Draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment which is open for public comment until May 31. Submit your comments through the Save Bristol Bay Action Center.
- Press releases supporting the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment were issued by Trout Unlimited, Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay and the National Council of Churches.
- Unsurprisingly, Northern Dynasty Minerals issued its own take on the EPA’s draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment in this press release. And so did the Pebble Limited Partnership.
- Seattle PI provided in-depth coverage of EPA’s release.
- The Anchorage Daily News was one of many outlets to run coverage from the Associated Press on the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
- The Kansas City Star was one of the McClatchy family of newspapers that ran coverage on the EPA’s revision.
- EPA’s release today drew coverage in the nation’s capital in The Hill blog.
- KTUU television gives more coverage about the release of the revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
- Over 300 leading scientists submitted a letter to the White House supporting protection of Bristol Bay and the EPA’s role in doing so.
April 26, 2013 – Predictably, the Pebble Limited Partnership was quick to condemn the EPA’s revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment in Alaska Business Monthly.
April 26, 2013 – The Deseret News reports that the Kennecott Mine in Utah (owned by Rio Tinto, a backer of the proposed Pebble Mine) will be closed indefinitely following one of the largest landslides in mining history occurred on April 10 and has shut down operations.
April 24, 2013 – The Think Progress blog discusses this week’s U.S. District Court ruling that upheld EPA’s authority to use Section 404c of the Clean Water Act, and how that ruling that will likely have implications should EPA decide to use that authority with regard to the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
April 23, 2013 – Trout Unlimited announced that a contingent of sportsmen, Alaska Native leaders, and commercial fishermen are in Washington, DC to press for action to protect Bristol Bay.
April 23, 2013 – KDLG radio reports that more changes could be coming to the State of Alaska’s 2005 Bristol Bay Area Plan, including a possible further public review period.
April 23, 2013 – The backers of the Pebble Mine proposal in Bristol Bay could begin the permitting process by the end of 2013 per this report by KDLG radio.
April 22, 2013 – The Pebble Partnership’s work budget for 2013 is $80 million per this article in the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
April 22, 2013 – The Switchboard blog discusses how the opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine has outlasted the CEOs of Anglo American and Rio Tinto, two of the large backers of the proposal in Bristol Bay.
April 20, 2013 – The latest issue of Backcountry Journal features an article about Bristol Bay and the proposed Pebble Mine.
April 19, 2013 – A resident of the Bristol Bay village of Port Heiden expressed displeasure with the State of Alaska’s handling of the ongoing work to revise the Bristol Bay Area Plan in this Bristol Bay Times opinion editorial.
April 17, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports that the Keystone Center will hold its next series of “independent” science panel meetings in Anchorage in early May. The Keystone Center has been hired by the Pebble Limited Partnership for this process, which is outside any official science review being done by the EPA. See another report on the upcoming Keystone meetings in the Dutch Harbor Fisherman.
April 17, 2013 – A retired fisheries biologist who was involved with state land planning efforts in Bristol Bay during the formation of the 1984 Bristol Bay Area Plan advocates a return to that plan’s focus on fish, wildlife, and clean water instead of the 2005 Bristol Bay Area Plan’s focus on mineral development in this Anchorage Daily News opinion editorial.
April 16, 2013 – The Mudflats blog posts about this week’s massive landslide at the Bingham Canyon copper mine outside Salt Lake City, and ponders what would happen if something like that ever happened in Bristol Bay.
April 15, 2013 – A contingent of Alaska Natives from the Bristol Bay region is returning to London again this year to attend the annual general meeting of shareholders in Anglo American (one of the partners in the proposed Pebble Mine project), per this Switchboard blog post.
April 15, 2013 – Former Alaska State Senate President Rick Halford recently spoke at a reception sponsored by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. See a clip from Rick’s talk here.
April 14, 2013 – This past winter, SAA ally Recycled Fish helped spread the word about the proposed Pebble Mine as part of its On Ice Tour. See a neat video here showing support for Bristol Bay from ice fishermen.
April 12, 2013 – The Fish Basket Coalition discusses what new Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell can do to help protect Bristol Bay.
April 10, 2013 – An Alaska Native subsistence and commercial fisherwoman wrote a compelling opinion editorial about the State of Alaska’s work to revise the 2005 Bristol Bay Area Plan, and the shortcomings of the revision, in the Alaska Dispatch.
April 10, 2013 – Sporting Classics Daily ran a piece called “Russian Roulette” that originally appeared in Salt Water Sportsman magazine about the folly of plans to build massive mines in the Bristol Bay region.
April 9, 2013 – KDLG radio reports that the world’s largest fishing lure manufacturer, Rapala, has joined the efforts to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
April 5, 2013 – The Dutch Harbor Fisherman reports that the State of Alaska is holding in-region meetings as it works to complete the revision to the 2005 Bristol Bay Area Plan, which it was forced to revise after being sued because the 2005 plan removed nearly all habitat protections in favor of mining development.
April 5, 2013 – Efforts to expand tourism in southwest Alaska was the subject of a recent visit to Naknek by representatives from Japan and Taiwan, in this story from the Dutch Harbor Fisherman.
April 2, 2013 – On April 6 at a film festival in New York state, a new film that documents the importance of salmon to the subsistence lifestyle of Bristol Bay residents will debut. Check out the trailer for We Can't Eat Gold.
April 1, 2013 – No, this is not an April Fool’s joke. The CEO of the Pebble Partnership, speaking in front of commercial fishing industry leaders in Seattle, alluded to the fact that the U.S. government or taxpayers will have to pay for the expenses of mine closure if the developers don’t have the resources to do so. It’s on video for your enjoyment from Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay.
April 1, 2013 – Alaska Fly Out has released Episode 3 of the web series Magnetic North. This one features great fly-out fishing in the Bristol Bay region!
April 1, 2013 –Alaska Public Media reports on the efforts of sportsmen to encourage EPA to protect Bristol Bay.
March 28, 2013 – A group of prominent wildlife managers and biologists with extensive Alaska experience issued a letter to President Obama asking him to take action to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. See a press release on the letter from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
March 27, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports that Bristol Bay commercial fishermen are working to improve on the already great quality of their salmon products.
March 26, 2013 – In a talk to commercial fishermen in Seattle, the CEO of the Pebble Partnership noted that he couldn’t promise there will not be problems if Pebble were built. See the video on Save Bristol Bay's YouTube channel.
March 26, 2013 – Newsmax.com reports that the famous actor Robert Redford continues his activism to help protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
March 22, 2013 – A Cook Inlet commercial fisherman who serves as president of the board of the Cook Inlet Keeper wrote an opinion editorial about the need to protect Bristol Bay’s salmon habitat in the Bristol Bay Times.
March 22, 2013 – Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay reports on their lobby trip to Washington, DC.
March 22, 2013 – The president of Clark’s Point Tribal Council wrote an opinion editorial in the Bristol Bay Times supporting the citizen’s alternative to the State of Alaska’s Bristol Bay Area Plan.
March 19, 2013 – KDLG radio covers Northern Dynasty's response to Senator Maria Cantwell’s letter to the Securities & Exchange Commission.
March 18, 2013 – KDLG radio reports that the Orvis Company has pledged to match up to $50,000 in donations to help protect Bristol Bay, in an effort to raise $100,000.
March 18, 2013 – The Cordova Times covered the story of Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) asking the Securities & Exchange Commission to investigate statements made by Northern Dynasty Minerals about whether or not they have a mine plan.
March 18, 2013 – Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued a press release urging the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the contradictory claims from Northern Dynasty Minerals that it either does or doesn’t have a plan for the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
March 18, 2013 – The Seattle Post Intelligencer and KDLG radio report on Senator Maria Cantwell’s (D-WA) letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding Northern Dynasty Minerals and the proposed Pebble Mine.
March 18, 2013 – Trout Unlimited and Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay are thankful for Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate Northern Dynasty Minerals over their “we have/don’t have a mine plan” arguments using whichever position suits their current audience (investors, EPA, etc.).
March 18, 2013 – A sport fishing lodge operator and a commercial fishing permit holder wrote a joint opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire debunking the claims of the Pebble Partnership that there is not yet a mine plan.
March 18, 2013 – Bristol Bay Native leaders, commercial fishing interests, and sports fishing interests submitted a preliminary draft of the Citizen’s Alternative Bristol Bay Area Plan. Read a summary, the letter to the State of Alaska, and the full draft Citizen’s Alternative here.
March 14, 2013 – The former manager of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge wrote an opinion piece that compares the risks of the proposed Pebble Mine to the Exxon Valdez catastrophe in the Kodiak Daily Mirror.
March 11, 2013 – The Alaska state Senate has passed a bill that would have the State assume responsibility for “dredge and fill” permits, something currently administered by the federal government, per this article in the Anchorage Daily News. This could have a big impact on the proposed Pebble Mine project.
March 7, 2013 – The New York Times discusses the proposal to build one of North America’s tallest and most expensive hydroelectric dam projects on the Susitna River, a major salmon spawning river north of Anchorage.
March 6, 2013 – Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay released a letter to President Obama calling on him to have EPA release the updated draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment by March 19, in order to allow commercial fishermen to participate in the comment period before their season begins.
March 4, 2013 – Episodes 1 and 2 of Magnetic North – the web series from Alaska Fly Out – are now available to view online. Inspiring fishing footage from Bristol Bay and the Kenai Peninsula is the subject of the first two episodes, in what will be a five-part series.
March 1, 2013 – A Bristol Bay lodge owner wrote a terrific opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire that discusses the EPA’s work in Bristol Bay, the inaccuracies in former AK Governor Frank Murkowski’s recent attack on the EPA, and Senator Mark Begich’s recent comments in support of EPA’s watershed assessment process in Bristol Bay.
February 28, 2013 – The February 2013 issue of Alaska Airlines Magazine has a nice article called Trout Tales about rainbow trout fishing in various parts of Alaska, including Bristol Bay of course.
February 27, 2013 – The Daily Astorian covered a terrific panel discussion about the impacts of the proposed Pebble Mine during the annual Fisher Poets event.
February 27, 2013 – Two commercial fishermen from Homer, AK wrote an opinion editorial that compliments Senator Mark Begich for his recent statements in support of EPA’s work in Bristol Bay, in the Homer News.
February 25, 2013 – On the lighter side, take a look at this profile of Alaskan fish artist Ray Troll from Indian Country Today.
February 22, 2013 – Reaction to Senator David Vetter’s (R-LA) letter to the EPA about Bristol Bay comes from Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay and Save Bristol Bay.
February 21, 2013 – The Associated Press reports that Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar signed a new management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska today. The plan balances allowing energy development on roughly half the Reserve, while protecting some of the most critical wildlife habitat areas in the Reserve. Read the official press release from the Bureau of Land Management.
February 21, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports that the Pebble Limited Partnership is again one of the top lobbying spenders in Juneau during the current legislative session.
February 21, 2013 – SAA Director Scott Hed was quoted in a press release from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership about sportsmen’s reactions to the just-announced management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska.
February 21, 2013 – U.S. Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) today issued a letter to the EPA asking the agency to disclose its justification for potentially utilizing its authority under the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay’s fishery from proposed large-scale mining development.
February 21, 2013 – WTRF has coverage of two U.S. Senate Republicans’ letter to the EPA questioning the agency’s actions with the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment process.
February 20, 2013 – A professor in Nevada wrote an opinion editorial about the risks of the proposed Pebble Mine in the Nevada Appeal.
February 19, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch has an opinion editorial from a resident of the region who says that Bristol Bay needed jobs long before Pebble Mine was proposed, and something needs to be done to grow the seafood processing industry to prevent people from moving away or taking jobs at Pebble.
February 17, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that a bill has been introduced in the State legislature that would remove wilderness protections for a portion of Wood-Tikchik State Park in Bristol Bay to pursue study and potential of a hydropower project.
February 16, 2013 – Trout Unlimited Alaska moved quickly to clear up any confusion over the group’s position on the Sealaska lands bill introduced this past week. A press release issued by Sealaska Corporation implied that TU Alaska was supportive of the legislation, when in fact that is incorrect. TU is moving to gaining support for the Tongass 77 proposal for better management of America’s largest national forest.
February 16, 2013 – Learn more about the Sealaska lands bill, and see recent letters written by the Alaska Guides Association and the Alaska Chapter of Safari Club International at the Tongass Lowdown site.
February 14, 2013 – Former Alaska Governor and former US Senator Frank Murkowski wrote an opinion editorial in the Juneau Empire asking President Obama to halt the EPA’s Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment process.
February 14, 2013 – Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the latest version of the Sealaska lands bill, per this announcement from Sealaska Corporation.
February 13, 2013 – Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) had a few comments about EPA’s role in Bristol Bay and the proposed Pebble Mine during a public meeting in Homer this week, per the Homer Tribune.
February 13, 2013 – Longtime supporter of Bristol Bay, the Filson Company, posted a blog entry about the status of the Bristol Bay effort on Filson Life.
February 10, 2013 – Alaska Native News has more reaction to EPA’s announcement of another planned round of peer review and public comment on the Draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
February 9, 2013 – Ground Truth Trekking has a good piece titled “Confessions of an Earthquake Detective,” which sheds some not-so-flattering light on the minimal attention that the Pebble Limited Partnership paid to the seismic risks found in the Bristol Bay region.
February 9, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports on the reaction from sport and commercial fishermen to EPA’s announcement of another round of peer review and public comments on the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
February 8, 2013 – The Dutch Harbor Fisherman provides coverage of in-region reaction to EPA’s announcement that the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment will undergo another round of peer review and public comment before reaching its final form sometime later in 2013.
February 6, 2013 – Alaska Public Radio has a story about EPA sending the draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment out for another round of peer review and public comments. Listen here.
February 6, 2013 – Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay issued a press release expressing disappointment in EPA’s announced timeline for finishing the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
February 5, 2013 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it will conduct a second peer review and public comment period on the yet-to-be-released revised draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment. The agency intends to finalize the Watershed Assessment in 2013.
February 5, 2013 – Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program issued a press release in response to today’s announcement by U.S. EPA that the agency is moving slowly with the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.
February 5, 2013 – The Associated Press has a story in the Anchorage Daily News about the EPA’s announcement of timeline for next steps before arriving at the final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment, planned for later in 2013.
February 5, 2013 – A Bristol Bay resident wrote an opinion editorial in the Alaska Dispatch regarding how his feelings about the proposed Pebble Mine have changed over the past few years.
February 5, 2013 – The US Fish & Wildlife Service has rejected a proposed land exchange that would have allowed a road to be constructed through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, according to the Associated Press in the Washington Post.
February 4, 2013 – Commercial fishermen from Rhode Island joined with Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay leaders to advocate for protection of Bristol Bay’s fishery from the proposed Pebble Mine, in the eco RI News.
February 1, 2013 – The Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska has got a public comment period open until March 31. Interested parties can comment to the U.S. Forest Service on any adjustments or clarifications needed to the 2008 Forest Plan for the Tongass. Some good talking points may be found through the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.
January 29, 2013 – One of the most ardent supporters of the Bristol Bay campaign is Far Bank Enterprises. Far Bank’s president and CEO, Travis Campbell, was recently honored with the Outdoor Industry Association’s Advocacy Leadership Award.
January 28, 2013 – Here’s a good photo essay showing some of what’s at stake in Bristol Bay, as the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine continues.
January 26, 2013 – The bond between commercial fishermen from New England and Alaska was featured in a story in the Gloucester Times.
January 25, 2013 – A Bristol Bay commercial fisherman who hails from Maine wrote a great letter to the editor in the Bangor Daily News about an old copper mine in Maine that is now a SuperFund site. Check out I, ME, Mine.
January 25, 2013 – In the online political magazine Counter Punch two University of Alaska graduate students delve into the risks vs. rewards, and who will benefit or be harmed, from the proposed Pebble Mine.
January 23, 2013 – The Portland Press Herald highlights a chef from Maine who has joined the efforts to protect Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery.
January 23, 2013 – The Save Bristol Bay blog has an entry today about the positives and the not-so-positives in the State of Alaska’s proposed revisions to the Bristol Bay Area Plan.
January 22, 2013 – Alaska’s Governor Sean Parnell is urging the Legislature to pass bills which would combat perceived “federal overreach” in Alaska’s affairs, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
January 21, 2013 – A commercial fisherman in Bristol Bay has his photographic talents featured on a blog for the New York Times.
January 21, 2013 – The Fairbanks News-Miner discusses Governor Sean Parnell’s desire to have the State of Alaska take over responsibility for wetland permits from the federal government. This would have big implications for the proposed Pebble Mine.
January 20, 2013 – The Arizona Star reports that there is acrimony between the owner of the Liberty Star mining claim (adjacent to the claims for the proposed Pebble Mine) and local contractors hired to perform work for Liberty Star. Just another reminder that there are other massive claims lying in proximity to the Pebble claim, just waiting to see if Pebble is allowed to be developed.
January 17, 2013 – The Environmental Protection Agency released the 2011 Toxic Release Inventory, and Alaska ranks as the number one toxic polluter, due primarily to hard rock mining waste. The report was also covered by a post in the Switchboard blog.
January 17, 2013 – The Switchboard blog discusses how modern mines have problems with leaking, and the proposed Pebble Mine will likely have the same issues in Bristol Bay. Read part two also, which uses some fairly recent examples from the United States.
January 16, 2013 – Alaska Governor Sean Parnell’s state of the State address included asking the Alaska legislature to increase state control over dredge and fill permits (power held by EPA under federal law). Read the transcript here.
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Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay Web site.

January 12, 2013 – The Dallas Morning News sat down with NFL Hall of Famer Larry Csonka about his love of fishing and hunting in Alaska. The piece mentions the threat facing Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine.
January 10, 2013 – Here’s a video that explains the State of Alaska’s Bristol Bay Area Plan which was originally created in 1984, revised drastically (in a very bad way) in 2005, challenged in court and because of a settlement agreement between the State of Alaska and the plaintiffs, will be revised in 2013.
January 10, 2013 – The Alaska Dispatch reports that Bristol Bay residents are critical over the State of Alaska’s proposed revisions to the Bristol Bay Area Plan (see ADN story above on Jan. 4 for details).
January 10, 2013 – The Huffington Post ran a guest editorial about how the EPA can protect Bristol Bay and it’s incredibly prolific wild salmon runs from the dangers of proposed large-scale mining in the region.
January 10, 2013 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports on the concerns that advocates for Bristol Bay’s fisheries have over the State of Alaska’s proposed revisions to the Bristol Bay Area Plan.
January 8, 2013 – Iconic actor Robert Redford wrote a guest editorial in the Huffington Post, stating flatly that “It’s Time to Stop the Pebble Mine.
January 8, 2013 – Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) is threatening to subpoena the EPA over documents related to the Bristol Bay watershed assessment process, per this story by KDLG radio.
January 8, 2013 – Watch the trailer for Magnetic North, by Alaska FlyOut. 4 unique stories of fishing in different parts of Alaska, including the Bristol Bay region, will be posted on this site over the coming months. Stay tuned – this looks to be great!
January 5, 2013 – A Bristol Bay commercial fisherwoman and a Bristol Bay sport fishing lodge owner teamed up to write a terrific opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News about how, despite claims to the contrary, enough is known about the proposed Pebble Mine to indicate that the developers have a plan.
January 4, 2013 – Steven Rinella, host of the Meat Eater television show, teams up with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership on this video about management of the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska. Watch the video to learn about a balanced management plan for the NPR-A that considers high-quality habitat for game, fish, and waterfowl.
January 4, 2013 – The Bristol Bay Times includes a look back at 2012, the year in Alaska fisheries.
January 4, 2013 – The Anchorage Daily News reports that the State of Alaska is accepting public comments on the proposed revisions to the Bristol Bay Area Plan for the next 90 days, concluding on April 4, 2013.

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