Pebble Update: Gear Up!

***This blog has been updated since its original publish date of 2/22/19 to reflect the opening of the comment period on 3/1/19 and again to include our Wildly Devoted Dinner Box on 3/15/19.***

Ready to submit your comment today? The public comment period to share that you are STILL opposed to Pebble Mine is now open. Please tell the agency reviewing Pebble’s most important permit to follow the science and stop the mine. Click here to comment right now.

 Need a bit more background to write a personal, effective comment? More information below: 

This year is the International Year of the Salmon, a collective action that “sets out to protect salmon by bringing countries together to share knowledge, raise public awareness and take action,” according to NOAA Fisheries. It’s a global celebration of this unique, andramonous fish and all its species--those that are thriving and those that are not, like the wild Atlantic Salmon.

Oregon-based Wild Salmon Center additionally calls 2019 The Year to Protect Bristol Bay. We think so often about salmon that this year doesn’t feel much different than others. That being said, The International Year of the Salmon is bringing critical attention to New England’s salmon history, while, at the same time the strong threats to Bristol Bay somehow continue to build in importance and significance to our livelihood.

About 50% of our annual product sold is Sockeye Salmon, that we catch along with our fleet in Bristol Bay. Selfishly, putting this at risk puts our livelihood on the chopping block. More broadly, as many of our longtime Bristol Bay Bulletin readers already know, Pebble Mine could bring the world’s most sustainable and prolific salmon run to an end. And it could do so within five years.

That imminent reality is the real news here. The threat of Pebble Mine is not new, but the reality of ground being broken is stronger than it has ever been despite the good news that yet another investor pulled out of the project recently. Those who are willing to peel back the layers and understand mining, to hear out Tom Collier and the Pebble Partnership, may see where they are coming from and understand the other side. After all, there is, and forever will be, a lot of copper ore in the ground at the headwaters of Bristol Bay.

But, as we saw in Brazil last month, it is not worth it. Many people (upwards of 300) died after a tailings dam burst at a mining project operated by Vale SA in Brumadinho, Brazil, which also devestated the surrounding environment. The swift reaction of the government’s Mining Agency to “to ban upstream tailings dams used for storing mining waste” should be a clear bell to both our Alaska and American governments that a dam of similar scale is such a precious place should have been off the table... yesterday. And, clearly, a mining project would affect much more than just our sockeye portions, particularly the people living a traditional way of life and culture that call the Bristol Bay watershed home. 

Now, with another year in the ongoing fight, the question is:

What are we going to do about it?

Our answer is bolstering our efforts to protect wild salmon and wild places.

Last month we announced that we are Wildly Devoted and donating 1% of each sale made at Wild for Salmon to organizations dedicated to these causes. Thank you to all our seafood lovers who help make our donations possible.

That’s what we’re doing about it at Wild for Salmon, now what can you do about it?

Well, as always, we invite you to order wild seafood from our online store, 1% of which will be donated for you. Most importantly, though, we ask that you prepare to

MAKE A COMMENT TO STOP PEBBLE MINE

during the upcoming comment period. The Army Corps of Engineers has released their draft EIS statement, or draft Environmental Impact Statement. The document is extremely long, and the public comment period to weigh in on it entails will begin on March 1. Be sure to follow our social or sign up for the Save Bristol Bay newsletter to stay up-to-date.  

The last time you left a comment was, likely, letting them know what to include in their EIS in the spring of 2018. As explained in this great article by the Trustees for Alaska, outlining how to participate most effectively:

“your comments can alter what the agency must consider or address, potentially change the project, and hold decision makers accountable. Speaking out means keeping the agency from ignoring your concerns.”

Yes, we’ve asked you this before, and we’re so grateful for the pressure you’ve all laid on this fight for close to a decade now --  which is exactly why we are counting on you to join us for this next round of comments. Keep your eyes peeled on our social channels, Facebook and Instagram, for the announcements that the time as come to speak out against Pebble Mine again during this International Year of the Salmon.

While we wait for the comment period to open and this winter drags on, visit the United Tribes of Bristol Bay website for a press release on the news, deck yourself out in this United Tribes of Bristol Bay hoodie and receive a No Pebble sticker! Living out on the east coast, it always exciting and encouraging to see other folks rocking this sticker on I-80.  

Thanks for all you do to keep us Wildly Devoted. Stay tuned for even more ways to get involved, stay involved and involve your family and friends in this epic fight to protect wild salmon. Wild for Salmon wants to share salmon with you and your community in order to tell its invaluable story. We’re so grateful to have you on board.

Need some support and nutrients to get this done? Order the Wildly Devoted Dinner Box which includes: 

• 8 – 6 oz. Sockeye Salmon Portions
• 1 – Tom Douglas “Rub with Love” seasoning
• 1 each – Traditional smoked salmon and garlic pepper smoked salmon
• 1 – 8 oz. container Cajun Smoked Dip
• 2 – recipes
• 8 – comment cards
• A summary from Trout Unlimited
• A personal letter from Steve and Jenn Kurian
• 8 – Wildly Devoted Stickers

 Eat well, do good! 

Here is the link to submit your comment. We will need over one million comments to be heard in this process being rushed in favor of the Pebble Limited Partnership. Tell the Army Corps that the only option that will protect Bristol Bay is the ‘No Action Alternative’, and then tell your representatives, the EPA, and the President of the United States. The time is now. Thank you for joining us in protecting our beloved fishery, its environment and its communities.