Summer 2010
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| |  Hello everyone,By the time you read this it will be full-on summer, and we hope you'll find plenty of time to wet a line in some of the world-class sport fishing spots that Alaska offers. It was a busy winter and spring for TU-AK. Working with a diverse and strong group of allies from throughout Alaska, we persuaded legislators in Juneau to appropriate $750,000 for an independent, third-party study of the proposed Pebble Mine project and the impacts it could have on the Bristol Bay region. We also got the Alaska Board of Fisheries to adopt a statewide phase-out of felt sole wading products -- the first in the nation to help keep Alaska's freshwater rivers, lakes and streams free of invasive species. TU-AK was also out in the community at a range of public events from Anchorage to Soldotna to Kodiak, spreading the message about how to get involved in the fight to protect Bristol Bay. We have a lot more on tap for the summer, so read on and please get in touch, we can always use another helping hand. Thanks for supporting TU-AK. Paula Dobbyn, Director of Communications pdobbyn@tu.org |
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 In the final moments of the 2010 legislative session in Juneau, lawmakers approved $750,000 for an independent study of the proposed Pebble Mine project in the Bristol Bay watershed. Kodiak Rep. Alan Austerman, who represents one of the nation's largest fishing hubs along with several Bristol Bay villages near the deposit, requested the funding. "A mine of this magnitude, in this place, will have impacts to the region and its residents that are staggering," said Austerman, according to the Kodiak Daily Mirror. "To this date, the state of Alaska has declined to take up any kind of analysis of the socioeconomic impacts, good or bad." No specific third party has been identified to conduct the study, but the National Academy of Sciences has frequently been cited as a strong possibility.  BLM Urged to Keep Federal Lands Near Pebble Off-Limits to Mining 
Trout Unlimited Alaska, along with nearly 300 hunting and fishing groups, welcomed a request by the current and former chairmen of the House Interior Appropriations Committee that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) protect federal lands near Bristol Bay from hard rock mining. »Read More
Alaska Becomes First State to Ban Felt Soled Wading Gear In March, the Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted a statewide phase-out of felt soled wading products, effective Jan. 1, 2012. The move makes Alaska the first state in the nation to enact such a statewide measure, which is aimed at guarding against the spread of aquatic invasive species. »Read More Help keep aquatic invasive species out of Alaska's waters. Take the Clean Angling Pledge. Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Rejects Protection for Koktuli River  Some places deserve special protection based on their remoteness and remarkable qualities; the Koktuli River in Southwest Alaska is among these places. Unfortunately, and somewhat ironically, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) seems to disagree. »Read More Savor Bristol Bay - Summer 2010  Trout Unlimited will mark the start of the Bristol Bay fishing season with a Savor Bristol Bay event at the South Anchorage Farmer's Market on Saturday, June 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.The public is invited to watch and taste how some of Anchorage's top chefs prepare Bristol Bay salmon and learn new tricks for filleting salmon at home. Families with children are welcome to bring the kids for activities related to Bristol Bay salmon. The event will serve as the kick-off for Trout Unlimited's monthly Savor Bristol Bay farmer's market booth, which will travel to different farmer's markets around the Alaska Railbelt this summer. Savor Bristol Bay will move beyond Alaska, as it has for several summers now. From July 4-10, Trout Unlimited will bring Bristol Bay salmon and its story to the Pacific Northwest for a weeklong Savor Bristol Bay celebration in Seattle and Portland. Stay tuned to www.whywild.org and www.savebristolbay.org for details. TU Visits Commercial Fishing and Sportsmen's Shows  Trout Unlimited Alaska engaged the public at Kodiak ComFish, the largest commercial fishing trade show in the state, in March. TU had a booth at the multi-day event, screened the award-winning documentary about Bristol Bay, Red Gold, and hosted a catered Bristol Bay wild salmon reception. Classically trained French chef Joel Chenet of Kodiak served some 1,000 salmon appetizers to a very appreciative crowd at the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center. Thank you, Chef Chenet.We were also very well received at the Great Alaska Sportsman's Show in Anchorage in April and at the Kenai Peninsula Sports and Recreation Show in Soldotna in May. Stay up to date with the Save Bristol Bay campaign at www.savebristolbay.org/calendar. TU Collaborates on New Photo Exhibit about Life in Bristol Bay  Seasons of Subsistence is a new documentary photography project that explores the unique subsistence culture of Alaska Native residents of Bristol Bay. By following several families and communities in Bristol Bay, photographer Nick Hall, in collaboration with Trout Unlimited's Alaska Program, has created an audio-visual archive, which examines a way of life and a group of people who remain intimately bound to the land and its natural cycles.A five-part project, Seasons of Subsistence highlights the year-round nature of subsistence life and draws attention to concerns about modern influences on traditional cultural knowledge. The Silverbow in Juneau featured the exhibit during April. To learn more about this project, please visit seasonsofsubsistence.org. TU's Ad Campaign Aims to Educate about Risks from Pebble  If you live in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau or on the Kenai, you've probably noticed our ads on the airwaves, in print and online. TU Alaska has launched a media campaign in the Railbelt and state capital in March aimed at raising awareness about the threats to Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine. The ads, each tagged with "One Pebble Can Create a Lot of Waves," will run until early September. If you've missed them, you can see them at our campaign web site or on our Facebook pages: facebook.com/savebristolbay or facebook.com/troutunlimitedalaska.Deadliest Catch Captain Sig Hansen Speaks to Trout Magazine  You've seen him command the F/V Northwestern in the Discovery Channel's hit series, Deadliest Catch. Or maybe you caught Capt. Sig Hansen's appearance on the Jay Leno Show on April 30 to promote his new book, "North by Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters." In spite of his growing popularity and busy schedule, Capt. Sig took time to sit down with Trout magazine in the Spring 2010 issue to discuss his opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine. TU Members - Check out the Spring 2010 issue of Trout for the full story. Not a TU member? Become one today. New Video about Salmon Near Pebble Deposit Trout Unlimited Alaska produced a short video recently about the salmon research it sponsored last summer in the Bristol Bay watershed near the Pebble deposit. Fisheries biologist Sarah O'Neal and her boss on this assignment, Dr. Carol Ann Woody, spent the final weeks of the summer surveying streams in and around the Pebble deposit. They found that salmon are present virtually everywhere around the deposit. In 2009, they nominated 64 new miles of stream for inclusion in the Anadromous Waters Catalog, the state's official list of salmon-producing waterbodies. »Watch the Video TU Sponsors Fly Fishing Boot Camp for Alaska Native Youth  Recreational fishing in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska is big business. Angling for some of the world's best salmon, trophy rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, Arctic char and Arctic grayling, among other species, generates up to $80 million annually and provides hundreds of seasonal jobs. Unfortunately, local residents, particularly Alaska Natives, have played a small part in this lucrative and sustainable industry.To help diversify the regional economy and provide Alaska Natives with the tools and opportunities to participate in the Bristol Bay sport fishing and lodge industry, Trout Unlimited and its partners will run a fishing guide academy this August at the Ekwok Lodge on the Nushagak River. »Read More Help sponsor a Student at this years Fly Fishing Academy - contact Nelli Williams for more details. |
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