Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska

September 16, 2014 Newsletter

Welcome to the latest edition of the SAA News. As you can imagine, things have been extremely busy since the public comment period on EPA’s proposed commonsense restrictions on mining the Pebble deposit in the Bristol Bay region is open until September 19. Be sure to take action below if you haven’t already – and share the action alert with anyone who you feel will do this small but important thing to protect Bristol Bay. In other big news, three of the biggest names in hunting conservation have joined the chorus of “wrong mine, wrong place” when it comes to the Pebble project. You can always check the Latest News page for a comprehensive collection of updates on issues of interest to anglers and hunters and the Last Frontier.

Bristol Bay: Action Alert – THIS IS IT – Final comment period ends Friday, Sept. 19!

Naknek River trophy rainbow trout / credit: Ted Bryant

In football terms, it’s late in the 4th quarter and we are deep in the red zone. The EPA released its proposed determination to restrict disposal of mine waste in the waters around the Pebble deposit in Bristol Bay in July.

EPA is using its authority under the Clean Water Act, and you have until this Friday to submit an official comment to help protect Bristol Bay.

This is the FINAL public comment period, so after you take action make sure you tell all your family and friends to do the same!

Heavyweights of the Hunting World Come Out Against Pebble Mine

Three of the most well-known and respected minds in hunting conservation have reached the same conclusion as so many in the sporting world have: Pebble Mine is simply the wrong future for southwest Alaska’s famed Bristol Bay region. See the press release on this exciting development.

Read an interview with former Safari Club International president John Jackson, III of Conservation Force on where this debate fits among the globe’s top hunting conservation threats.
Renowned conservationist and wildlife biologist Shane Mahoney held a Q&A on the Pebble Mine controversy, providing a preview to his upcoming Sports Afield column on the most important public policy battle in the Great Land.
Craig Boddington is one of today’s most respected outdoor journalists, with dozens of books and thousands of articles and essays published. In a sneak preview of an article coming in the October issue of Alaska Sporting Journal, he discusses his experiences in the Bristol Bay region and why we must stop the Pebble Mine.

More Bristol Bay Notes

Fishing for char with a bear downstream / credit: Chef Sean

The Alaska program of Trout Unlimited issued a press release summarizing the overwhelming testimony in favor of EPA action to protect Bristol Bay that was given at public hearings in Anchorage and several Bristol Bay villages in August.
The proposed Pebble Mine campaign is covered by Salon.com with special emphasis on how lifelong conservative Alaskans have embraced the EPA becoming involved in the controversy.
The Executive Director for the United Tribes of Bristol Bay wrote an opinion editorial in the Bristol Bay Times thanking the EPA for their actions that could protect Bristol Bay.
The President/CEO of the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp. wrote an opinion editorial praising the EPA for its engagement in the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine in the Alaska Dispatch News.

Tongass Timber Sale on Prince of Wales Island Contested in Lawsuit

Despite tens of thousands of public comments against the project, the U.S. Forest Service approved the massive Big Thorne timber sale—the largest old-growth clear-cutting project in the Tongass rainforest in more than a decade. In response, two lawsuits were filed by EarthJustice – one challenging the sale itself, and the other challenging the forest-wide Tongass Land Management Plan. While the USFS has stated its intention to transition away from harvesting old growth timber in the Tongass, a sale like Big Thorne is not a step in that direction.

Miscellany: Other Stuff Around Alaska

The August issue of Sporting Classics magazine features an article about ptarmigan hunting by E. Donnall Thomas, Jr.
Artist and 30-year Bristol Bay fishing guide Bob White provides a look at how the 2014 season has gone in Bristol Bay in this journal entry.
This year’s Bristol Bay River Academy, where young residents of the Bristol Bay region learn skills to enter the sport fish guiding industry, is featured in Angling Trade magazine.
SAA Director Scott Hed was interviewed for the Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast by Tom Rosenbauer (segment starts just past 24:00 mark).
Video: Check out the new trailer for The Breach, a film about salmon conservation in the Pacific Northwest. There’s a healthy dose of Alaska in the movie.

Other Ways to Support SAA and the Fight for Fishing and Hunting in Alaska

SAA is grateful for the generous support of individuals, businesses, and foundations. Your donations allow SAA to continue to work on efforts to protect prime fishing and hunting habitats in the Last Frontier for the benefit of current and future sportsmen and women. Make your donations online at the secure online donation page; all amounts are accepted and appreciated – SAA is a lean, mean, one-man operation but it takes funding to do this work. For donations of the following amounts, please include “SAA” and indicate what item you’d like to receive in the “comment” box on the donation page.

BONUS: All donations of $50 or more will receive a copy of Equilibrium on DVD by Castaway Films!

$20 Waypoints DVD from Confluence Films ($30 value) or No Pebble Mine trucker hat (NEW)
$125 4-in-1 Alaska or Fab Four - Alaskan September giclee print by Derek DeYoung (13” x 19”) ($120 value)
$150 Abel "No Pebble Mine" nippers with lanyard ($125 value)
Note: Abel will produce a run based on how many we need, so time lag involved.


$20 – DVD	$20 – Trucker Hat	$150 – Abel Nippers

Alaska by Derek DeYoung
$125 - “4-in-1 Alaska” by Derek DeYoung

$125 - “Fab Four – Alaskan September” by Derek DeYoung

(If you have any questions on how to donate, e-mail scott@sportsmansalliance4ak.org.)

Do You Shop on Amazon.com? Help Alaska Conservation – Easy and Free!!!

SAA’s parent organization – the Alaska Conservation Foundation – is now an official recipient organization of Amazon Donations.

It’s super easy to make a donation and doesn’t cost you a thing!

Amazon will automatically donate 0.5% of your total purchases to ACF.

Thanks for caring about Alaska conservation. Your support and actions will ensure a future for Alaska’s fish and game and for coming generations of sportsmen and women to enjoy them.

Sincerely,

Scott Hed
Director – Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska

Scott Hed, Director, Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska