Last night I went to see the “Last Salmon” where we watched several short films and had a discussion about the Pebble Mine proposal in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Bristol Bay is the largest, most pristine and one of the last remaining salmon habitats on our planet. It provides half the salmon supply to the entire world, and has been the livelihood for the indigenous people that live there for over 10,000 years.
Northern Dynasty Minerals, a Canadian corporation had proposed developing a huge gold and copper mine above the headwaters of Bristol Bay. Studies showed that this would endanger the fish and other habitat and the permits were denied by Obama’s EPA in 2014.
While this mine might offer work for a few decades, it would give little work to the locals. When a mine closes down, the owners leave with their bank accounts overflowing, but the tailing ponds and dams are left behind. These will remain toxic forever. These ponds are so toxic that entire flocks of water birds die almost instantly if they have the misfortune to land in them.
After a short visit between Trump and Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, earlier warnings from the EPA were ignored, and they are trying to do a rush on pushing the permits through regardless of the consequences.
Even if there was not a natural disaster that could cause demise to the world’s salmon supply, every copper mine poisons the nearby aquifers. There are up to 35 tailing dams failures annually in the world. Even trace amounts of copper in the water can disorient the salmon and keep them from being able to spawn.
Join your voice with others - call your congressman, call Mike Dunleavy, Call Trump’s Environmental Destruction Agency and tell them, “No Pebble Mine!”

Deborah Abercrombie
Nordland