The Bristol Bay Alliance is a group of fishermen, business owners and local citizens working to help ensure that the people who live, work, and play in the Bristol Bay region have the most influential voice of any group regarding the future of our land and waters.
An open pit mine would threaten our communities by polluting the rivers that provide us with clean drinking water and bountiful fish. The Pebble mine is not a done deal. We want to have a voice in what happens in our backyard.
The Bristol Bay Alliance will develop a strong, cohesive voice that must be recognized by the decision makers in our government agencies. We will also provide a place for our members to speak out and express their concerns. We will provide the tools needed to make sure your opinion is heard. This organization is open to all concerned individuals, tribal councils, village councils, native corporations, and private business owners that do not want to see the Bristol Bay area become an industrialized and heavily polluted mining district.
Our Mission: The Bristol Bay Alliance will ensure that the people who live, work, and play in the Bristol Bay region have the most influential voice of any group regarding the future of our land and waters. We will educate people on the potential dangers and consequences of open pit mining in an area that depends heavily on clean water, healthy spawning grounds, and pristine habitat.
Our slogan: “Pure water is more precious than gold!”
The mining companies have stated that the toughest part of any project is the permitting process. The people that are the most influential in the permitting process are the local residents and local businesses in the area of the proposed mine. It is very difficult to obtain a permit without local support. Proposed mines throughout the U.S. and all over the world have been stopped because of strong local opposition.
We also need help from the commercial fishing industry that depends upon healthy salmon returns for their livelihood. The commercial fishing industry of Bristol Bay is envied by all other commercial fisheries in the world. The price of salmon will rebound as news of the downsides of farmed fish continues to hit the media. Fresh Alaska Wild Salmon will be the most sought after commercial fish for decades to come. This will not happen if we allow our spawning grounds to become polluted by a massive mining district.
Many people from around the world travel to the Bristol Bay area in the summer to fish, sightsee, and view the wildlife of the area. Visitors like these can help the Bristol Bay Alliance through contacting their local Trout Unlimited chapters, their US Senators and Representatives, and through financial donations.
Your financial support will help us to continue to sponsor presentations to the many villages of Bristol Bay by experts in the mining industry. These presentations are vital to inform villagers of the destructive and polluting nature of the mining industry, and how dangerous it would be for an area as ecologically sensitive as Bristol Bay.
To date we have organized fifteen of our presentations, resulting in overwhelming support for our efforts to educate the public on the hazards of open pit mining.
This is crucial as the mining companies have been promoting these mines and claiming "No net fish loss" and promising many jobs for the villages. Once the people of these villages actually see what a mine looks like and realize that the industry is destructive, they will decide to take a stance against the mines.
In fact, at least four village, including the village nearest the proposed Pebble pit, have passed strong resolutions against this mining district and in defense of their communities, clean water and subsistence resources.
I am asking that you join us to help strengthen our voice as we all stand up for in the common values of this region. There is strength in numbers! We want to be able to tell our Governor that we do not want to lose this area.
Join us and learn more about the history and risks of open pit mining…
