Trout Unlimited has launched a media campaign in Alaska’s population centers — Fairbanks, Anchorage, Kenai and Juneau — aimed at raising awareness about the threats to Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble mine. The television, radio, print and online ads will run until early September.

Watch a sample TV spot.

Protecting the Mon is incredibly important…having the West Virginia council take a stance on illustrates just how special this place is.

Read the press release

Here’s the rub: When the Forest Service allowed the leasing of the area a few years back, it allowed energy companies to lease land based on a 1997 environmental impact statement. Never mind that new rules were put in place in 2003 that were meant to protect riparian habitat along streams. In TU’s opinion, the rules put forth in 2003 should have been followed, and, quite honestly, they would have helped ensure responsible development of our fossil fuels in that region.

The 1997 EIS has no stipulations for riparian protection. That’s not good enough when you’re talking about the stellar fisheries habitat in Diamond Fork Canyon that includes a reintroduced stronghold of Bonneville cutthroat trout. Strawberry Reservoir is Utah’s No. 1 recreational fishery–trashing the habitat around the reservoir, including some vital spawning streams for kokanee salmon and cutthroat trout–is not something TU members in Utah are too keen on.

But, as is almost always the case, going to court is a last resort. TU has attempted to sit down with some of the lease holders, and we’re sensing signs of life.  But we’re not willing to compromise irreplacable fisheries in the region, especially when the rules in place support our position. Stay tuned.

This is a no-brainer for anyone who cares about wild places and wild trout. Take action today: Write the BLM and let them know you want this rugged, spectacular canyon protected for future generations.

Hamilton had served in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for more than 30 years, including in a number of positions where he worked directly with TU volunteers and staff.
“Sam Hamilton was a warm, engaging, splendid conservationist,” said Steve Moyer, TU’s vice president of government affairs. He was a leader in moving our nation’s fish and wildlife conservation efforts toward a landscape scale approach. But what he did best was build lasting partnerships. Sam was gifted at getting diverse interests to work together for the benefit of fish and wildlife resources.”

Hamilton took over the leadership of the FWS in September. He was previously the regional director of the agency’s 10-state Southeast region.

Hamilton first became involved with the agency when he was 15 years old, as a member of the Youth Conservation Corps in Mississippi with the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, His emphasis on partnership activities has bolstered the FWS’s fisheries program and helped establish the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership, one of the founding partnerships of the National Fish Habitat Initiative, to restore vital aquatic habitats across the southeast region.

Hamilton provided key leadership and oversight to the Interior Department’s restoration work in the Everglades, the nation’s fabled “River of Grass” and the largest ecosystem restoration project in the country. He oversaw the extensive recovery and restoration efforts required following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which devastated coastal wetlands, wildlife refuges, and other wildlife habitat areas along the Gulf of Mexico.
“We will miss him, but we draw inspiration from his life and legacy,” said Moyer.

(Credit: Michael Penn, Juneau Empire)

Trout Unlimited is leading efforts in Alaska to ban felt-sole wading shoes to cut down on communicable fish diseases from spreading into the state’s largely pristine waters. A ban in Southeast Alaska takes effect next year and TU is encouraging the Alaska Board of Fisheries to extend it statewide at its next meeting in March. Read more:

Trout Unlimited today nominated the Koktuli River in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed as an Outstanding National Resource Water, a designation that affords the highest protection to the river’s pristine water quality and highly productive fish habitat.
An Outstanding National Resources Water (ONRW) is a designation under the Clean Water Act that aims to protect high-quality waters for existing uses. By designating a river or stream as an ONRW, no new or increased pollution discharges can occur within that body of water or any tributary.
ONRW designations are enacted under the anti-degradation provisions of the Clean Water Act. Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) is charged with overseeing Alaska’s anti-degradation policies, including identifying ONRWs with help from the public.
“An ONRW designation for the Koktuli makes sense given the river’s extreme value to the Alaska fishing industry, to the outdoor industry, and to local residents who depend on wild salmon for nutrition and cultural reasons. Our nomination is especially timely in light of the recent water permit violations by the Pebble Partnership which is planning to develop a huge open-pit mine near the Koktuli,” said Tim Bristol, director of Trout Unlimited in Alaska.

Download the press release, the nomination summary, the full nomination,  and a map of the area.

The foreign-owned companies hoping to develop the massive Pebble copper and gold mine near Bristol Bay received a $45,000 fine recently for illegally extracting water from outside their permit boundaries. This doesn’t bode well for the wild salmon or trophy rainbow trout for which Bristol Bay is reknown.

Read more.

(Photo by Ben Knight)

The battle over the proposed Pebble Mine is heating up in the Alaska legislature, according to public radio station KTOO. The Alaska Board of Fisheries recently asked lawmakers for an independent review of the state’s mining permit system and for tougher environmental standards if needed. Bristol Bay residents came to the capital this week to express both concern and support for the review.  Listen to the story. Learn more.