Save Bristol Bay Wants Alaskans To Keep Fighting

The following press release is courtesy of Save Bristol Bay:

Dear friends of Bristol Bay:

Some of you might be wondering, how did the results of the midterm election change our ability to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine?

Before diving into what’s new, here’s what’s unchanged: Most Alaskans, from across the political spectrum, recognize that constructing a massive, permanently damaging mine at the headwaters of the Bristol Bay fishery is a culturally senseless and economically irresponsible idea.

Still, this election will have implications for our work. First, we will soon have a Governor for whom Pebble’s CEO himself campaigned. Second, despite truly incredible volunteer-driven efforts of its backers, Ballot Measure 1, which would have protected wild salmon habitat statewide and provided a higher standard that Pebble Mine would have had to meet, failed to get the votes that were needed to be put into law.

While disappointing, the fight is far from over. We’ve always known that the path to protecting Bristol Bay needed to be multi-pronged, and the ballot measure was just one of several strategies.

The silver lining? In speaking with thousands of Alaskans leading up to the election, one thing became and remains crystal clear: Alaskans agree protections for wild salmon are needed – especially in Bristol Bay. It’s in how we implement these protections where we disagree. On election day, we learned that the ballot measure wasn’t what Alaskans wanted. But we also learned in the process that, with respect to our salmon, we have more in common than we differ.

Regardless of who is in office, our community of Bristol Bay advocates continue to hold the power of shaping a fish-filled future for Bristol Bay and Alaska. But our power is in numbers and we need you to stay with us.

With new leadership, our ability to demonstrate continuous, wide-spread public opposition to the ill-conceived Pebble mine proposal is more important than ever.

A key way you can help ensure this is a success is simply to stay informed and to participate.

Do you use social networks? Please follow us. The updates and calls to action we post to our facebook page and send out via email truly make a difference for this campaign. It may seem insignificant to send an email from one of our automated forms to a decision maker, but they each make a difference. We’ll never waste your time or ask you if it isn’t truly important.

Ask your friends to get involvedFor many in the Lower 48, helping to protect Bristol Bay can be as easy as signing our pledge and responding to the quick and easy requests we send out in our emails. An informational video of what’s at stake and short pledge are available for you to share on your social networks or through a quick email at this page.

Have an idea or a question? We always welcome thoughts from our community. Call our office any time (907-770-1776) or reply to this email.

Together, we will ensure the fish-based cultures and jobs of Bristol Bay are protected. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to continuing to work along-side you in 2019 and beyond.

Sincerely,

Team SBB

P.S. Show your support with a ‘No Pebble Mine’ sticker! Order one here.