Bristol Bay: Wilderness or Open Pit Copper Mine?
Bristol Bay
This is Bristol Bay, a beautiful watershed in Alaska. It's home to some of the largest salmon runs in the world, breaking records and exceeding 50 million fish annually. Grizzlies, wolves, and bald eagles depend on these salmon for food. The nearby land is the calving grounds for the Mulchatna caribou herd, one of the largest in all of Alaska. The nearby wetlands support many endangered species, such as Steller's eider, rock ptarmigans, Arctic terns, swans, emperor geese, and sandhill cranes. Two rivers, Kvichak and Nushugak are linked to this bay.
It's a beautiful place, an untouched wilderness full of animals.
All of that is in danger.
http://yubanet.com/usa/NRDC-Launches-BioGem-Campaign-to-Save-Alaska-s-Bristol-Bay.php
It's a beautiful place, an untouched wilderness full of animals.
All of that is in danger.
http://yubanet.com/usa/NRDC-Launches-BioGem-Campaign-to-Save-Alaska-s-Bristol-Bay.php
The salmon in the above picture swim through Bristol Bay every year to spawn. These wild salmon generate $445 million dollars annually through fishing (commercial and subsistence), tourism, and hunting. However, if this mine is put in place, the mined copper will interfere with the salmon's ability to find their way to their home stream.