Plans for North America’s largest-ever open pit copper-gold mine threaten the largest and most productive wild salmon fishery in the world in and around Bristol Bay, which American Rivers listed today as America’s #8 most endangered river for 2006. The annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers report highlights ten rivers facing a major turning point in the coming year, where action by citizens can make a huge difference for both community well-being and river health.
The Bristol Bay watershed is an intricate system of lakes, streams, and rivers southwest of Anchorage, Alaska that remains remarkably unchanged by human activity. The watershed is an integral part of the state’s economy and has provided sustainable jobs, subsistence foods, and other benefits to Native Alaskans—including the Yupik Eskimos, Aleuts and Athabascan Indians—for generations.
The Kvichak River is home to the single largest salmon run on the planet. The Nushagak River hosts the largest king salmon run in Alaska. The region’s spectacular salmon runs result in an annual catch numbering in the tens of millions. The area also includes Alaska’s first designated trophy trout area, attracting more wilderness recreation than any other area of the state. The Mulchatna Caribou herd migrates right inside proposed area, and its numbers are dwindling and needs more protection.
Former Alaska governor Jay Hammond, before he passed on in 2005 called this the worst possible place in the world to even think about the possibility of the largest open pit mine in North America, and the largest earthen dam, to hold toxic waste.
Northern Dynasty Mines, a Canadian mining company has already poured roughly $70 million into this project since it staked the rights back in the mid 90's and will say and do anything to get this project underway regardless of what can happen to the area in terms of toxic waste, wild salmon habitat destruction, caribou, moose, brown bear, and many other wildlife grazing and hunting grounds. And they also added that being a Canadian mining company, they are void of being held responsible through US courts, and therefore will not have the burden to fund or help with clean up should something bad, like an earthquake, because the area lies in the "ring of fire", volcanoes and fault lines that are active and unpredictable.
My opinion, this is a win-win situation for Northern Dynasty should this project go through, and a lose everything for Bristol Bay residents. But that is just my opinion.

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