Bristol Bay and the Pebble Mine

Transcription

1 Grassroots Guide to Protecting Bristol Bay PAGE 1: PHOTO/Contact Info Introduction Bristol Bay, Alaska: An American fishing legacy or future site of North America s largest open-pit mine? As a sportsman, conservationist, or concerned citizen you play a crucial role in determining the future of Bristol Bay and the world s greatest wild salmon fishery. This Guide gives you information about Bristol Bay, the proposed Pebble mine, and outlines three easy ways you can help protect Bristol Bay. The rivers of Bristol Bay are internationally recognized as some of the finest fishing on the planet. Mining giant Anglo American, and its partner, are currently seeking to develop a massive gold, copper and molybdenum prospect, known as Pebble, in the headwaters of Bristol Bay. If Pebble gets developed, it would be the largest open pit mine in North America and it s is a virtual certainty that mine pollution will impact Bristol Bay s prime salmon and rainbow trout habitat, abundant wildlife and local Alaska Native communities. Protecting Bristol Bay s world-class fishery from Pebble is one of the most important coldwater conservation issues of our time. We need you, sportsmen and women across the country, to stand up and demand that Bristol Bay be protected as a conservation legacy that future generations of hunters and anglers can enjoy instead of another chapter in the demise of North America s wild salmon populations. This Guide will help you: LEARN about Bristol Bay and the Pebble Mine. TAKE ACTION to protect this world-class fishery. Host a Red Gold house party or public event Organize people to contact their elected officials Educate your friends and neighbors through the local media KNOW THE FACTS and get answers to your questions. If you have questions, dmeadows@tu.org or call Bristol Bay and the Pebble Mine

2 MAP: Bristol Bay at Risk Map with fact bubbles (we ll see how many fit might have to shorten them): Bristol Bay hosts some of the most productive and unspoiled trout and salmon rivers in the world, most notably the Kvichak and Nushagak Rivers. Both rivers are fed by streams, lakes and wetlands in the proposed Pebble Mine s footprint including Lake Iliamna, Alaska s largest body of freshwater and home to a rare species of freshwater seal. These headwaters are critical spawning and rearing habitat for salmon, and are important coldwater refuges for trout. The Pebble deposit is a vast low-grade deposit of gold and copper that straddles the Kvichak and Nushagak watersheds. According to most recent estimates by mining companies, the Pebble Mine complex, which would cover some 54.5 square miles, would produce between 2.5 and billion tons of waste, including acid and heavy metals that will have to be treated in perpetuity. Over 70 fishing lodges and guiding operations are based in the region. The internationally recognized sport fishery contributes $75 million to the economy each year and supports roughly 1,200 jobs. The commercial salmon fishery, sustainably managed for over 125 years, has been the foundation of the local economy for decades, supports over 10,000 jobs, generates over $300 million per year, and is enjoyed by salmon lovers around the world. Salmon sustain a way of life for thousands of local people, including residents of dozens of Alaska Native villages. Alaska s indigenous people have been harvesting Bristol Bay salmon, trout and other subsistence species in the same places, with traditional methods, for generations. No mine of the type and scale of Pebble has ever been built without harming water quality. Local residents are overwhelmingly opposed to Pebble s development. It is obvious that the risks are simply too immense and the water and fish resources are too precious to jeopardize. Take Action: How You Can Help Even though Pebble would be built in a remote corner of Alaska, the impacts of this mine will be far reaching. If you dream of fishing for wild Alaska salmon on a remote river one day, enjoy eating wild, pollution-free salmon or value existing American jobs Pebble has an impact on you. If you do not act to stop the Pebble mine today, in the near future it will likely be too late. Trout Unlimited and its partners are helping to organize local communities, sportsmen and women, businesses, and others to protect Bristol Bay. Recently, sportsmen, Alaska Native tribes, and commercial fishing organizations formally requested that the Environmental Protection Agency implement a little-used tool in the Clean Water Act to prohibit mine waste disposal in the watershed. If you care about the future of wild salmon and hope that places as rugged and wild as Bristol Bay exist for future generations to fish, hunt and enjoy the time to act is NOW.

3 Plan a Red Gold Event Felt Soul Media partnered with Trout Unlimited s Alaska Program in the summer of 2008 and spent 68 days in Bristol Bay following the world s largest run of sockeye salmon. The film crew interviewed people who depend on this massive migration and explored the raging salmon vs. gold debate. The result? Red Gold, a cutting-edge, award-winning documentary that has captured the hearts of many and inspired action by thousands. The Red Gold Road Show toured in major cities across the US the fall of 2011, and now we are asking you to spread the message even farther. Here s what you can do: HOST A RED GOLD HOUSE PARTY The 58-minute film is far from your typical documentary. It has a great soundtrack, epic fishing scenes, and a cast of characters that rivals your favorite T.V. shows. It s a great excuse to invite some friends over, grab some cold beverages, throw some wild salmon on the BBQ and dedicate an evening to helping Bristol Bay. A few tips and ideas: Get a copy of Red Gold by ing dmeadows@tu.org Invite 10 of your closest friends over for a fun evening. Prepare a Bristol Bay salmon appetizer (find recipes and places you can buy salmon at Kick back, relax and watch Red Gold. After the movie, host a discussion about the issue and points brought up in the movie (see Facts Sheets and Red Gold Study Guide). Ask your guests to take action at like Save Bristol Bay on Facebook and/or write a letter to your Senators. See additional ideas that could be adapted to the house party venue below. Get Creative! The party could be anything from an afternoon BBQ to a swanky evening dinner party or a special topic at a club meeting. What ever you dream up will work -- just get folks together to learn about the issue, and ultimately get involved. Lean on us! If you need help or have questions please contact Dwayne Meadows at dmeadows@tu.org. We d be happy to answer questions or give you a hand in planning preparations. SHOW RED GOLD IN YOUR COMMUNITY House party not your thing? What about organizing public showing of Red Gold? It s an excellent way to inspire a larger audience. The event could be as simple as showing the movie at your local club meeting or as extensive as trying to fill a large theater. Whether you have 10 folks or 200 you are helping to make a difference on this issue. A couple of things to consider:

4 Find a Venue It is easiest if you find a location you already have a relationship with or there is an existing captive audience. A couple of ideas: your local Trout Unlimited Chapter meeting, a library or community center, service clubs, a local theater, churches, your local hiking club or conservation organization, your child s school, or businesses that have a community room. Contact the venue and let them know about the event you d like to plan. See if they have space available for a time and date that works for you. We ve found that evenings during the week work best. Advertise - If you d like a lot of people to attend your event, cast a wide net and then do personal one-on-one follow up. A few ways to spread the word include: evites, Facebook event invitations, phone calls, posters, leaflets, media stories, invitations, or announcements at other events. Make the Ask - Typically, people get pretty fired up after seeing the movie and are inspired to find a way they can help. Make it easy for them. Have a sample letter that they can handwrite to their Representative or Senators, a postcard to sign, and a way to collect their contact information. You can find a template letter, sign in sheet and at the back of this guide. At the end of the movie, have a Q&A session and let folks know how they can get involved. It s a good idea to ask for folks to return the letters back to you - helping to ensure they actually get filled out. Once you ve collected these letters, please send them to Save Bristol Bay Campaign Attn: Dwayne Meadows, P.O. Box 238 Corvallis, OR Additional Food for Thought: Invite a variety of people. Think about more than just friends and family. Invite coworkers, hiking buddies, or that person you always see on the elevator. Consider using websites like evite.com or organizing an event page on Facebook which allows you to send reminders and track RSVP s. Snail mailing print invitations is also an option; especially if your target audience isn t too tech savvy, but printing and postage will result in additional out-of-pocket costs. Have paper, sample letters, and pens ready so people can take action while they are at the event. Consider inviting local elected officials to your party (city council members, the mayor, or even your state or federal Senator or Representative). You can find contact information for your elected officials here: Consider inviting local press to the event. You can find a press release template at the back of this guide and we are also available to help you create a media plan for the event. Please contact dmeadows@tu.org Continue the momentum after the event to have even more of an impact. o Send photos and a short write up about the issue and event to your local media contacts and elected officials. Be sure to include why folks in your area should

5 o care about this issue, how they can get more information (visit and what they can do to help. Share photos, videos and other highlights from your event with us ( so we can use them on Facebook and to inspire others. Lean on us! If you need help or have questions please contact us. We d be happy to answer questions or give you a hand in planning preparations (dmeadows@tu.org). Get Creative If you have other ideas for how to get people involved in the movement to protect Bristol Bay don t let us stop you! Let us know what you are thinking and we ll see how we can help out. SIDE BAR: TIPS for Organizing a Successful Event A few tips for making your event a success: Most important things to remember: Know your goals. Work back from the date of your event when you're planning. Look for opportunities to make the event easier. It s all in the Details: Consider recruiting a couple of friends to help it s more fun with a crowd. Set clear goals and objectives, prioritize. For example: Get x people to write Senator. Have x number of people attend. Get an article written in the local newspaper. See a sample plan at the back of this Guide. Create a detailed master task list and a timeline that includes all logistics. Work backwards when creating your timeline - if your event is on June 2nd, think about what has to happen on that day and earlier. See a sample task list at the back of this Guide. Create a budget for the event, if necessary. Create a plan to get folks to the event. Make sure to cast a wide net and then do personal one-on-one follow up. Determine which local media outlets you d like to attend the event, if any, and determine how you will contact them about the event. Make a list of all the materials you will need and create them. We ve done a lot of the work for you already! Check out insert link to save bb page for this to download poster templates, factsheets, template letters, sign-up sheets, and more. Send out thank you notes to everyone that helped. See Sample (link to thank you cards on save bb)

6 Organize people to contact their elected officials There are many ways to communicate with your member of Congress, and it is important to choose the format you feel most comfortable with. Letting your elected officials know that you care about Bristol Bay is what s most important. Below are a few talking points on the issue and some suggested ways to communicate with your Senators and Representatives. Bristol Bay Talking Points (highlighted in text box) Talking points are a good way to organize your thoughts and convey a consistent message on a topic. Below are some suggested talking points for Bristol Bay. Please pick the talking points that resonate most with you and feel free to add in your own personal connections and thoughts when talking with your elected official. 1. The proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska would store 10 billion tons of toxic waste behind the largest earthen dam in the world. It would be three times larger than North America s largest mine, located on the spawning grounds of the last great wild sockeye salmon fishery. Thousands of fishing jobs would be lost, along with the food source that has sustained a native culture for generations. Even without a catastrophe, there are risks of continuous leaks and spills. 2. Bristol Bay s sports and commercial fisheries are worth a combined $500 million a year and provide jobs for 12,000 people. The region also an once-in-a-lifetime destination for anglers and hunters from around the country. (INSERT STATE HERE). Meanwhile, Pebble would provide about 1,000 jobs that would go away once the mine is tapped out. 3. I m not opposed to mining, but this mine is just too risky. The late Republican U.S. Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska and Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington didn t agree on many things, but they agreed that this is the wrong mine in the wrong place. Sportsmen and commercial fisherman have also had their differences over the years, but they stand united on protecting Bristol Bay. Write a good old-fashioned letter For Members of Congress and their staff, mailed letters carry more weight than s or phone calls. Organize a friendly bombardment of letters to your US Senators and Representatives asking for them to support Bristol Bay protection. You can do this by writing a letter and helping your family, friends, TU Chapter members, co-workers and whoever else you can recruit craft and send letters. Try to keep your letter personalized, short, targeted, and informative. In a high security era, mail to Congress in Washington, D.C. now goes through a thorough screening process and takes 4-6 weeks to get there. You may want to

7 consider sending your letter to the local district office or you can mail it to us and we will hand deliver it for you on our next trip: Send letters to Dwayne Meadows, or PO Box 238 Corvallis OR Components of an effective letter: 1) State your purpose for writing the letter in the first paragraph. 2) Be courteous, to the point, and include key information, using examples to support your position. 3) Address only one issue in each letter; and, if possible, keep the letter to one page. How to address your letter: For a Senator: The Honorable (full name), (Rm.#) (name of) Senate Office Building United States Senate Washington, DC Dear Senator: For a Representative: The Honorable (full name) (Rm.#) (name of)house Office Building United States House of Representatives Washington, DC Dear Representative: Note: When writing to the Chair of a Committee or the Speaker of the House, it is proper to address them as: Dear Mr. Chairman or Madam Chairwoman: or Dear Madam Speaker:

8 Sample Letter: Honorable Senator Senate Office Building District of Columbia Dear Senator, As a sportsman who values the health of Bristol Bay, Alaska, I urge you to add your support to the Environmental Protection Agency s (EPA) decision to conduct a Watershed Assessment. I strongly believe the government should protect the bay and its precious natural resources, but I also understand that EPA must make decisions based on the facts. The agency is making a wise choice to conduct a scientific review, and gather public input from all stakeholders, before making a final determination on how to proceed. I believe the science will demonstrate that the world s largest wild salmon fishery and one of North America s largest open pit mines cannot coexist. As you know, the numerous existing industries in Bristol Bay employ thousands of people each season. Commercial fisherman, hunters, sport fishermen, and small business owners rely on the bay s fishery to make a living. If we allow Pebble mine to move forward without asking the right questions first, this project could be a job killer for Alaska and the nation. In the case of Bristol Bay, EPA has the authority to protect America s natural resources, jobs and the regional economy. As your constituent, I urge you to support EPA s Watershed Assessment so the agency can do what s right for the bay and best for the fishery we all rely on. Sincerely, Name Address

9 Give your Senator or Representative s Office a call. To find your senators and representative s phone numbers visit or or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) and ask for your senators and/or representative s office. Remember that a staff member, not the member of Congress, usually takes telephone calls. Ask to speak with the staff that handles the fisheries, natural resources or environment issues. After identifying yourself, tell the aide you would like to leave a brief message, such as: Please tell Senator/Representative (Name) that I support protecting Bristol Bay s fish and wildlife for future generations of sportsmen and women and I encourage him/her to support the EPA moving forward with a 404c action in Bristol Bay. You will also want to state reasons for your support of the issue (see the talking points on page 6). Ask for your senators or representative s position on the issue. You may also request a written response to your telephone call. Organize a Photo Petition Photo petitions or postcards are a useful way to illustrate local support for this issue. It literally puts a face to the name for the member of Congress and their staff. During an event, meeting, or with a group of friends, use a dry erase board and ask people to write their own message on the board and sign their name and full address (more than just city and state, as above, is really useful.) Take their picture and let them know you will deliver it to their Representative or Senators as appropriate. You can then print the photos and deliver them in person to the local district office. Or you can pass the photos off to us and we will deliver them for you ( them to dmeadows@tu.org). Educate and Engage Your Local Media Media plays an important role in shaping public perception, and Bristol Bay is no exception. One very effective way to reach a large number of people is through your local media (newspapers, club newsletters, your favorite fishing magazine, online news sources and local TV and radio stations are a few options). Here is one easy way you can highlight Bristol Bay through your local media outlets. Submit Letters to the Editor A Letter to the Editor (LTE) is able to reach large audiences. A LTE is often perceived as a highly credible display of mainstream community/public sentiment by legislators and other important readers. LTE's cost nothing except a small investment of time and thought and they can provide:

10 An explanation of how this issue relates to other stories currently being covered in the news (i.e.: see the recent LTE that appeared in WI at the back of this guide). A chance to cover the local angles of national issues and raise local public awareness of an issue. A chance to give insight on issues not being adequately covered by your local newspaper. Tips for Writing an Effective LTE: Find out the newspaper's policy for LTE's by looking on the editorial page of the printed paper or online. Be concise. Even if the paper you are writing to does not explicitly limit the length of letters it publishes, it s to your advantage to be as concise as possible ( words is typical). Stick to one subject. You are better off writing a widely read letter about one topic than one that covers many topics but is not read or, worse, not published, because it is too long or scattered. Be timely. Newspapers will rarely print letters about subjects that are not in the news. Use a recent news event or recently published article as a link for making your letter timely. Do not assume readers will know what you are writing about. Use your credentials. If you have personal experience or expertise in the subject area, mention it. Be consistent, but original. Stick to the facts mentioned in this handbook or other credible sources. We don t want two letters, ostensibly on the same side of the issue, that contradict each other. At the same time, do not send in "form letters," or letters that are clearly part of a write-in campaign. Concentrate on the local angle. Newspapers are community-based institutions and the LTE column is where they interact with the community most explicitly. Don t forget blogs and other social media Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other new forms of media are playing an increasing role in how people learn, discuss and act on issues. Here are a few quick ways to take advantage of new media. Contact local fishing/hunting blogs, ask if they ve heard about Pebble and if they would consider writing a blog post on the issue. If they are interested in doing so contact dmeadows@tu.org and we can get them the information they need. If you haven t already, Like Save Bristol Bay on Facebook share the posts you find interesting with your friends. You can also find us on Twitter and retweet items of interest.

11 Know the Facts: Pebble & Bristol Bay Pebble Mine & Bristol Bay at a Glance How big is the proposed Pebble Mine and where will it be located? Pebble would be the largest open pit mine in North America, with a pit size two miles wide and as much as 2,000 feet deep. Sequestering mine waste would require at least two giant tailings ponds enclosed by four earthen dams, the largest measuring 3.9 miles long and 740 feet high (taller than Seattle s Space Needle). Altogether the Pebble Mine site could cover 54 square miles. The proposed mine will be located roughly 200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, and just north of Lake Iliamna in the head waters of the Nushagak and Kvichak Rivers that feed Bristol Bay. What is the total value of the local commercial and sport fishing economy in Bristol Bay? The Bristol Bay fishing economy grosses roughly $375 million a year, with $75 million generated from sport fishing, and the other $300 million from commercial harvests. What is the life span of the Pebble Mine and how many people will be employed by Pebble? Pebble s lifespan ranges between 50 to 80 years, and promises to create around 1,000 new jobs. How long has the Bristol Bay commercial fishery been around, and how many people does it employ? Bristol Bay s commercial fishery has been around for more than 125 years, and employs about 12,000 people. How big is the Bristol Bay salmon run? Annual commercial catches between 1984 and 2003 averaged nearly 24 million sockeye salmon, 69,000 Chinook, 971,000 Chum, 133,000 Coho, and 593,000 Pink. In the recent past, biologists estimated average annual returns of sockeye to Bristol Bay drainages at million, and have been as high as 50 million. What is at stake is Pebble moves forward? Mining operations would devastate the salmon-spawning habitat of the world s most productive wild sockeye fishery. Also the regional habitat supports a wide

12 array of wildlife (moose, bear and caribou) and fish (salmon, Dolly Varden and rainbow trout) important to subsistence and recreational hunters and anglers. The rivers that would be mined through or directly down stream of mine waste storage facilities have fed countless generations of Alaska Natives and support a healthy, sustainable fishing industry that is critical to the statewide economy.