Denver Post | OPINION: Protect Bristol Bay from proposed open-pit mine

By Jim Bartschi and Soraya Smith

Guest Commentary

As the leaders of two prominent outdoor recreation brands based here in Colorado, we are connected to some of the world’s finest lands and waters. One of those places is Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska; an irreplaceable treasure for fish and wildlife, Native cultures, world-class tourism and food.

The rivers of Bristol Bay, including the Nushagak, Mulchatna, Koktuli, Kvichak and Talarik Creek are as productive today as they were thousands of years ago, and their ecosystems support the world’s largest runs of wild salmon. Salmon play a central role in the cultural and spiritual identity of the Yup’ik, Dena’ina, and Alutiiq peoples who have lived in the region for millennia, and are critical to their way of life. Those salmon also support one of the world’s largest populations of brown bears found in fabled places like Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks and the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary.

Each year, tens of thousands of anglers and visitors from around the world are drawn to the region for its extraordinary beauty and “once in a lifetime” fishing and wildlife viewing experiences. The region provides over 15,000 jobs and generates $2.2 billion annually from the commercial fishery that feeds Americans from coast to coast. Tens of thousands of trips are taken annually to Bristol Bay by tourists from across the world to sportfish and to see the bears feast on migrating salmon as they ascend waterfalls on their way up rivers all around the region.

However, all of this is at stake because of the proposed Pebble Mine. If built, this massive open pit mine at the headwaters of Bristol Bay would produce up to 10.2 billion tons of toxic waste, threatening to destroy the region’s salmon and wildlife habitat. This would be devastating to the Alaska Native people who live there, as well as to the outdoor recreation industries connected to Bristol Bay.

Based in Montrose, Scott Fly Rod Company is one of the leading fly rod manufacturers in the world. Each year our gear is being used in Bristol Bay by professional guides and visiting anglers. Countless fish have been caught (and lost!) on our rods, and those have created memorable experiences for our customers’ trips to Bristol Bay.

Backpacker’s Pantry, based in Boulder, is one of the world’s foremost producers of freezedried meals. Our meals nourish many adventurers in southwest Alaska each year, but our connection to Bristol Bay is about more than just the food taken there. Both of our companies share a deep appreciation that the salmon of Bristol Bay, and the land and water they depend on, are an irreplaceable worldclass natural resource that must be protected. If Pebble Mine is built, the salmon of Bristol Bay will forever be imperiled, native communities will be jeopardized, and our businesses and many others will be impaired.

Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency is undergoing a comment period on their proposed protections for the Bristol Bay region, which ends on Sept. 6. There is overwhelming support from millions of individuals and hundreds of businesses across the country and around the globe for finalizing durable protections for the region. The EPA must work quickly to protect Bristol Bay’s irreplaceable resources, establish robust science-based protections, and provide certainty that the Pebble Mine will not ever destroy this incredible place.

Coloradans have many ties to Bristol Bay, and we believe future generations deserve the same — whether it is enjoying wild salmon at dinner, or perhaps even fishing and seeing the bears in southwest Alaska.

Jim Bartschi is the president of Scott Fly Rod Company (based in Montrose) and board chair of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association. Soraya Smith is the owner/ chef of American Outdoor Products, the parent company of Backpacker’s Pantry (based in Boulder).