Seattle’s Stake in Bristol Bay Seafood
One of the newer outrages that Rep. Don Young, Congressman for all Alaskans who voted for him, has to face is the U.S. Senator from Washington, Maria Cantwell. What has she done to incur his infamous wrath? She has stuck her nose in the business of Alaskan resource management. You see, one of Senator Cantwell’s main issues is sustainability of salmon populations and the fishing jobs they provide. Not only has she been working to secure funding for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund – from the Columbia River to Puget Sound, salmon populations are struggling to recover after decades of…
The Time to Toss Pebble is Now. Really.
Here in Alaska, the proposed Pebble Mine project is not a partisan issue. It’s an issue of fish vs. cyanide, Alaskans vs. multinational corporations, Native culture vs. the bottom line, sustainable jobs vs. instant gratification, and food security vs. greed. It’s a battle between holding on to the best of our state, and the last great wild salmon run in the world, and letting it all slip away to line the pockets of the already wealthy multinational mining conglomerates. We have a lot at stake. And right now, we can actually help to influence how this all turns out. What…
Parnell Tries to Silence Alaskans
If Alaskans’ drinking water, children or fishing streams are at risk, Alaskans should have a say. That’s the radical supposition of Rep. Les Gara (D-Anchorage). The governor, on the other hand, proposes to eliminate public input on pesticide use that could contaminate waters where Alaskans fish and get drinking water. Did you expect anything less? “If someone’s plans risk poisoning our drinking water or fishing streams, Alaskans should have a say,” said Rep. Gara. “Alaskans have a right to fish our streams, drink our water, and hunt without fear that our resources will be contaminated by toxic pesticides. If the…
Open Thread – Bristol Bay Nets
I happened to stumble upon this wonderful video about a woman who makes and repairs nets for Bristol Bay fisherfolk. I hope you enjoy it! And please visit SaveBristolBay.org
Shell Drill Ship Runs Aground (updated)
Remember last week when Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said, “I don’t believe there will be an oil spill?” He was talking about Shell’s offshore arctic drilling in the Beaufort and Chuckchi Seas. I wonder if anyone asked Ken Salazar if he “believed” that Shell wouldn’t even be able to get the drill rig to the drilling site without running it aground? Because, guess what? It did. Well, they didn’t say it “ran aground.” The official story from Shell’s spokesman Curtis Smith (who may or may not be Sarah Palin’s former spokesman Curtis Smith) was: “Today, while moored off the…
Young Denies Existence of Big Trees
~Photo of delusional person by John Schoen. Do NOT believe your lyin’ eyes. This post is about Don Young. Periodically, Alaska’s one and only congressman makes it a point to embarrass the thinking residents of his fine state. Some times it’s by yelling at his fellow legislators, or insulting them. Sometimes it’s an outlandish stunt like banging the penis bone of a walrus on the table while the House is in session, or wearing a propeller beanie to demonstrate how silly wind power is. But this one is just bizarre. And for Don Young, that’s saying something. But first, let’s…
Dear Mr. President, “I believe,” is not good policy
An open letter to President Barack Obama: Dear Mr. President, As a woman who worked very hard to make sure your last opponents were not elected — walking door to door in the snow on your behalf, registering more than a thousand Alaskans to vote, exposing Palin in the national media, etc. — I feel obligated to write you about a few of my concerns. Your secretary of the interior, Ken Salazar, recently told reporters asking about Shell’s recent drilling permits and Alaska’s Arctic, “I believe there’s not going to be an oil spill.” Sir, he just wrote the headline for the first oil spill under…
Arctic in Crisis
By Rick Steiner The Arctic is one of most pristine and unique regions of our planet, but it is now in crisis from two serious threats — climate change and industrialization. As sea ice retreats, the Arctic has become the “wild wild north” — a last frontier for a failed development paradigm that has ravaged much of the rest of the biosphere. And while governments and industry say they will develop the Arctic “responsibly,” their actions so far suggest otherwise. On climate change, things have quickly gone from bad to worse. The Arctic is warming at twice the rate…
Ghost Pots Haunt Bering Sea Crab Fishery
The ocean has many woes. Over-fishing, acidification, heavy metals, plastic and styrofoam, oil spills, marine mammal endangerment, mining near water bodies, and climate change, just to name some of them. But here’s one you don’t hear about very often that affects one of our favorite gifts from the sea – Alaska crab. For those who have never seen a crab pot, they are huge metal and net contraptions that cost between $1000 and $1500 a piece. They sit on the sea floor, collecting and trapping crab that dwell on the bottom. They are secured by heavy lines and marked by…
Arctic Drilling – You Just Gotta Believe…
There are those of you who have been worrying about Shell’s imminent offshore drilling plans in the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska. You remember the live video of the billowing plumes of oil spewing from the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico. You remember watching the news from Alaska in 1989, as film of viscous black liquid that was supposed to be seawater slopped up on the shoreline in Prince William Sound. Countless seabirds, otters, and other wildlife suffered death by crude. Many humans also suffered ill effects to their health from a toxic bath of oil and hazardous…