Yuku free message boards

"Everyone in Alaska should watch this film. Then there would be no Pebble Mine."

The residents of Alaska will not be who will determine whether there is a Pebble Mine. It will be the Governor of Alaska, the courts, and the dollars of the large Canadian mining companies that will determine whether there is a Pebble Mine. When there was a proposition concerning mining regulations on the ballot Pebble Mine backers polluted the airwaves with so many commercials saying that the proposition only created unnecessary regulations on top of too many existing regulations in the first place that it was soundly defeated. The Alaskan Natives in the Bristol Bay region are not even united on Pebble Mine because the mining interests have pumped so much money in that region to gain support. I work with a woman who drives 200 miles every weekend to fish out of Anchor Point. She voted no because she got the message that the proposition only added unnecessary regulations. Another woman I work with who doesn't fish much voted against it for the same reason. Only about 23% of Alaskan residents buy fishing licenses (many of those are probably for one day clamming trips or one day of fishing on the Russian river) and I think that is going down each year. Very few of those fishers are fly fishers and very few of the fly fishers have ever been to Bristol Bay nor will they ever make it there. Two things that Alaskans hate are regulations and someone from outside telling us what to do. The anti-Pebble Mine supporters made the mistake of hiring outside firms with outside money to present their message and requested more regulations. That's a kiss of death in Alaskan elections. You better believe that the pro-Pebble Mine group jumped on that and made it very public. I think that those mining rights are on State land. So who ever is governor at the time that development begins will have a say in whether there is a Pebble Mine. I just don't think a candidate's position on Pebble Mine will be much of a factor in determining the election for the position. Most people in this state are going to vote for candidates who say they are for new development which will create jobs and increase state revenues so that the residents can continue to receive permanent fund dividends and there will not be a state income tax or state sales tax. I'm all for responsible development, but I sure don't think it makes sense to risk a huge renewable resource to develop a non-renewable resource. Especially when fish are involved!!!! But obviously I am in the minority.

But back to the subject, your "Rivers of a Lost Coast" confused me at first because there is a Lost Coast up here too that rumor has it still has some pretty good fishin.