This week, the Bristol Bay Defense Fund launched an advertisement campaign that urges the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to end the threat and veto Pebble Mine now. The ads state: “The recorded salmon runs have never been larger. The chorus of Alaskans has never been louder. Return peace to Bristol Bay, veto pebble mine now.”
Read MoreBristol Bay residents and Tribes voiced widespread support for Clean Water Act protections during the Environmental Protection Agency’s public comment period that ends Sept. 6, joining a record number of Alaskans urging the federal agency to protect Bristol Bay this year.
Read MoreBristol Bay is celebrating Alaska Wild Salmon Day on August 10 as a day of action on the heels of another record-breaking salmon season in Bristol Bay this year.
Read MoreFor the second year in a row, a record number of sockeye have returned to Bristol Bay. Through July 14, Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates 69.7 million sockeye returned to the Bay and its rivers, breaking the previous record of 67.7 million sockeye, set in 2021. Commercial fishermen have also set a new harvest record for the bay, with 53.3 million sockeye caught through July 14.
Read MoreNearly 100 Bristol Bay residents and other supporters urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize strong permanent protections for the region during the agency’s three public hearings this week.
Read MoreBristol Bay leaders called for comprehensive protections that protect the full natural headwaters of three critical subwatersheds: the North Fork Koktuli, South Fork Koktuli, and Upper Talarik Creek.
Read MoreBristol Bay Tribes, fishermen, and communities are pleased to see the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s announcement regarding revised proposed protections for our lands and waters.
Read MoreBristol Bay Tribes, commercial fishermen, and conservation groups joined U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) for a press conference in the House Triangle to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect Bristol Bay from the threat of Pebble Mine as soon as possible.
Read MoreIn February, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game released its 2022 Bristol Bay Commercial Salmon Fishing Outlook, including a projection that 73.4 million sockeye will return to Bristol Bay. The record projections for this fishing season are due to Bristol Bay’s unpolluted and pristine watershed thanks to thousands of years of Indigenous stewardship. For decades, Bristol Bay has been threatened by Pebble Mine – a proposed massive open pit mine at the headwaters of the Bay that would produce up to 10.2 billion tons of waste.
Read MorePlease join the United Tribes of Bristol Bay in welcoming our new Deputy Director, Delores Larson! For the last five years, Delores has done amazing work at UTBB as the Community Engagement Director and we are very excited for her future with us in this new role. Delores will continue to work remotely from her home community of Koliganek, where she and her husband are raising their family in our subsistence way of life.
Read MoreThe Bristol Bay Defense Fund launched a new $100k digital, print, and television ad campaign that urges the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to veto Pebble Mine and finish the job of protecting Bristol Bay. The ads will run in Washington, DC and Alaska, with a large presence in Juneau, Alaska.
Read MoreTwo new campaigns launched today in an effort to finally secure durable protections for Bristol Bay in the decades-long fight against the proposed Pebble Mine – one to advocate for the dual track approach needed to protect the region and one to support champions of Bristol Bay action.
Read MoreBristol Bay Tribes are disappointed that after months of outreach to EPA officials requesting robust Tribal consultation on the process moving forward, EPA’s announcement today further delayed the years-long effort to protect Bristol Bay without hearing our input. The Biden administration and the EPA have committed to consult Tribes in their decision-making process, but this should have taken place before today’s announcement. Now, at least one more fishing season could be imperiled by uncertainty.
Read MoreAfter five years, UTBB is preparing to wish our Deputy Director Lindsay Layland well as she moves on to follow her passion into a new career path. Lindsay’s skillset & energy were invaluable to our team and the work to protect Bristol Bay. As we get ready for her departure later this spring, UTBB is opening the Deputy Director position for interested applicants.
Read MoreBristol Bay Tribes celebrated today's news that the Environmental Protection Agency has set a timeline for considering permanent protections for the region. The agency today announced the timeline for resuming its process to review potential Clean Water Act 404(c) protections for Bristol Bay.
Read MoreThe Bristol Bay Defense Fund launched a new comprehensive digital and TV ad campaign urging the Environmental Protection Agency to “finish the job” of protecting Bristol Bay before the start of the next fishing season.
Read MoreIn a critical step forward in providing permanent protection to the Bristol Bay watershed and vetoing the Pebble Mine, the Federal District Court officially cleared the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reinitiate the Clean Water Act 404(c) process that would allow the agency to protect Bristol Bay.
Read MoreBristol Bay Tribes and communities celebrated today’s announcement that the Environmental Protection Agency will resume work on permanent protections for the Bristol Bay watershed that could safeguard the region from mines like the Pebble project.
Read MoreOn the anniversary of President Barack Obama’s visit to Bristol Bay, United Tribes of Bristol Bay submitted approximately 3,500 comments to the Environmental Protection Agency, asking they use Clean Water Act authority to permanently protect the region from mines like Pebble. Those letters come after about 125,000 letters were sent by supporters in the state and nation so far this year.
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