News for Immediate Release
Aug. 24, 2020
Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, [email protected]

Army Corps of Engineers requires Pebble Partnership to develop plan for
mitigating mine’s impacts on fish- and wildlife-rich region of Bristol Bay

MISSOULA, Mont. – Backcountry Hunters & Anglers today welcomed a decision by the Trump administration to slow development of a massive gold and copper mining project in the fish- and wildlife-rich region of Bristol Bay, Alaska.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is requiring the Pebble Partnership to develop strategies for mitigating “adverse impacts” of the Pebble Mine on fish and wildlife habitat, including wetlands and streams, in the southwest Alaska project site, delaying advancement of a project long criticized by a broad coalition of sportsmen and women, businesses and Alaskans.

“Bristol Bay is a public lands jewel that fuels the economy of southwest Alaska, the cultural traditions of Native Alaska communities and the bucket lists of sportsmen and women,” said BHA President and CEO Land Tawney. “For nearly a decade, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers has been working alongside Alaskans and more than 1 million American sportsmen, women and businesses to conserve Bristol Bay. Today, we commend the administration for acknowledging that more work needs to be done and ultimately this is the wrong mine in the wrong place.

“Hunters, anglers, commercial fishermen and communities across Alaska agree that the consequences of the Pebble Mine would be disastrous,” Tawney continued. “Bristol Bay is an irreplaceable landscape that deserves long-term conservation. We hope the administration takes the strongest action possible to prevent any future development of the region.”

Sportsmen and women from across the United States and around the world dream of fishing Bristol Bay’s wild rivers, which support the world's largest remaining wild salmon fishery (and more than 14,000 jobs), 35 fish species (including all five species of Pacific salmon) and nearly half of all wild sockeye populations. The region fuels a robust hunting industry and provides undisturbed habitat for moose, caribou, black bear and large populations of migratory waterfowl. The rich cultural resources Native Alaskan communities have fought to protect in addition to fish and wildlife values also mark Bristol Bay as a truly special place that shouldn’t be developed for any price.

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is the voice
for our wild public lands, waters and wildlife.

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