Conservation

The Orvis Conservation Blog speaks to our impassioned belief that if we are to benefit from the use of our natural resources, we must be willing to act to preserved them, an ethos we practice by committing 5% of pre-tax profits to conservation.

Thanks for protecting Bristol Bay

Last week, we let you know about the EPA’s plans to assess the Bristol Bay watershed in order to understand how future large-scale development like the proposed Pebble Mine may affect its water quality and the bay’s salmon fishery.

We also asked you to give the EPA your input through our easy Take Action page.

Boy did you.

Approximately 6,000 of you sent nearly 23,000 emails to over 550 representatives in DC and to the EPA telling them to use their authority to protect Bristol Bay. We thank you for that.

If you did not get the chance last week, we encourage you to go to the Take Action page now to let the EPA know this resource is too important and rare to risk having the world’s largest open pit mine situated at its headwaters.

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Educate Yourself about Pebble Mine

SOCKEYE

The largest run of wild sockeye salmon in the world is just one of the natural wonders threatened by the proposed Pebble Mine.

Ever since the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would assess the Bristol Bay watershed to understand how future large-scale development may affect water quality and the bay’s salmon fishery, opponents of the proposed Pebble mine project have cranked up the pressure on elected officials to get behind the EPA’s effort. If you haven’t already, please take the time to send an email to your state’s members in Congress, asking them to support the effort.

For those who haven’t been following the Pebble Mine debate since it first entered the angling-public consciousness in 2007, here are some links to get you up to speed and to help. . .

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Action Alert: The Time to Save Bristol Bay is Here!

“Finally, the break we’ve been looking for is here!”— Perk Perkins, CEO, The Orvis Company

We’ve just learned the EPA plans to assess the Bristol Bay watershed to understand how future large-scale development may affect water quality and Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery. This is a pivotal step toward protecting this pristine region from the proposed Pebble Mine. Frankly, it’s a step that may not have happened if not for partners like TU and The Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska, and sportsmen and women such as yourselves working non-stop to help protect the area.

Part of the EPA’s process is to get public input. We encourage you to send your input today to let the EPA know the value you place on the wild resources of this magnificent region.

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The First Megaload Runs into Trouble

We’ve been following the battle to keep “megaloads” of oil-refinery equipment off scenic highways in Idaho and Montana (see previous stories here and here) for a couple months now. As this news report from Idaho makes clear, the very first attempt to move one of the giant drums. . .

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Living Simply and Saving Sea Turtles

Keller-Mass Exodus

Olive Ridley sea turtles, raised in a nursery at Nicaragua’s Los Cardones Lodge, 
head for the ocean where they can live for as long as 80 years.

photo by Meg & Patrick Keller

My wife, Meg, and I decided to take a break from the Vermont cold and head south for Christmas. The plan was to meet my brother, his girlfriend and our soon-to-be friend Bill off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua for some fishing and diving. Our good friend Brett mentioned that we should make an effort to spend a few days on the Pacific side, as well, at an eco-surf lodge called. . .

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Protect Nature: Take a Kid Fishing

All sportsmen and women understand their obligation to conservation—without the resource, we have nothing. Many great organizations operate around the globe working hard to serve the species, habitats and ecosystems that need our immediate attention. To do our part, we find a compelling effort, and if possible, give them our time, money, sweat, endorsement, or whatever we can afford. Flip through the Orvis catalog or browse the website and you’ll find a handful of environmental projects well worth backing.

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Proving the Value of Marine Reserves

Here’s a great video about how a no-take marine reserve in Glover’s Reef Atoll, off the coast of Belize, offers evidence that such sanctuaries can help keep the surrounding reef and waters healthier.

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Sacramento River Basin Project Update

For one of our 2010 Conservation Efforts, Orvis teamed with American Rivers to help restore trout-spawning habitat in California’s Sacramento River Basin. Outdated flood and water-management systems have resulted in the loss of important meadow wetlands that purify and store water and the watershed. . .

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