Welcome to the latest installment of the Wednesday Wake-Up Call, a weekly roundup of the most pressing conservation issues important to anglers. Working with our friends at Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, The Everglades Foundation, Captains for Clean Water, Bullsugar.org, and Conservation Hawks (among others), we’ll make sure you’ve got the information you need to understand the issues and form solid opinions.
If you know of an important issue–whether it’s national or local–that anglers should be paying attention to, comment below, and we’ll check it out!
Photo by Pat Clayton, Fish Eye Guy Photography
Today’s Wednesday Wake-Up Call is focused on important hearings that took place this morning in Washington, D.C., held by the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. (This subcommittee is part of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.) The title of the hearing was: “The Pebble Mine Project: Process and Potential Impacts.” The Representatives heard statements from people on both sides of the Pebble battle:
- Brian Kraft, Owner, Alaska Sportsmen’s Lodge
- Alannah Hurley, Executive Director, United Tribes of Bristol Bay
- Anisa Costa, Chief Sustainability Officer, Tiffany & Co.
- Dennis McLerran, Esq., Cascadia Law Group
- Tom Collier, Chief Executive Officer, The Pebble Partnership
- Richard Borden, Owner, Midgard Environmental Services LLC
- Mark Niver, Fisherman, Surrender Salmon Co.
Brian Kraft owns two Orvis-endorsed lodges — Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge and Bristol Bay Lodge–and he has long been a leader in the fight against Pebble Mine. (The video he made with his daughter demonstrates his commitment to ensuring her future.) His opening statement before the committee was a powerful piece of on-the-ground testimony, as he explains how his initial pro-mine stance was changed by interactions with a longtime mine manager and a native elder. You can watch him deliver his emotional message below, and read his written testimony here.
After all the opening statements, the House members asked questions of the witnesses. Their answers are a powerful testament to the passion of all the partners who have joined together to defeat this mine–recreational and commercial fishermen, native tribes, business owners, and scientists. I recommend that you watch the entire hearing (below) if you have the time. Then, make your voice heard by clicking the link below.