Pebble Mine: Winter Is Coming

Twelve years ago, Tribal representatives first asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop a massive proposed open pit mine at the headwaters of Alaska’s Nushagak and Kvichak rivers in Bristol Bay: the planet’s most productive remaining salmon region. Over the intervening 12 years, you’ve heard a lot from us about Pebble Mine. This long fight has tested our patience, resilience, and optimism. But as 2022 draws to a close, we've never felt stronger. Because each new week this winter brings us that much closer to a U.S. EPA decision that should finally end Pebble Mine.

How We're Fixing a Key Data Gap for Fisheries Managers 

In salmon rivers from Alaska to California, high-tech sonar and video systems are at work, capturing footage of migrating fish. The problem? Many lack the human eyes to watch this footage and tally fish: data that fisheries managers desperately need. Enter the Salmon Computer-Vision Project, a collaboration between Wild Salmon Center, the Pacific Salmon Foundation, Simon Fraser University, 12 First Nations, and multiple government agencies. With our partners, we're developing game-changing software to teach computers to create accurate, real-time fish counts on our behalf.

A Proud Legacy: Bob Van Dyk's 12 Years in Oregon Policy

In the early 2000s, Wild Salmon Center CEO Guido Rahr started bumping into Bob Van Dyk at Oregon Board of Forestry meetings. He quickly realized that Van Dyk was, as one colleague dubbed him, a true "forest Jedi," and recruited him to lead our Oregon policy team. This month, following a 12-year tour de force that has forever changed the state's forest rules, Van Dyk steps away from full time work at WSC. He assures us he’ll still be around to stand up for forests, and we sincerely hope he does. Thank you, Bob, for all you’ve done to date for Oregon forests, water, and wild salmon.

Give the Gift of Wild Salmon Rivers

This holiday season, send your loved ones a gift that gives back to the wild salmon rivers they cherish most—so they can remain protected for years to come. Until Friday, December 16, make a gift in honor of friends or family and we'll send them a card with a special note from you. Donate $50 or more, and we'll also send them a Wild Salmon Center EcoStretch buff!

The mission of the Wild Salmon Center is to promote the conservation and sustainable use of wild salmon ecosystems across the Pacific Rim.

Photo/image credits (from top): Alaska glacier aerial (Alamy); British Columbia sockeye salmon (Alamy); Wild Salmon Center outgoing Oregon Policy Director Bob Van Dyk (WSC); Wild Salmon Center buffs (WSC); Alaskan bear and sockeye salmon (Alamy). 

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