Information provided by Amelie Peck, Node Manager, North American Mountain Forum, Banff, Alberta, Canada
20 November 2008
The People’s Choice award at this year’s recent Banff Mountain Film Festival was awarded to the film RedGold. The film tells the story of the brewing controversy surrounding the proposed Pebble Mine at the headwaters of Bristol Bay in Alaska. Bristol Bay is home to the Kvichak and Nushagak rivers, which are two of the most prolific sockeye salmon runs in the world and home to some of North America’s most pristine wilderness.
The Pebble Partnership, comprised of the world’s second largest multinational mining corporation, wants to create one of North America’s largest open-pit gold-copper mines at the headwaters of Bristol Bay. The Pebble Mine complex, covering approx. 15 square miles, would include the largest dam in the world, made of earth not concrete, to hold back the toxic waste created in the mining process. The proposed Pebble Mine will require as much power as the city of Anchorage and a 200-mile road through the road-less wilderness of Bristol Bay.
Here are a few links to some recent New York Times articles on the subject
http://snipurl.com/63osv
http://snipurl.com/63ou5
If you are interested in learning more about this issue, the following website has a number of different links about Bristol Bay, mining in general and Alaska. http://www.stoppebblemine.com/links/default.asp
Here is link to the Pebble Partnership, the multinational mining corporation looking to develop the Pebble Mine. http://www.pebblepartnership.com/
Finally, here is the link to the website for the film RedGold which is a very well done portrayal of the issues facing the people of Bristol Bay who depend on the salmon fishery for their livelihood. http://www.redgoldfilm.com