We applaud the Obama administration for the decision to protect Bristol Bay as a national treasure in Alaska by withdrawing it from consideration for oil and gas development through 2017. Although this decision makes us hopeful for the future of Bristol Bay, we are not ready to celebrate yet. It just does not make sense to protect the offshore without protecting the onshore. Our wild Alaskan salmon stocks are literally connected to the ocean, river, and the surrounding BLM lands—the whole ecosystem must be protected to preserve wild salmon. The Administration should take the next logical step in protecting Bristol Bay’s world-class fishery by encouraging the Bureau of Land Management to include onshore protections for wild salmon’s spawning and rearing waters and lands. The right time to protect Alaskan wild salmon is now.
- ACTION: Click here to tell Secretary of the Interior Salazar to direct the BLM to create a real management plan for Bristol Bay.
- ACTION: Don’t forget to enter your photographs into the Hidden Gems Photo Contest by June 15, 2010! For more information visit www.alaskawild.org/hiddengems.
