The Time to Act Is Now: Pedro Bay Rivers Project

The Pedro Bay Rivers project is a big deal, pun intended. The Conservation Fund, in partnership with the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust, is under contract to purchase three conservation easements on over 44,000 acres of essential salmon and wildlife habitat from the Pedro Bay Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation. Not only will the easements protect habitat for over 4 million sockeye salmon, they will also block Pebble Mine’s plans to build a transportation road needed from the proposed mine site to Cooke Inlet across these lands. This is an unparalleled opportunity to protect irreplaceable salmon habitat, block industrial-scale mining, and support subsistence and cultural activities important to Bristol Bay and the Pedro Bay Corporation, an Alaska Native village corporation.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s at stake:

Bristol Bay Is Home to the Largest Wild Sockeye Salmon Fishery in the World

While wild fish populations are collapsing around the world, Bristol Bay remains strong. 2022’s salmon run was record breaking, with over 75 million sockeye salmon returning to the waters of the Bristol Bay region. The Pedro Bay Rivers projects would place three conservation easements on three watersheds on the northeast end of Iliamna Lake – Knutson Creek, Iliamna River, and Pile River. These watersheds are major producers for Bristol Bay, generating over 4 million sockeye salmon each year. Protecting the watersheds of the Pile River, Iliamna River and Knutson Creek with conservation easements will ensure these waters will be able support the extraordinary number of sockeye salmon who return to spawn year after year.

People Depend on the Bristol Region

Salmon is the lifeblood of this region for commercial fishing, recreational fishing, indigenous people and rural residents. An estimated 15,000 jobs are supported by the salmon fishery, not to mention the countless individuals who subsist and harvest salmon for their families and traditional way of life.

Diverse Wildlife and Pristine Habitat Abound in Bristol Bay Region

The enormous runs of sockeye salmon provide food for many species in this region, including brown bear, river otters, lynx, wolf, bald eagles and a rare population of freshwater harbor seals that reside in Iliamna Lake year-round. For good reason, brown bears rule the Iliamna Lake landscape and are abundant wherever salmon can be found. For the local people of this region, being “bear aware” and respectful of their constant presence is ingrained in every part of life. This project will also protect habitat for numerous other species, including moose, brown bear, wolverine, beaver, mink, weasel, marten and wolf.

Dealing a Blow to the Proposed Pebble Mine

The proposed gold and copper mine threatens the ecological, subsistence and cultural integrity of Iliamna Lake and the greater Bristol Bay region. The conservation easements would prevent construction of a critical access road needed by Pebble Mine and impede other future mining projects. Securing the conservation easements is an important first step in a collaborative effort that includes both private land conservation and political action to provide lasting, durable protections for the Bristol Bay region.

Taken separately, political efforts like EPA protections and legislative solutions and land protection efforts like the Pedro Bay Rivers project each make the possibility of Pebble Mine less likely, but taken together, all these actions can make for comprehensive and permanent protections.