CTobias
Professional BS'r
I'm sure many of you are not aware of this, but a mining company from Delaware, PacRim, wants to take 100% of the water in the Chuitna River to be used in their coal mining operation there. They also want to rip out 11 miles of the river to dig down 300'. They have promised to save the genetics of all the salmon species in the Chuitna and build a hatchery to make the fishery "better than it ever was". We all know this is not true.
Here is a opinion piece I have written that will possibly be published in some of the local papers in the area.
Coal or Salmon?
That is the question that many Alaskan’s have been hearing for a few years, but especially as of late, and for good reason. The question is much deeper than 300 feet below the Chuitna River. If it has no emotional effect on you, then reading this piece may not sway you one way or the other.
The question is a very valid one. Do we allow an outside company from Delaware, PacRim, to come into our backyard and destroy an entire ecosystem for profit? Forget the fact that PacRim is an outside company, but why let any company come in and destroy an entire ecosystem?
PacRim says they’re going to save the genetics of the salmon within the Chuitna Drainage and then create a hatchery to restock the river. This in turn, will make it “better than it ever was”. This is laughable at best. Unless PacRim plans on spending billions of dollars, which would negate all of their profit, to repair the hyporheic of the Chuitna, then their words are empty and just that. Words. Besides, what person prefers hatchery mutants over wild fish?
Salmon are a very important part of our ecosystem, as stated by the Wild Salmon Center;
"Salmon are inseparable from their freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. This is true of all species, but especially true of salmon. Juvenile salmon and steelhead use the entire river ecosystem, from headwaters to the ocean. They are extremely sensitive to changes in water quality, trophic webs and upstream perturbations to the river flow, turbidity and temperature. Juvenile salmonids feed on freshwater invertebrates that are also indicators of water quality. Generally, the more pristine, diverse and productive the freshwater ecosystem is, the healthier the salmon stocks. Declines in the capacity of a watershed to grow juvenile salmonids can indicate declining ecosystem health."
To me it is clear as day to deny PacRim, or any company, the right to totally destroy an entire ecosystem. They say that we are just victims of the “not in my backyard” mentality. You’re damn right not in my backyard. It doesn’t matter if the Chuitna River was fifteen or fifteen hundred miles away from my home. I still wouldn’t agree with anyone destroying a river so they can fatten their wallets and provide China with cheap energy.
The coal isn’t cheap energy. Allowing PacRim to destroy the Chuitna River would be taking the potential lives of millions of salmon, not to mention every other animal that relies on the Chuitna River for their survival. The decisions we make today impact more than just what happens tomorrow. They will last for generations to come.
For those that haven’t been paying attention, chinook salmon numbers within Cook Inlet are down. The fact that the State of Alaska is actually considering letting a company come in and destroy 11 miles of a wild salmon river, and an entire ecosystem, just blows my mind.
It’s time the residents of Alaska make their voices heard. Don’t let politicians who are influenced by lobbyists, and other outside duplicitous groups, decide what happens within this state. We are Alaskans because we are strong and independent. But, when it comes to the fate of a river, fishery, livelihood, and an entire ecosystem, then we as Alaskans need to come together for the common good of our resources. Get out and make your voices heard. Support all of the groups looking to put an end to this proposed destruction.
Christopher Tobias lives with his family in Wasilla and is a Professional Fishing Guide.
Here is a opinion piece I have written that will possibly be published in some of the local papers in the area.
Coal or Salmon?
That is the question that many Alaskan’s have been hearing for a few years, but especially as of late, and for good reason. The question is much deeper than 300 feet below the Chuitna River. If it has no emotional effect on you, then reading this piece may not sway you one way or the other.
The question is a very valid one. Do we allow an outside company from Delaware, PacRim, to come into our backyard and destroy an entire ecosystem for profit? Forget the fact that PacRim is an outside company, but why let any company come in and destroy an entire ecosystem?
PacRim says they’re going to save the genetics of the salmon within the Chuitna Drainage and then create a hatchery to restock the river. This in turn, will make it “better than it ever was”. This is laughable at best. Unless PacRim plans on spending billions of dollars, which would negate all of their profit, to repair the hyporheic of the Chuitna, then their words are empty and just that. Words. Besides, what person prefers hatchery mutants over wild fish?
Salmon are a very important part of our ecosystem, as stated by the Wild Salmon Center;
"Salmon are inseparable from their freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. This is true of all species, but especially true of salmon. Juvenile salmon and steelhead use the entire river ecosystem, from headwaters to the ocean. They are extremely sensitive to changes in water quality, trophic webs and upstream perturbations to the river flow, turbidity and temperature. Juvenile salmonids feed on freshwater invertebrates that are also indicators of water quality. Generally, the more pristine, diverse and productive the freshwater ecosystem is, the healthier the salmon stocks. Declines in the capacity of a watershed to grow juvenile salmonids can indicate declining ecosystem health."
To me it is clear as day to deny PacRim, or any company, the right to totally destroy an entire ecosystem. They say that we are just victims of the “not in my backyard” mentality. You’re damn right not in my backyard. It doesn’t matter if the Chuitna River was fifteen or fifteen hundred miles away from my home. I still wouldn’t agree with anyone destroying a river so they can fatten their wallets and provide China with cheap energy.
The coal isn’t cheap energy. Allowing PacRim to destroy the Chuitna River would be taking the potential lives of millions of salmon, not to mention every other animal that relies on the Chuitna River for their survival. The decisions we make today impact more than just what happens tomorrow. They will last for generations to come.
For those that haven’t been paying attention, chinook salmon numbers within Cook Inlet are down. The fact that the State of Alaska is actually considering letting a company come in and destroy 11 miles of a wild salmon river, and an entire ecosystem, just blows my mind.
It’s time the residents of Alaska make their voices heard. Don’t let politicians who are influenced by lobbyists, and other outside duplicitous groups, decide what happens within this state. We are Alaskans because we are strong and independent. But, when it comes to the fate of a river, fishery, livelihood, and an entire ecosystem, then we as Alaskans need to come together for the common good of our resources. Get out and make your voices heard. Support all of the groups looking to put an end to this proposed destruction.
Christopher Tobias lives with his family in Wasilla and is a Professional Fishing Guide.
