The Stand for Salmon campaign is in the home stretch.

Alaskans will be going to the polls on November 6th to put themselves back in charge of fish habitat protection. If approved, Measure 1 will create stronger protections for Alaska’s wild salmon watersheds—including Bristol Bay—by updating the state’s 60-year-old fish habitat protection law and ensuring large scale projects cannot jeopardize salmon runs.

Throughout the year, Measure 1 has gained broad support from fishermen, Alaska Native leaders, and other salmon advocates from across the state who don’t want to see the mistakes of the Lower 48 repeated in their world-class salmon rivers.

As our campaign plays out in Alaska, federal decision makers are working to roll back bedrock environmental laws that safeguard watersheds like Bristol Bay. Meanwhile, Pebble Mine continues to be fast-tracked. Strong state-level habitat protections are more important than ever.
Multinational mining and drilling interests in Alaska have spent over $11 million on ads discrediting the ballot measure and sowing confusion among voters. While support for Measure 1 remains strong, it’s vital that we keep a pro-salmon message in front of Alaskans up until Election Day on November 6th.

Fishermen from the lower 48 have provided essential moral and financial support throughout the campaign. Recently, Wild Salmon Center board member, private equity investor and Bristol Bay sportfish lodge owner John Childs told the Anchorage Daily News: “…When faced with the choice of a lucrative business venture and the risk of potentially catastrophic and irreparable damage to a great natural resource like the Kvichak [River], I’ll choose the river every time.”

The future of Alaska’s wild fish depends on all of us stepping up. Please take a moment now to chip in to the campaign, and join us in taking a stand for salmon.

Paid for by Wild Salmon Center Political Activities Fund, Portland Oregon. Top three donors: Guido Rahr, Portland, OR, Dave Finkel, Portland, OR, Ken Morrish, Ashland, OR.