his shot was taken by adventure photographer Corey Rich in August of 2008 on the Chilikadrotna River in Lake Clark National Park. It appears in the March issue of Men’s Journal Magazine. And for those of you who haven’t met me, at least with this photo you’ll have the chance to put the name with the face! Click here to see more of Corey’s spectacular images from the trip.
What’s most important however is the content of the article. It draws national attention to the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine. The Pebble Mine would be the largest open pit gold/copper mine in the western hemisphere, and precariously perched at the headwaters of both the Nushagak and Kvichak river systems. These Bristol Bay waters originate in Lake Clark National Park and provide rearing and spawning habitat for the largest sockeye salmon fishery on earth. An accident at the mine, perhaps a leak in the massive tailings reservoir, could send toxic water downstream and destroy this precious renewable resource. An accident would devastate the region’s sustainable industries like commercial and sport-fishing, tourism, and the subsistence opportunities that indigenous cultures in Bristol Bay have relied upon for centuries.
